The Killmoulis — a Household Fairy in British Folklore
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KillmoulisThe Killmoulis is a little-known household fairy in British folklore, similar in ability to the brownie. It usually sleeps in the stove or fireplace. It has an odd and rather unpleasant appearance, with no mouth and an enormous nose, through which it either inhales its food or feeds on nothing but its smell. The Killmoulis lives at a mill and helps the miller. If it grows especially attached to its master, it will retreat into a corner and wail before any illness or misfortune, as a sign that trouble is coming.
The Killmoulis sleeps in the stove or fireplaceBesides its everyday chores, it might, for instance, run to fetch a midwife if the mistress of the house is giving birth. On various holidays, it helps young women with fortune-telling and predicting their futures. But like all fairies, it enjoys mischief, and may pour ash into the oats or dump trash into the flour. Only the miller can summon the Killmoulis, by reciting a charm claiming that the master has slaughtered a pig and the fairy was not there — implying that if it had been, it could have eaten its fill. This charm is likely used specifically when the Killmoulis is misbehaving.
The Killmoulis helps with everyday choresThe Killmoulis appears in Andrzej Sapkowski's novel "The Witcher: The Lady of the Lake," where the author describes it as a hunched, ape-like humanoid. In his version, this kind of gnome attacks Geralt alongside a humanoid korred. The Killmoulis's thick skull saves it from the Witcher's first blow, but the second one kills it.
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