The Lubber Fiend
The Lubber Fiend is another type of house elf or brownie - but this one is not always helpful. He is said to be taller than other brownies, pretty ugly and covered in hair. If he is treated well he won't cause any harm and only wants a bowl of milk for his labours. But if he is mistreated he can cause all sorts of harm, and it is said that his kind are actually drawn towards things/people that are dishonest or have received ill gotten gains.
The Origin Story
In the middle ages when certain religious establishments were coming under scrutiny for the wealth they were amassing and the behaviour of their priests, monks, etc. A lubber fiend was sent - not sure by who - to a monastery.
His plan was to totally corrupt the monks at the abbey and he would have been successful if the Prior hadn't realised what was happening.
The prior, clearly being more than a religious man, conjured the Lubber Fiend into a horse and cast him out of the priory. The monks decided that they should mend their ways from then on.
The Lubber fiend, unlike his small counterparts, has a long tail, so it was rumoured that he was the spawn of a witch and the Devil - not unlike our modern day Hellboy ...perhaps.
Key Locations
Lindisfarne Priory on Holy Island is the most iconic and atmospheric abbey ruin to visit in Northumberland. Located on Holy Island, these dramatic Norman ruins mark one of England's earliest Christian outposts, founded in the 7th century and famously reached via a tidal causeway.
Lindisfarne Priory
Located on a picturesque loop in the river Coquet and reached by a scenic woodland walk, Brinkburn Priory was built in the 12th century and carefully and accurately restored in Victorian times. Beside the church, completing the tranquil scene, is a neo-Gothic-style, 19th-century manor house on the site of the old monastic buildings. Outside, there’s plenty of space for reflection and fresh-air fun. Peer over the hedge and if you’re lucky you might even spot an otter or two messing about in the river Coquet.
Brinkburn Priory
Hexham Abbey is one of the earliest seats of Christianity in England. Since its beginning, it has witnessed periods of immense turmoil and change, across the region and within the English Church itself. Many of these are reflected in the very fabric of the building we see today. Viking raids, fires, William Wallace and Robert the Bruce have all left their mark on this historic building.
Hexham Abbey
Continue Your Journey Through Storied Landscapes
Explore another legend from North East England and the Scottish Borders.
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