In folklore, what color is a brownie often described as wearing?

In folklore, a brownie is often described as wearing brown clothes. The brownie is a household spirit from Scottish and northern English folklore, traditionally believed to work at night while the people of a home slept. Stories commonly place the creature near the hearth and describe it as shaggy, brown, and dressed in a brown mantle or hood.

Descriptions vary by region and period. Some brownies are said to be naked, while others wear rags or rough clothing. The color association is therefore a recurring folkloric image rather than a universal rule. The name itself is linked with brown coloring, including descriptions of a brown-skinned or brown-haired being.

Brownies were usually helpful but easily offended. Families might leave milk, cream, porridge, or a small cake as an offering. A famous tradition says that giving a brownie clothes could make it leave forever, because the gift was treated as an insult or as a sign that its service was no longer wanted.