1. In that time, a spirit who played tricks on people and teased them was in the habit of entering the 
smithy and playing all night with the hammers and anvils.  When the blacksmith sought to protect himself 
and his property, the wight told him, "Hey friend, if you don't stop me from haunting your smithy, place 
your pitcher over there and find it full every day."  The blacksmith followed this advice.  

2.  Now, when peasants stay up late at night for the sake of their domestic tasks, suddenly, though the 
doors are closed, the housewight is there warming himself at the fire and eating little frogs which he 
brings out of his pocket and roasts on the coals.  Bartel, he is called, and has an aged appearance and 
a wrinkled face; he is small in stature, and wears clothing of bits sewn together.  If there is anything 
to be carried into the house or any heavy task to be done, he will apply himself quickly to the work and 
will accomplish it more quickly than it could be done by human means.  

3.  It is said that a man, accompanied by a bear stopped to spend the night at a peasant's house and 
hoped for some hospitality.  However, this place was the home of a housewight of enormous strength and 
wore a red cap.  He had the habit of turning everything, furniture and utensils topsy-turvy.  In the 
middle of the night, this sprite emerged from his hiding place, approached the oven to get warm, and 
spied the bear sleeping by the hearth.  He decided to chase it away and a rough-and-tumble fight ensued.  
In the morning, the sprite came back to the peasant and told him he was leaving and would not be back 
until the large cat left the house.  

4.  The women walk around the fire with the newborn; one woman asks, "What are you carrying?"  and the 
other answers, "A sleeping hare, lynx and fox."

5.  Another time, a peasant once lived near a lake, a clever lad who knew some of the old lore of his 
fathers.  On seeing a cavity in an oak pillar, he told himself that it would make a perfect home for a 
home spirit.  When his house was built, for a trim beneath this hole the peasant nailed a board as wide 
as his hand.  On this board he placed a bowl filled with buttered gruel and softly called out, "Come 
here, kind Bartel!"  It was not long before the wight danced through the new home and remained there, 
settled in the hole in the pillar.  

6.  This Bartel, was his name, was quite gentle, affable, and docile.  He roams through the house, 
especially at night, and can be heard as if quite busy, walking down the stairs, opening doors, lighting 
the fire, drawing water, cooking and expediting everything connected to daily household duties.  

7.  I have often heard them called by many different names:  ghost, spook, Little Fellow, Little man and 
Little Woman, Dame, Maid, Little Man of the Cellar, Little Man of the Stove, Knocker, Grumbler, Little 
Cap, Little Hood and Boots.  As well, Master of the Home, Spirit of the House and The Master.  

8.  One wight had been occupying the family hold for generations; no one remembered when he was born or 
arrived at the farm.  He had never been heard to speak a word and people feared to do anything to anger 
him.  He had such a huge appetite that the folks living there had to be frugal from generation to 
generation.  One night, however, a little broth was put in a pot with a lot of spoons; the people then 
waited to see the sprite's reaction to this little joke.  In surprise the wight revealed its great age 
and betrayed itself by saying, "When they burn my cabin of Guldhagen (Gold Mound), I shall die."

9.  There was also a housewight who lived on a farm in Tengesdal and did not like strangers.  When folks 
sought shelter at the farm and tried to sleep there, they were tossed out into the hallway as soon as 
they lay down.  

10.  The housewight takes care of horses, currying and grooming them.  If he is seized with a sudden 
urge to take a little ride, he braids the mane of his horse, the better to hang on with, and the horse 
will be found the next day exhausted and sweaty.  He also takes an immense interest in the welfare of 
the cows and gives them fresh bedding, he helps perform domestic chores at night, and above all, loves 
to take care of children.  Like many housewights, he is extremely sensitive and cannot tolerate crude 
behavior, and, before leaving the house where he has been ill treated, will tangle up the distaffs or 
break the dishes.  One means of preventing him from entering a room is to place a small basket filled 
with cinders in his path.  The wight will never fail to knock it over and is compelled to gather the 
cinders together one by one before leaving the house, to which he will never return.  

11.  Provide offerings to the housewight when moving into a home, when a marriage, birth of acquisition 
occurs, and to pay tribute or as a mark of friendship and respect.  

12.  Upon moving into a new home, one man of wisdom looked vainly from one end of the threshold to the 
other but could find no sign of a housewight.  Finally, drawing near a stone by the door, he said that 
Elka Deews was there.  Heeding the teaching of the Elders, every year, for more than nine years, the man 
spilled beer there as well as three spoonfuls of soup and three mouthfuls of meat.  He also sacrificed a 
chicken there on a special day of the year so that his horses would remain healthy.  

13.