A brag is a mischievous shapeshifting

goblin A goblin is a small, grotesque, monstrous creature that appears in the folklore of multiple European cultures. First attested in stories from the Middle Ages, they are ascribed conflicting abilities, temperaments, and appearances depending on ...

in the

folklore Folklore is shared by a particular group of people; it encompasses the traditions common to that culture, subculture or group. This includes oral traditions such as tales, legends, proverbs and jokes. They include material culture, rangin ...

of Northumbria (

Northumberland Northumberland () is a county in Northern England, one of two counties in England which border with Scotland. Notable landmarks in the county include Alnwick Castle, Bamburgh Castle, Hadrian's Wall and Hexham Abbey. It is bordered by land ...

and

Durham Durham most commonly refers to: *Durham, England, a cathedral city and the county town of County Durham *County Durham, an English county * Durham County, North Carolina, a county in North Carolina, United States *Durham, North Carolina, a city in N ...

Simpson, Jacqueline (2000). ''A Dictionary of English Folklore''. Oxford University Press. p. 32. ) and often takes the form of a horse or donkey.Henderson, William (1879). ''Folklore of the Northern Counties of England and the Borders'' (2nd ed.) W. Satchell, Peyton & Co. p. 270.Briggs, Katharine (1976). ''An Encyclopedia of Fairies''. Pantheon Books. p. 36. . It is fond of letting unsuspecting humans ride on its back before bucking them off into a pond or bush and running away laughing. One notable example is the Picktree Brag that was said to take other unusual forms such as a calf with a white handkerchief around its neck, a naked headless man, and even four men holding a white sheet. A brag at Humbleknowe was never seen but made hideous noises in the night.

Popular culture

Gary the Horse, from the webcomic ''

Bad Machinery ''Bad Machinery'' is a webcomic written and drawn by John Allison and set in the fictional town of Tackleford, West Yorkshire, England. ''Bad Machinery'' started on 21 September 2009 loosely based on characters and situations from John Allison ...

'', identifies himself as a brag after bucking Shauna Wickle into the water after convincing her to take a ride on his back.

References

Goblins Northumbrian folklore Northumbrian folkloric beings County Durham folklore English legendary creatures Horses in mythology Fictional donkeys {{legendary-creature-stub

Popular culture

See also

References