This was a Border household spirit of the Brownie kind, though rather more eccentric. He is described at length, with the assistance of some rather obscure verses, by William Henderson in Folk-Lore of the Northern Counties (p.256-257). He loved human cheerfulness and the company of children, and his usual seat was on the swinging pot-hook. When this was empty, he used to sit on it and swing himself to and fro, laughing and chuckling at the merriment of the company. He disapproved of any drink stronger than home-brewed ale, and used to cough angrily if strong spirits were drunk. Otherwise he was a convivial spirit, though very particular about the cleanliness or neatness of the house and a torment to slovenly kitchen-maids. His cheerfulness was a great credit to him, since he suffered from perpetual toothache. Henderson describes him with great minuteness:

His general appearance was that of a grisly old man, with short, crooked legs, while a long tail assisted him in keeping his seat on the crook. Sometimes he appeared in a grey mantle, with the remains of an old 'pirnicap' (night-cap) on his head, drawn down over that side of the face which was troubled with toothache, a constant grievance of his; but he commonly wore a red coat and blue breeches, both garments being made of 'familie woo'.

Wag-at-the-Wa', like most brownies, seeems to have had no fear of cold iron, but he was frightened of the sign of the cross; for when that was marked on the pot-hook to protect the fire from witches, Wag-at-the-Wa' disappeared too. Nevertheless, it was felt even in Henderson's time that to swing an empty pot-hook was to invoke him. Henderson tells us, on the authority of Mr Wilkie, that an old woman visiting a house got up and went when one of the laddies idly swung the pot-hook. She said, 'she wouldna abide in the hoose where sic mookerie was practised'.

[Motif: F480]