The Bloggart

What is a Bloggart? You may ask. Read this tale, and you may know.

There was a fine farmer who lived in the northern part of England. He had a fine wife and five fine children. His farm and livestock were also fine. 

With all this fineness he should have been very happy. But he was not, for he had a Bloggart in his farmhouse and barn.

This Bloggart was a trickster spirit who loved to play practical jokes. He never really hurt anyone but he was a nuisance. This spirit would walk around the farmhouse at night and pull off everyone’s covers. 

He would often knock at the front door in the middle of the night and when the sleepy farmer went to open it--no one was there.

This entity was a noisy spirit. It would fall down stairs making an awful racket. The wife afraid it was one of her children that had fallen went into a panic each time. 

This Bloggart knocked constantly on the linen chest; it also rolled a heavy ball across the floor awakening, everyone. One night it took out all the pots and pans and threw them down the cellar stairs. Again, this clatter awoke the household.

On some occasions, the Bloggart would appear to help the family. It would wash the dishes, churn the butter and collect the eggs. It would feed and water the cattle and horses. 

But the very next day it would break all the dishes, steal the butter, break the eggs and tie all the cattle and horses tails into knots.

When anyone lit a fire in the chimney, this impish spirit would blow all the smoke back down into the home. If someone tried to light a match, the Bloggart would immediately blow it out. 

This spirit caused so much trouble the farmer and his family decided they must do something. But what?

They decided to move. They packed up all their belongings and piled their wagon high. Just as they drove off a neighbor waylaid them and asked, “Oh, are you leaving?”

The farmer replied "yes" and then regaled him with a list of all the bothersome unbearable things the Bloggart had done. The neighbor took off his hat, scratched his head and waved goodbye.

As soon as the farmer and his family were at a distance where they couldn’t look back, the neighbor whistled sharply and motioned with his hand. 

The Bloggart who had been watching from the chimney jumped down upon the man’s shoulder. The man tweaked the spirit’s nose and laughed. He considered the spirit with a knowing eye and stated, “Me and mine will be movin’ in shortly.”