New Worlds of Body, Mind & Spirit Since 1901
| My Eastern European grandmother told me many tales of the hogboons, a variety of faery folk native to Scotland's Orkney Islands. The name may derive from the Old Norse haug-bui or haug-buinn, "mound-farmer" or "mound-dweller."
The hogboons, also called hogboys, were mound-dwellers and much preferred the country to living in town. Unlike their trow (troll) kin, hogboons were appreciated for their relative benevelence. In exchange for a snug mound to live in on one's property, the hogboon would watch over the bounds and occasionally even worked, house-elf fashion, inside the home. My grandmother enticed her hogboons with dishes of butter and cream and swore they often lent a hand in her kitchen. With the holiday season approaching, we could all use a house-hogboon! Create a small earthen mound in your yard, then set out a dish of butter and cream and invite the local hogboons to visit your kitchen. |
