Information AboutPixie |
| CATEGORIES ABOUT PIXIE | |
| cornish culture | |
| devon culture | |
| cornish folklore | |
| english legendary creatures | |
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Pixies (or '''Piskies''' as they are sometimes known in Cornwall ) are mythical creatures of Folklore , considered to be particularly concentrated in the areas around Devon and Cornwall , suggesting some Celtic origin for the belief and name. In regional dialect, these mischievous little folk are sometimes referred to as Piskies /''piskeys'' or ''the little people.'' They 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. MYTHIC ORIGINS 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 Druid s who resisted Christianity and were subsequently sentenced by God to grow smaller and smaller until they accepted Christianity . More recently a theory has developed that they are named after the nation of Picts that inhabited Scotland during the post-Roman period, whom some believe are descended from an indigenous group of people predating the arrival of the Celt s in Britain during the Iron Age, the word 'pixie' apparently being formed from a mixture of the words 'Pict' and Sídhe (see also Banshee ). However, this is not proven, as many scholars believe the Picts to have been largely a Celtic people, as evidenced by the fact that they were called ''Priteni'' (Irish ''Cruithni'') by the Welsh, an archaic Celtic name for "Briton." Additionally, the name Pict is derived from Latin ''picti'', "painted people", making the Pictish origin of pixies unlikely as the word would not have been used by the Celts to describe their neighbours. CHARACTERISTICS Pixies are said to enjoy playing Trick s on people, for example by stealing their belongings or throwing things at them. At night, they steal Horse s 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. Just a small note: Fairy folk are also known to steal horses and return them with tangled manes, as in the book, ''An Earthly Knight'' written by Janet McNaughton. Though fairies and pixies have a lot in common they are not, as commonly mistaken, the same thing. On Dartmoor , in Devon, travellers who became lost on the moor were sometimes said to have been "pixie led", in other words, deliberately led astray by the little people. It is said that, if travellers felt the onset of the pixie spell, they can turn their coats inside out to confuse them and escape, a technique normally used for all Fairies . Pixies can also 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. 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. RECENT FOLKLORE 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. There were reports in 2001 of pixie sightings in the UK in the Woodham area of County Durham. All of these sightings were from residents of houses in a small street near a meadow called "Carwadine Close." MODERN MEDICINE It has been speculated by some medical professionals that the legends of pixies and Elves , were 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." IN MODERN POPULAR CULTURE Pixies, sometimes depicted as having Fairy -like wings, commonly appear in popular culture and works of Fantasy . In film, their first appearance was in the 1912 film '' As Others See Us ''. Fiction ;'' and subsequent film adaptations, Tinker Bell is described as a pixie (though she also has many of the characteristics of a fairy). She is feisty and beautiful, makes a tinkling, bell-like sound when she flies (hence, her name), and is sustained by people's belief in fairies. ; Holly Black 's '' Spiderwick Chronicles'': Pixies are small and mischievous creatures that can usually be found in one's backyard. ;'': Pixies are green human-like creatures that enjoy trickery and playing with people. They tend to have dark almond shaped eyes, and pointed ears, with long limbs, and fingers with an extra joint in them. They also have wings. ;'': Same as above. ;'': Same as above. ;'' professor Gilderoy Lockhart brings a cage of Cornish Pixie s to class as part of a lesson. The pixies are small, blue, anthropoid creatures which fly without the aid of wings and create havoc when released.David Colbert, ''The Magical Worlds of Harry Potter'', p 53, ISBN 0-9708442-0-4 ;''. ;'' and '' A Hat Full Of Sky '' feature a race of Fairies named "Pictsies," which are truly Pictish pixies. ; Kim Harrison 's '' The Hollows '' novels: One of the main protagonists, Jenks is a stylish comedic and dramatic character. (While usually wisecracking, he is presented as a loving parent and spouse as well as a loyal and unyielding partner to the main character.) ;'''':Pixies are winged fairy-like creatures, the weakest warriors of the addon's new Conflux castle type. They make good attackers only in large numbers due to their mobility, but they are otherwise frail. Animation ;''. The female pixies are not seen. ;'''': Pixies are featured as one of the mythical creatures in the show. ;The '' and Fairies . SEE ALSO REFERENCES 1. DHSB, 8P, Known Formally As Ciarán Curtis. EXTERNAL LINKS
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