Brownie

Illustration for the book by G.M. Naumenko "Myths of the Russian people"
In East Slavic mythology, the brownie is the spirit of the house. Lives in the attic near the chimney, in the corner behind the stove or under the stove threshold. It annoys people with howls, squeaks, noise at night. He does small dirty tricks: throws and breaks pots, knocks with a view, throws bulbs from the underground, fur coats and pillows from the stove - he is amused from boredom. He counts the cattle in the barn, but can only count to three.