A
brag is a creature from the folklore of
Northumberland and
Durham that usually takes the form of a
horse or
donkey. It is fond of tricking unwary s into riding on its back before throwing the rider into a pool of water or bush, afterward running off laughing, much like the
Bäckahästen (
brook horse) or
kelpie. The brag is also said to have appeared as a
calf with a
neckerchief, a naked headless man, and even four men carrying a sheet. Some well-known brags are said to live at Picktree (where it was called the
Picktree Brag) and Humbleknowe.