Pixie

Pixies are mythical creatures of English folklore, considered to be particularly concentrated in the areas the downs and moors of Devon and Cornwall. Like Sprites and other different types of English Faeries, pixies are often considered mischievous, but not overtly malevolent creatures of nature.

The Brown Will Bodmin Moor in Cornwall, England.

Etymology

The Oxford English Dictionary states that the exact origin of the word pixie (also spelled pixy) is obscure, but most likely stems from the Old English pisgy, which was the local name given to fairy-like creatures, although not specifically pixies. This idea is supported by the fact that in regional dialect, these mischievous little folk are sometimes referred to as piskies/piskeys or the little people., Due to the pranks they were renowned for playing on humans, the term "pixilated" developed, meaning a person who cannot see clearly due to confusion. Later, this term came to be used for digital imagery that was compromised of small boxes of color known as "pixels".

Description

Pixies are usually depicted as wingless, with pointed ears, and often wearing a green outfit and pointed hat. Sometimes their eyes are described as being pointed upwards at the temple ends. They are said to enjoy playing tricks on people, for example by stealing their belongings or throwing things at them. At night, they steal horses and bring them back before dawn, leaving only tangled manes as evidence of the prank. Some pixies are said to exude pixie dust, which is left in their footprints or floating behind them as they fly.

Pixies can be repelled by objects made from iron or iron ore as contact with the metal is said to harm them, another trait they share in common with other fairies of the British Isles.

Origin

The first to write extensively about pixies was Mrs. Anna Eliza Bray in "The Borders of the Tamar and the Tavy", 3 vol. (1837). Before then, pixies were part of the long-standing oral tradition found in Great Britain that also included the similar Faeries. Because of this, it is difficult to determine how exactly the idea of the pixie was first conceptualized and when.

One myth states that pixies were a race of people who were not good enough for Heaven or bad enough for Hell and were therefore forced to remain on Earth forever. Another legend claims that they were Druids who resisted Christianity and were subsequently sentenced by God to grow smaller and smaller until they accepted Christianity.

It has been speculated by some medical professionals that the legends of pixies and elves, was inspired by a genetic disorder known as Williams syndrome. Some of these afflicted have pointed ears and sloe eyes and elongated faces that make them look like "real" pixies and the syndrome is often called "Pixieism."

Folklore

Most of the folklore tradition pertaining to pixies centers on their trickery of humans. Most of the time this trickery was harmless, such as rapping on windows and walls at night, blowing out candles, and even throwing small stones at walls. However, sometimes their mischief appeared extremely serious; they were known to lure travelers walking alone astray, confusing them to the point that they could become lost for hours. Those who deliberately follow pixies often vanish without a trace. For example, a farmhand at Rowbrook, situated on the steep, wooded flanks of the River Dart valley, is said to have been lured down towards the river by mysterious voices, calling his name: ‘Jan Coo.’ He was never seen again.

Even within living memory, some rural families left small gifts, such as bowls of food or saucers of milk, for the pixies in order to placate them. When shown this respect and attention, pixies would sometimes even help the family by tidying up the household during the night.

In some regions, belief in pixies has endured into contemporary times. During the construction of Hinkley Point nuclear power station, anything that went wrong was blamed on "the Pixy," with the station being built near Wick's Barrow, an Iron Age burial mound called "Pixies Mound" by the locals. After construction was completed, the contractors presented the station manager with a garden gnome, representing the Pixy. On the one occasion the ornament was removed from the station's trophy cabinet, the station was closed down by a freak flood.

In modern popular culture

Like other British aerial spirits, pixies are commonly appear in popular culture, particularly within the fantasy sub-culture. Such books as Holly Black's, Spiderwick Chronicles, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Peter Pan, Eoin Colfer's , and the Artemis Fowl series. Many role-playing and video games that incorporate European medieval mythology, such as dragons and knights, often times will roll up pixies and other British faeries into the same category, even though they do not necessarily belong in the same category.

References

ISBN links support NWE through referral fees

• Eason, Cassandra. 2002. A Complete Guide to Faeries & Magical Beings: Explore the Mystical Realm of the Little People. Red Wheel/Weiser. ISBN 1578632676
• Keightley, Thomas. 2000. The World Guide to Gnomes, Fairies, Elves & Other Little People. Gramercy. ISBN 0517263130

External links

• Cornish Piskies, Faeries, Knockers and the Small People
• Cornish Piskies
• Dartmoor Legends

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