Moving House(hold Spirits)

Dear Folklore Agony Aunt

I’m moving house soon and find myself worrying about my household spirits. I’ve lived with them for some time and grown used to their quirks, but I’m not sure the new tenant will be as understanding. Can I bring the spirits with me when I move, or should I try to help them settle with their new housemate?

R, Colchester

Dear R

The short answer is yes, you can bring your household spirits with you. But as with everything about moving house, there is much to consider.

For those readers unaware, your house is filled with spirits and it seems that no matter where you are in the world, this is generally the case. Some spirits like the zashiki warashi of Japanese folklore are said to bring good luck to your household, others like the brownies that live in the Scottish Borders are partial to tidying up once you’ve gone to bed, while should you find your crockery smashed and the odd chicken feather floating around your kitchen first thing in the morning, you may have an Eastern European kikimora snuggled behind your oven who took offence at you leaving your dirty dishes in the sink the night before. 

But back to moving. If you want to uproot your household spirits and bring them with you, do remember that the person vacating your new home may not be doing the same, so there might be a bit of a squash happening when you get there. There are many rituals you can do to entice them to come, but the easiest thing is just invite them to join you. If you’re feeling a little unpersuasive, you can always sweeten the deal (plus get yourself in good with the new spirits) by laying on a welcome feast of knuckled cakes and honey, and a saucer of cream when you get there. 

If you do decide to let them be, be advised that you should leave something of yourself behind, otherwise they might feel abandoned and pine, thus potentially creating problems for their new housemates. Here are a couple of general tips you might want include in your debrief to next tenants:

1. On the whole, household spirits liked to feel appreciated. So leave out a little bit of food in a saucer as and when you remember. Do not however, leave anything out as a reward, as they will be offended and up sticks. And especially do not make or give them any clothing as they will then be forced to leave irrespective of whether they want to or not. 
2. Don’t worry if you don’t see your household spirits – this is usually a good sign. Besides, most are known for being quite shy. However, household spirits are the gods of gaslighting. If you starting finding household objects moving, vanishing or, as in the case of the kikimora, broken, know that you’ve got some making up to do, as your supernatural pals are not feeling the love.
3. Do be aware that household spirits are also known for being both a little light fingered and wanting to impress new housemates. So if a box of eggs or a bale of hay suddenly appear on your sofa, you may want to quickly dispatch these welcome-to-your-new-home gifts before a neighbour comes looking for them. 

One final thought, when you do move, you are advised to leave behind any brooms, brushes and used dishcloths. These are notorious vehicles for transporting bad or overly mischievous spirits from one home to the next. Of course, I wouldn’t dream of advising you to leave pesky spirits for the next unsuspecting tenant to manage, just know that the folklore always says to start afresh in your new home with a new broom.

Good luck!
The Folklore Agony Aunt

For more folklore concerning moving home, moving in and how to cross a threshold safely, pre-order Household Lore; Folklore, Traditions and Remedies for Every Room in Your Home today! Did you hear it has purple spredges?!

Household Lore is a delight to read. It should be the family bible for all supernaturally synched folk! ~ Johnny Mains, editor and author

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