Pixie
Encyclopedia
Pixies are mythical creatures of folklore
, considered to be particularly concentrated in the areas around Devon
and Cornwall
, suggesting some Celt
ic origin for the belief and name.
They are usually depicted 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. These, however, are Victorian Era
conventions and not part of the older mythology
.
In modern use, the term can be synonym
ous with fairies
or sprites
.
dialectal pyske meaning wee little fairy
. Others, however, have disputed this, claiming that due to the Cornish origin of the piskie that the term is probably Celtic in origin, though no Celtic ancestor of the word is known.
Pixie mythology seems to pre-date Christian presence in Britain
. In the Christian
era they were sometimes said to be the souls of children who had died un-baptized. By 1869 some were suggesting that the name pixie was a racial remnant of Pict
ic tribes who used to paint
/tattoo
their skin blue, an attribute often given to pixies. This suggestion is still met in contemporary writing, but there is no proven connection and the etymological
connection is doubtful. Some 19th century researchers made more general claims about pixie origins, or have connected them with Puck
, a mythological creature sometimes described as a fairy; the name Puck is also of uncertain origin.
Until the advent of more modern fiction, pixie mythology was localized to Britain. Some have noted similarities to "northern fairies", Germanic
and Scandinavia
n fae, but pixies are distinguished from them by the myths and stories of Devon and Cornwall.
ry are filled with incidents of pixie manifestations. Some locales are named for the pixies associated with them. In Devon, near Challacombe
, a group of rocks are named for the pixies said to dwell there. In some areas belief in pixies and fairies as real beings persists.
In the legends associated with Dartmoor
, pixies (or piskeys) are said to disguise themselves as a bundle of rags to lure children into their play. The pixies of Dartmoor are fond of music and dancing and for riding on Dartmoor colts. These pixies are generally said to be helpful to normal humans, sometimes helping needy widows and others with housework. They are not completely benign however, as they have a reputation for misleading travellers (being "pixy-led", the remedy for which is to turn your coat inside out).
The queen
of the Cornish pixies is said to be Joan the Wad
(torch
), and she is considered to be good luck
or bring good luck. In Devon, pixies are said to be "invisibly small, and harmless or friendly to man."
In some of the legends and historical accounts they are presented as having near human stature. For instance, a member of the Elford family in Tavistock, Devon, successfully hid from Cromwell
’s troops in a pixie house. Though the entrance has narrowed with time, the pixie house, a natural cavern on Sheep Tor, still is accessible.
At Buckland St. Mary, Somerset
, pixies and fairies are said to have battled each other. Here the pixies were victorious and still visit the area, whilst the fairies are said to have left after their loss.
By the early 19th century their contact with 'normal' humans had diminished. In Samuel Drew
’s 1824 book Cornwall one finds the observation: "The age of pixies, like that of chivalry
, is gone. There is, perhaps, at present hardly a house they are reputed to visit. Even the fields and lanes which they formerly frequented seem to be nearly forsaken. Their music is rarely heard."
is an old tradition which takes place annually in the East Devon
town of Ottery St. Mary in June. The day commemorates a legend of pixies being banished from the town to local caves known as the 'Pixie's Parlour'.
The Pixie Day legend originates from the early days of Christianity, when a local bishop
decided to build a church in Otteri (Ottery St. Mary), and commissioned a set of bells to come from Wales
, and to be escorted by monks on their journey.
On hearing of this, the pixies were worried, as they knew that once the bells were installed it would be the death knell
of their rule over the land. So they cast a spell over the monks to redirect them from the road to Otteri to the road leading them to the cliff's edge at Sidmouth
. Just as the monks were about to fall over the cliff, one of the monks stubbed his toe on a rock and said "God bless my soul" and the spell was broken.
The bells were then brought to Otteri and installed. However, the pixies' spell was not completely broken; each year on a day in June the 'pixies' come out and capture the town's bell ringers and imprison them in Pixies' Parlour to be rescued by the Vicar of Ottery St. Mary. This legend is re-enacted each year by the Cub and Brownie groups of Ottery St. Mary, with a specially constructed Pixies' Parlour in the Town Square (the original Pixie's Parlour can be found along the banks of the River Otter
).
Pixies are variously described in folklore and fiction.
They are often described as ill-clothed or naked. In 1890, William Crossing
noted a pixie's preference for bits of finery: "Indeed, a sort of weakness for finery exists among them, and a piece of ribbon appears to be ... highly prized by them."
Some pixies are said to steal children or to lead travellers astray. This seems to be a cross-over from fairy mythology and not originally attached to pixies; in 1850, Thomas Keightley observed that much of Devon pixie mythology may have originated from fairy myth. Pixies are said to reward consideration and punish neglect on the part of larger humans, for which Keightley gives examples. By their presence they bring blessings to those who are fond of them.
Pixies are drawn to horses, riding them for pleasure and making tangled ringlets in the manes of those horses they ride. They are "great explorers familiar with the caves of the ocean, the hidden sources of the streams and the recesses of the land."
Some find pixies to have a human origin or to "partake of human nature", in distinction to fairies whose mythology is traced to immaterial and malignant spirit forces. In some discussions pixies are presented as wingless, pygmy
-like creatures, however this is probably a later accretion to the mythology.
One British scholar took pixie myth seriously enough to state his belief that "Pixies were evidently a smaller race, and, from the greater obscurity of the … tales about them, I believe them to have been an earlier race."
The late 19th century English poet Nora Chesson
summarized pixie mythology fairly well in a poem entitled The Pixies. She gathered all the speculations and myths into verse:
She touches on all the essentials, including even more modern accretions. Pixies are "in-between", not cursed by God or especially blessed. They do the unexpected, they bless the land, and are forest creatures whom other wild creatures find alluring and non-threatening. They love humans, taking some for mates, and are nearly ageless. They are winged, flitting from place to place.
The Pixie Day
tradition in Samuel Taylor Coleridge
’s hometown of Ottery St Mary
in East Devon
was the inspiration for his poem Song of the Pixies.
The Victorian era writer Mary Elizabeth Whitcombe divided pixies in to tribes according to personality and deeds. Anna Eliza Bray
suggested that pixies and fairies were distinct species.
in L. Frank Baum
's 1902 novel The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus
and his 1904 short story A Kidnapped Santa Claus
.
In Frank Capra's 1936 Film Mr. Deeds Goes to Town
, the eccentricities of the main character are attributed to his having become "pixelated", or falling under the influence of pixies.
In Michael Buckley's The Sisters Grimm series, pixies are described as small orange-glowing creatures that resemble fireflies and are controlled by fairies such as Puck by the use of a small wooden flute.
Enid Blyton
wrote a number of children's books with pixies as featured characters. One employee of the BBC
even criticized "Her stories...haven't much literary value. There is rather a lot of the Pink-winky-Doodle-doodle Dum-dumm type of name (and lots of pixies) in the original tales."
In Holly Black
's and Tony Diterlizzi
's Spiderwick Chronicles, pixies are green-skinned, human-sized fairies with shimmering wings. They have a command of glamour and a type of power to charm or seduce others. Holly Black
has also written a book called Tithe
in which the main character is a pixie.
In Eoin Colfer
's Artemis Fowl
series, pixies are one of a number of magical species that have been driven underground by humans and the pollution they have caused on Earth. Opal Koboi
is the megalomaniac, genius pixie of Artemis Fowl: The Opal Deception
. Colfer describes characteristics of pixies as having abnormally childish features and larger heads than other types of Fairies, with large but vulnerable brains (their cranial mass is thin, which makes them easy to knock out). They are also prone to headaches and, particularly in the case of Opal Koboi, violent mood swings and temper tantrums. Koboi is the perfect example of their genius turned to madness.
In Terry Pratchett
's Discworld
novels The Wee Free Men
and A Hat Full of Sky
, a race of kilt-wearing fairies
, warriors named the Nac Mac Feegle
, call themselves "Pictsies".
In J. K. Rowling
's Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
, Gilderoy Lockhart releases a cage of Cornish blue pixies into the classroom in an effort to teach the students how to defeat them in his Defense Against the Dark Arts class. Rowling's version of pixies are about 8 inches tall, electric blue in colour, and are wildly rambunctious tricksters.
In Kim Harrison
's Rachel Morgan series
, Rachel, a witch, works closely with Jenks, a pixie, to track down the missing, save various creatures, retrieve stolen objects, and defend the defenceless, etc. Jenks, his wife, and large family live in, tend, and protect Rachel's garden.
British rock band
Alien Stash Tin included a short novelty song called "Bingo The Magic Pixie" as a bonus track on their 2007 debut album. Bingo is described as 'living alone' and making 'mushroom wine' which he shares with his friends.
Need
, a series of novels by Carrie Jones
, follows a struggle against malicious pixies in an urban fantasy
setting.
Several characters in the Marvel comics
universe have been called Pixie
.
Neil Gaiman told tales of piskies in American Gods
.
film, Peter Pan
, Tinker Bell is described as a pixie, although, in the J.M. Barrie play on which the film is based, she is actually a fairy. In the Disney versions she always uses "pixie dust", rather than the fairy dust in the play. In Barrie's original play, Tinker Bell is traditionally staged just as a flying point of light beamed from offstage. Disney continues to use the terms "pixie" and "fairy" interchangeably for Tinker Bell, and associated
spin-offs
.
In The Fairly OddParents
, the pixies are dull, wear grey suits, speak in monotone voices, wear pointy caps and, unlike the fairies, treat magic like a business. Instead of wands, they carry cellphones. The Head Pixie (H.P. for short), and the other male pixies are all voiced by Ben Stein
. The female pixies are not seen. This is due to them being named after pixel
s.
Folklore
Folklore consists of legends, music, oral history, proverbs, jokes, popular beliefs, fairy tales and customs that are the traditions of a culture, subculture, or group. It is also the set of practices through which those expressive genres are shared. The study of folklore is sometimes called...
, considered to be particularly concentrated in the areas around Devon
Devon
Devon is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although the term is rarely used inside the county itself as the county has never been officially "shired", it often indicates a traditional or historical context.The county shares borders with...
and Cornwall
Cornwall
Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
, suggesting some Celt
Celt
The Celts were a diverse group of tribal societies in Iron Age and Roman-era Europe who spoke Celtic languages.The earliest archaeological culture commonly accepted as Celtic, or rather Proto-Celtic, was the central European Hallstatt culture , named for the rich grave finds in Hallstatt, Austria....
ic origin for the belief and name.
They are usually depicted 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. These, however, are Victorian Era
Victorian era
The Victorian era of British history was the period of Queen Victoria's reign from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. It was a long period of peace, prosperity, refined sensibilities and national self-confidence...
conventions and not part of the older mythology
Mythology
The term mythology can refer either to the study of myths, or to a body or collection of myths. As examples, comparative mythology is the study of connections between myths from different cultures, whereas Greek mythology is the body of myths from ancient Greece...
.
In modern use, the term can be synonym
Synonym
Synonyms are different words with almost identical or similar meanings. Words that are synonyms are said to be synonymous, and the state of being a synonym is called synonymy. The word comes from Ancient Greek syn and onoma . The words car and automobile are synonyms...
ous with fairies
Fairy
A fairy is a type of mythical being or legendary creature, a form of spirit, often described as metaphysical, supernatural or preternatural.Fairies resemble various beings of other mythologies, though even folklore that uses the term...
or sprites
Sprite (creature)
The term sprite is a broad term referring to a number of preternatural legendary creatures. The term is generally used in reference to elf-like creatures, including fairies, and similar beings , but can also signify various spiritual beings, including ghosts. In Eoin Colfer's Artemis Fowl books,...
.
Etymology and origin
The origin of the name pixie is uncertain. Some have claimed that it comes from the SwedishSwedish language
Swedish is a North Germanic language, spoken by approximately 10 million people, predominantly in Sweden and parts of Finland, especially along its coast and on the Åland islands. It is largely mutually intelligible with Norwegian and Danish...
dialectal pyske meaning wee little fairy
Fairy
A fairy is a type of mythical being or legendary creature, a form of spirit, often described as metaphysical, supernatural or preternatural.Fairies resemble various beings of other mythologies, though even folklore that uses the term...
. Others, however, have disputed this, claiming that due to the Cornish origin of the piskie that the term is probably Celtic in origin, though no Celtic ancestor of the word is known.
Pixie mythology seems to pre-date Christian presence in Britain
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. In the Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
era they were sometimes said to be the souls of children who had died un-baptized. By 1869 some were suggesting that the name pixie was a racial remnant of Pict
PICT
PICT is a graphics file format introduced on the original Apple Macintosh computer as its standard metafile format. It allows the interchange of graphics , and some limited text support, between Mac applications, and was the native graphics format of QuickDraw.The original version, PICT 1, was...
ic tribes who used to paint
Paint
Paint is any liquid, liquefiable, or mastic composition which after application to a substrate in a thin layer is converted to an opaque solid film. One may also consider the digital mimicry thereof...
/tattoo
Tattoo
A tattoo is made by inserting indelible ink into the dermis layer of the skin to change the pigment. Tattoos on humans are a type of body modification, and tattoos on other animals are most commonly used for identification purposes...
their skin blue, an attribute often given to pixies. This suggestion is still met in contemporary writing, but there is no proven connection and the etymological
Etymology
Etymology is the study of the history of words, their origins, and how their form and meaning have changed over time.For languages with a long written history, etymologists make use of texts in these languages and texts about the languages to gather knowledge about how words were used during...
connection is doubtful. Some 19th century researchers made more general claims about pixie origins, or have connected them with Puck
Puck (mythology)
In English folklore, Puck is a mythological fairy or mischievous nature sprite. Puck is also a generalised personification of land spirits. In more recent times, the figure of Robin Goodfellow is identified as a puck.-Etymology:...
, a mythological creature sometimes described as a fairy; the name Puck is also of uncertain origin.
Until the advent of more modern fiction, pixie mythology was localized to Britain. Some have noted similarities to "northern fairies", Germanic
Germanic peoples
The Germanic peoples are an Indo-European ethno-linguistic group of Northern European origin, identified by their use of the Indo-European Germanic languages which diversified out of Proto-Germanic during the Pre-Roman Iron Age.Originating about 1800 BCE from the Corded Ware Culture on the North...
and Scandinavia
Scandinavia
Scandinavia is a cultural, historical and ethno-linguistic region in northern Europe that includes the three kingdoms of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, characterized by their common ethno-cultural heritage and language. Modern Norway and Sweden proper are situated on the Scandinavian Peninsula,...
n fae, but pixies are distinguished from them by the myths and stories of Devon and Cornwall.
Cornwall and Devon
Before the mid 19th century, pixies and fairies were taken seriously in much of Cornwall and Devon. Books devoted to the homely beliefs of the peasantPeasant
A peasant is an agricultural worker who generally tend to be poor and homeless-Etymology:The word is derived from 15th century French païsant meaning one from the pays, or countryside, ultimately from the Latin pagus, or outlying administrative district.- Position in society :Peasants typically...
ry are filled with incidents of pixie manifestations. Some locales are named for the pixies associated with them. In Devon, near Challacombe
Challacombe
Challacombe is a small village on the edge of the Exmoor National Park, in Devon, England. The village has a small general shop/Post Office and a single pub, the Black Venus...
, a group of rocks are named for the pixies said to dwell there. In some areas belief in pixies and fairies as real beings persists.
In the legends associated with Dartmoor
Dartmoor
Dartmoor is an area of moorland in south Devon, England. Protected by National Park status, it covers .The granite upland dates from the Carboniferous period of geological history. The moorland is capped with many exposed granite hilltops known as tors, providing habitats for Dartmoor wildlife. The...
, pixies (or piskeys) are said to disguise themselves as a bundle of rags to lure children into their play. The pixies of Dartmoor are fond of music and dancing and for riding on Dartmoor colts. These pixies are generally said to be helpful to normal humans, sometimes helping needy widows and others with housework. They are not completely benign however, as they have a reputation for misleading travellers (being "pixy-led", the remedy for which is to turn your coat inside out).
The queen
Queen regnant
A queen regnant is a female monarch who reigns in her own right, in contrast to a queen consort, who is the wife of a reigning king. An empress regnant is a female monarch who reigns in her own right over an empire....
of the Cornish pixies is said to be Joan the Wad
Joan the Wad
Joan the Wad is a mythological character in Cornish folklore. Specifically, she is Queen of the pixies , a race of tiny creatures usually associated with the area of Cornwall and Devon. Wad is a dialect word for torch....
(torch
Torch
A torch is a fire source, usually a rod-shaped piece of wood with a rag soaked in pitch and/or some other flammable material wrapped around one end. Torches were often supported in sconces by brackets high up on walls, to throw light over corridors in stone structures such as castles or crypts...
), and she is considered to be good luck
Luck
Luck or fortuity is good fortune which occurs beyond one's control, without regard to one's will, intention, or desired result. There are at least two senses people usually mean when they use the term, the prescriptive sense and the descriptive sense...
or bring good luck. In Devon, pixies are said to be "invisibly small, and harmless or friendly to man."
In some of the legends and historical accounts they are presented as having near human stature. For instance, a member of the Elford family in Tavistock, Devon, successfully hid from Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell was an English military and political leader who overthrew the English monarchy and temporarily turned England into a republican Commonwealth, and served as Lord Protector of England, Scotland, and Ireland....
’s troops in a pixie house. Though the entrance has narrowed with time, the pixie house, a natural cavern on Sheep Tor, still is accessible.
At Buckland St. Mary, Somerset
Somerset
The ceremonial and non-metropolitan county of Somerset in South West England borders Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west. It is partly bounded to the north and west by the Bristol Channel and the estuary of the...
, pixies and fairies are said to have battled each other. Here the pixies were victorious and still visit the area, whilst the fairies are said to have left after their loss.
By the early 19th century their contact with 'normal' humans had diminished. In Samuel Drew
Samuel Drew
Samuel Drew was an Cornish Methodist theologian. A native of Cornwall, he was nicknamed the "Cornish metaphysician" for his works on the human soul, the nature of God, and the deity of Christ. He also wrote on historical and biographical themes.-Early life and education:Drew was born in the...
’s 1824 book Cornwall one finds the observation: "The age of pixies, like that of chivalry
Chivalry
Chivalry is a term related to the medieval institution of knighthood which has an aristocratic military origin of individual training and service to others. Chivalry was also the term used to refer to a group of mounted men-at-arms as well as to martial valour...
, is gone. There is, perhaps, at present hardly a house they are reputed to visit. Even the fields and lanes which they formerly frequented seem to be nearly forsaken. Their music is rarely heard."
Pixie Day
Pixie DayPixie Day
Pixie Day is a tradition that takes place in Ottery St. Mary, England, annually on the Saturday nearest Mid-Summer's Day in June. The day commemorates the age old legend of Ottery St. Mary's infamous 'pixies' being banished from the town to the local caves known as 'Pixie's Parlour'...
is an old tradition which takes place annually in the East Devon
East Devon
East Devon is a local government district in Devon, England. Its council is based in Sidmouth, and the largest town is Exmouth.The district was formed on 1 April 1974 by the merger of the borough of Honiton with the urban districts of Budleigh Salterton, Exmouth, Ottery St. Mary, Seaton, Sidmouth...
town of Ottery St. Mary in June. The day commemorates a legend of pixies being banished from the town to local caves known as the 'Pixie's Parlour'.
The Pixie Day legend originates from the early days of Christianity, when a local bishop
Bishop
A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...
decided to build a church in Otteri (Ottery St. Mary), and commissioned a set of bells to come from Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
, and to be escorted by monks on their journey.
On hearing of this, the pixies were worried, as they knew that once the bells were installed it would be the death knell
Death knell
A death knell is the ringing of a bell to announce a death. This is also called tolling the bell.The ancient custom of ringing a church bell at the actual time of death fell into disuse in England by the end of the 18th century...
of their rule over the land. So they cast a spell over the monks to redirect them from the road to Otteri to the road leading them to the cliff's edge at Sidmouth
Sidmouth
Sidmouth is a small town on the English Channel coast in Devon, South West England. The town lies at the mouth of the River Sid in the East Devon district, south east of Exeter. It has a population of about 15,000, of whom 40% are over 65....
. Just as the monks were about to fall over the cliff, one of the monks stubbed his toe on a rock and said "God bless my soul" and the spell was broken.
The bells were then brought to Otteri and installed. However, the pixies' spell was not completely broken; each year on a day in June the 'pixies' come out and capture the town's bell ringers and imprison them in Pixies' Parlour to be rescued by the Vicar of Ottery St. Mary. This legend is re-enacted each year by the Cub and Brownie groups of Ottery St. Mary, with a specially constructed Pixies' Parlour in the Town Square (the original Pixie's Parlour can be found along the banks of the River Otter
River Otter
Not to be confused with the animal Otter or the River Ottery in CornwallThe River Otter rises in the Blackdown Hills just inside the county of Somerset, near Otterford, then flows south for some 32 km through East Devon to the English Channel at the western end of Lyme Bay, part of...
).
Characteristics
They are often described as ill-clothed or naked. In 1890, William Crossing
William Crossing
William Crossing was a writer and documenter of Dartmoor and Dartmoor life. He lived successively at South Brent, Brentor and at Mary Tavy but died at Plymouth.-Early life:...
noted a pixie's preference for bits of finery: "Indeed, a sort of weakness for finery exists among them, and a piece of ribbon appears to be ... highly prized by them."
Some pixies are said to steal children or to lead travellers astray. This seems to be a cross-over from fairy mythology and not originally attached to pixies; in 1850, Thomas Keightley observed that much of Devon pixie mythology may have originated from fairy myth. Pixies are said to reward consideration and punish neglect on the part of larger humans, for which Keightley gives examples. By their presence they bring blessings to those who are fond of them.
Pixies are drawn to horses, riding them for pleasure and making tangled ringlets in the manes of those horses they ride. They are "great explorers familiar with the caves of the ocean, the hidden sources of the streams and the recesses of the land."
Some find pixies to have a human origin or to "partake of human nature", in distinction to fairies whose mythology is traced to immaterial and malignant spirit forces. In some discussions pixies are presented as wingless, pygmy
Pygmy
Pygmy is a term used for various ethnic groups worldwide whose average height is unusually short; anthropologists define pygmy as any group whose adult men grow to less than 150 cm in average height. A member of a slightly taller group is termed "pygmoid." The best known pygmies are the Aka,...
-like creatures, however this is probably a later accretion to the mythology.
One British scholar took pixie myth seriously enough to state his belief that "Pixies were evidently a smaller race, and, from the greater obscurity of the … tales about them, I believe them to have been an earlier race."
Literary interpretations
Many Victorian era poets saw them as magical beings. An example is Samuel Minturn Peck: in his poem The Pixies he writes:- ‘Tis said their forms are tiny, yet
- All human ills they can subdue,
- Or with a wand or amulet
- Can win a maiden’s heart for you;
- And many a blessing know to stew
- To make to wedlock bright;
- Give honour to the dainty crew,
- The Pixies are abroad tonight.
The late 19th century English poet Nora Chesson
Nora Chesson
Nora Hopper was an English poet. She was born in Exeter, of an Irish father Capt Harman Baillie Hopper. She was a participant in the Irish literary movement of the 1890s, having some influence on W. B...
summarized pixie mythology fairly well in a poem entitled The Pixies. She gathered all the speculations and myths into verse:
- Have e’er you seen the Pixies, the fold not blest or banned?
- They walk upon the waters; they sail upon the land,
- They make the green grass greener where’er their footsteps fall,
- The wildest hind in the forest comes at their call.
- They steal from bolted linneys, they milk the key at grass,
- The maids are kissed a-milking, and no one hears them pass.
- They flit from byre to stable and ride unbroken foals,
- They seek out human lovers to win them souls.
- The Pixies know no sorrow, the Pixies feel no fear,
- They take no care for harvest or seedtime of the year;
- Age lays no finger on them, the reaper time goes by
- The Pixies, they who change not, grow old or die.
- The Pixies though they love us, behold us pass away,
- And are not sad for flowers they gathered yesterday,
- To-day has crimson foxglove.
- If purple hose-in-hose withered last night
- To-morrow will have its rose.
She touches on all the essentials, including even more modern accretions. Pixies are "in-between", not cursed by God or especially blessed. They do the unexpected, they bless the land, and are forest creatures whom other wild creatures find alluring and non-threatening. They love humans, taking some for mates, and are nearly ageless. They are winged, flitting from place to place.
The Pixie Day
Pixie Day
Pixie Day is a tradition that takes place in Ottery St. Mary, England, annually on the Saturday nearest Mid-Summer's Day in June. The day commemorates the age old legend of Ottery St. Mary's infamous 'pixies' being banished from the town to the local caves known as 'Pixie's Parlour'...
tradition in Samuel Taylor Coleridge
Samuel Taylor Coleridge
Samuel Taylor Coleridge was an English poet, Romantic, literary critic and philosopher who, with his friend William Wordsworth, was a founder of the Romantic Movement in England and a member of the Lake Poets. He is probably best known for his poems The Rime of the Ancient Mariner and Kubla...
’s hometown of Ottery St Mary
Ottery St Mary
Ottery St Mary, known as "Ottery" , is a town in the East Devon district of Devon, England, on the River Otter, about ten miles east of Exeter on the B3174. It is part of a large civil parish of the same name, which also covers the villages of West Hill, Metcombe, Fairmile, Alfington, Tipton St...
in East Devon
East Devon
East Devon is a local government district in Devon, England. Its council is based in Sidmouth, and the largest town is Exmouth.The district was formed on 1 April 1974 by the merger of the borough of Honiton with the urban districts of Budleigh Salterton, Exmouth, Ottery St. Mary, Seaton, Sidmouth...
was the inspiration for his poem Song of the Pixies.
The Victorian era writer Mary Elizabeth Whitcombe divided pixies in to tribes according to personality and deeds. Anna Eliza Bray
Anna Eliza Bray
Anna Eliza Bray was a British novelist.Anna Eliza Kempe was born in the parish of Newington, Surrey, on 25 Dec. 1790, to John Kempe, bullion porter in the Mint, and Ann, daughter of James Arrow of Westminster. Kempe planned to be an actress, and her public appearance at the Bath Theatre was duly...
suggested that pixies and fairies were distinct species.
Modern fiction
Pixies serve as helpers of Santa ClausSanta Claus
Santa Claus is a folklore figure in various cultures who distributes gifts to children, normally on Christmas Eve. Each name is a variation of Saint Nicholas, but refers to Santa Claus...
in L. Frank Baum
L. Frank Baum
Lyman Frank Baum was an American author of children's books, best known for writing The Wonderful Wizard of Oz...
's 1902 novel The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus
The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus
The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus is a 1902 children's book, written by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by Mary Cowles Clark.-Infancy, Youth, Motivation:...
and his 1904 short story A Kidnapped Santa Claus
A Kidnapped Santa Claus
A Kidnapped Santa Claus is a Christmas-themed short story written by L. Frank Baum, famous as the creator of the Land of Oz; it has been called "one of Baum's most beautiful stories" and constitutes an influential contribution to the mythology of Christmas."A Kidnapped Santa Claus" was first...
.
In Frank Capra's 1936 Film Mr. Deeds Goes to Town
Mr. Deeds Goes to Town
Mr. Deeds Goes to Town is a 1936 American screwball comedy film directed by Frank Capra, and starring Gary Cooper and Jean Arthur in her first featured role...
, the eccentricities of the main character are attributed to his having become "pixelated", or falling under the influence of pixies.
In Michael Buckley's The Sisters Grimm series, pixies are described as small orange-glowing creatures that resemble fireflies and are controlled by fairies such as Puck by the use of a small wooden flute.
Enid Blyton
Enid Blyton
Enid Blyton was an English children's writer also known as Mary Pollock.Noted for numerous series of books based on recurring characters and designed for different age groups,her books have enjoyed huge success in many parts of the world, and have sold over 600 million copies.One of Blyton's most...
wrote a number of children's books with pixies as featured characters. One employee of the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
even criticized "Her stories...haven't much literary value. There is rather a lot of the Pink-winky-Doodle-doodle Dum-dumm type of name (and lots of pixies) in the original tales."
In Holly Black
Holly Black
Holly Black née Riggenbach is an American writer and editor, best known for writing The Spiderwick Chronicles, a series of children's fantasy books she created with illustrator Tony DiTerlizzi.-Early life and education:...
's and Tony Diterlizzi
Tony DiTerlizzi
Tony M. DiTerlizzi is an American fantasy artist, children's book creator, and motion picture producer.DiTerlizzi created The Spiderwick Chronicles series with Holly Black, and was an executive producer on the 2008 film adaptation of the series. He won a Caldecott Honor Medal for his adaptation of...
's Spiderwick Chronicles, pixies are green-skinned, human-sized fairies with shimmering wings. They have a command of glamour and a type of power to charm or seduce others. Holly Black
Holly Black
Holly Black née Riggenbach is an American writer and editor, best known for writing The Spiderwick Chronicles, a series of children's fantasy books she created with illustrator Tony DiTerlizzi.-Early life and education:...
has also written a book called Tithe
Tithe
A tithe is a one-tenth part of something, paid as a contribution to a religious organization or compulsory tax to government. Today, tithes are normally voluntary and paid in cash, cheques, or stocks, whereas historically tithes were required and paid in kind, such as agricultural products...
in which the main character is a pixie.
In Eoin Colfer
Eoin Colfer
Eoin Colfer is an Irish author. He is most famous as the author of the Artemis Fowl series, but he has also written other successful books. His novels have been compared to the works of J. K. Rowling...
's Artemis Fowl
Artemis Fowl (series)
Artemis Fowl is a series of fantasy novels written by Irish author Eoin Colfer and all the books are best sellers, starring the teenage criminal mastermind Artemis Fowl II. The author summed up the series as: "Die Hard with fairies." There are seven novels in the series; the first was published in...
series, pixies are one of a number of magical species that have been driven underground by humans and the pollution they have caused on Earth. Opal Koboi
Opal Koboi
Opal Koboi is a fictional character from the Artemis Fowl series - a set of seven fantasy novels written by Irish author Eoin Colfer. After the character's May 2002 introduction in the second book in the series as a supporting antagonist, Colfer again used Koboi as the main antagonist in the fourth...
is the megalomaniac, genius pixie of Artemis Fowl: The Opal Deception
Artemis Fowl: The Opal Deception
Artemis Fowl: The Opal Deception is a teen fantasy novel published in 2005, the 4th book in the Artemis Fowl series by the Irish author Eoin Colfer...
. Colfer describes characteristics of pixies as having abnormally childish features and larger heads than other types of Fairies, with large but vulnerable brains (their cranial mass is thin, which makes them easy to knock out). They are also prone to headaches and, particularly in the case of Opal Koboi, violent mood swings and temper tantrums. Koboi is the perfect example of their genius turned to madness.
In Terry Pratchett
Terry Pratchett
Sir Terence David John "Terry" Pratchett, OBE is an English novelist, known for his frequently comical work in the fantasy genre. He is best known for his popular and long-running Discworld series of comic fantasy novels...
's Discworld
Discworld
Discworld is a comic fantasy book series by English author Sir Terry Pratchett, set on the Discworld, a flat world balanced on the backs of four elephants which, in turn, stand on the back of a giant turtle, Great A'Tuin. The books frequently parody, or at least take inspiration from, J. R. R....
novels The Wee Free Men
The Wee Free Men
The Wee Free Men, first published in 2003, is the second Story of The Discworld book for younger readers. A sequel, A Hat Full of Sky, appeared in 2004 , a third book, Wintersmith appeared in 2006, and the fourth, I Shall Wear Midnight, was released in September...
and A Hat Full of Sky
A Hat Full of Sky
A Hat Full of Sky is a novel written by Terry Pratchett set on the Discworld, written with younger readers in mind. First published in 2004, it is set two years after The Wee Free Men, and features an 11-year old Tiffany Aching....
, a race of kilt-wearing fairies
Fairy
A fairy is a type of mythical being or legendary creature, a form of spirit, often described as metaphysical, supernatural or preternatural.Fairies resemble various beings of other mythologies, though even folklore that uses the term...
, warriors named the Nac Mac Feegle
Nac Mac Feegle
The Nac Mac Feegle are a type of fairy folk appearing in Terry Pratchett's Discworld novels Carpe Jugulum, The Wee Free Men, A Hat Full of Sky, Wintersmith and I Shall Wear...
, call themselves "Pictsies".
In J. K. Rowling
J. K. Rowling
Joanne "Jo" Rowling, OBE , better known as J. K. Rowling, is the British author of the Harry Potter fantasy series...
's Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets is the second novel in the Harry Potter series written by J. K. Rowling. The plot follows Harry's second year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, during which a series of messages on the walls on the school's corridors warn that the "Chamber of...
, Gilderoy Lockhart releases a cage of Cornish blue pixies into the classroom in an effort to teach the students how to defeat them in his Defense Against the Dark Arts class. Rowling's version of pixies are about 8 inches tall, electric blue in colour, and are wildly rambunctious tricksters.
In Kim Harrison
Kim Harrison
Kim Harrison is a nom de plume of American author Dawn Cook. Under the name of Harrison, she is best known for her Rachel Morgan urban fantasy series set in an alternate history where a worldwide pandemic caused by genetically modified tomatoes led to the death of a large portion of the world's...
's Rachel Morgan series
Hollows (series)
The Hollows series is a series of mystery novels in an urban fantasy alternate history setting by Kim Harrison that take place primarily in the city of Cincinnati. The city itself is mostly separated in two parts: The main part of the town and the enclave on the opposite side of the Ohio River...
, Rachel, a witch, works closely with Jenks, a pixie, to track down the missing, save various creatures, retrieve stolen objects, and defend the defenceless, etc. Jenks, his wife, and large family live in, tend, and protect Rachel's garden.
British rock band
Rock Band
Rock Band is a music video game developed by Harmonix Music Systems, published by MTV Games and Electronic Arts. It is the first title in the Rock Band series. The PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions were released in the United States on November 20, 2007, while the PlayStation 2 version was...
Alien Stash Tin included a short novelty song called "Bingo The Magic Pixie" as a bonus track on their 2007 debut album. Bingo is described as 'living alone' and making 'mushroom wine' which he shares with his friends.
Need
Need (novel series)
Need is a series of young-adult urban fantasy novels by American author Carrie Jones, beginning with the inaugural entry of the same name. The focus of the story is a teenage girl named Zara, who joins a struggle against a society of malicious pixies...
, a series of novels by Carrie Jones
Carrie Jones
Carrie Jones is an American author, known for her work in young-adult fiction. She has written books in both the fantasy and non-fantasy genres, including the paranormal novel series Need. Jones has received multiple awards and appeared on the New York Times Best Seller list.-Personal life and...
, follows a struggle against malicious pixies in an urban fantasy
Urban fantasy
Urban fantasy is a sub-genre of fantasy defined by place; the fantastic narrative has an urban setting. Many urban fantasies are set in contemporary times and contain supernatural elements. However, the stories can take place in historical, modern, or futuristic periods...
setting.
Several characters in the Marvel comics
Marvel Comics
Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
universe have been called Pixie
Pixie (comics)
Pixie is a fictional character, a mutant in the Marvel Universe. Her mutation grants her pixie-like eyes, colorful wings that allow her to fly, and "pixie dust" which causes hallucinations...
.
Neil Gaiman told tales of piskies in American Gods
American Gods
American Gods is a Hugo and Nebula Award-winning novel by Neil Gaiman. The novel is a blend of Americana, fantasy, and various strands of ancient and modern mythology, all centering on a mysterious and taciturn protagonist, Shadow. It is Gaiman's fourth prose novel, being preceded by Good Omens ,...
.
Animation
In the DisneyThe Walt Disney Company
The Walt Disney Company is the largest media conglomerate in the world in terms of revenue. Founded on October 16, 1923, by Walt and Roy Disney as the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio, Walt Disney Productions established itself as a leader in the American animation industry before diversifying into...
film, Peter Pan
Peter Pan (1953 film)
Peter Pan is a 1953 American animated film produced by Walt Disney and based on the play Peter Pan, or The Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Up by J. M. Barrie. It is the fourteenth film in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series and was originally released on February 5, 1953 by RKO Pictures...
, Tinker Bell is described as a pixie, although, in the J.M. Barrie play on which the film is based, she is actually a fairy. In the Disney versions she always uses "pixie dust", rather than the fairy dust in the play. In Barrie's original play, Tinker Bell is traditionally staged just as a flying point of light beamed from offstage. Disney continues to use the terms "pixie" and "fairy" interchangeably for Tinker Bell, and associated
Disney Fairies
Disney Fairies is a Disney franchise built around the character of Tinker Bell, whom Disney adapted in their 1953 animated film Peter Pan and subsequently adopted as a mascot for the company. In addition to the fictional fairy character created by J. M...
spin-offs
Spin-off (media)
In media, a spin-off is a radio program, television program, video game, or any narrative work, derived from one or more already existing works, that focuses, in particular, in more detail on one aspect of that original work...
.
In The Fairly OddParents
The Fairly OddParents
The Fairly OddParents is an American-Canadian animated television series created by Butch Hartman about the adventures of Timmy Turner, who is granted fairy godparents named Cosmo and Wanda. The series started out as cartoon segments that ran from September 4, 1998 to March 23, 2001 on Oh Yeah!...
, the pixies are dull, wear grey suits, speak in monotone voices, wear pointy caps and, unlike the fairies, treat magic like a business. Instead of wands, they carry cellphones. The Head Pixie (H.P. for short), and the other male pixies are all voiced by Ben Stein
Ben Stein
Benjamin Jeremy "Ben" Stein is an American actor, writer, lawyer, and commentator on political and economic issues. He attained early success as a speechwriter for American presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford...
. The female pixies are not seen. This is due to them being named after pixel
Pixel
In digital imaging, a pixel, or pel, is a single point in a raster image, or the smallest addressable screen element in a display device; it is the smallest unit of picture that can be represented or controlled....
s.
See also
- Ethereal beingEthereal beingEthereal beings, according to some belief systems and occult theories, are mystic entities that usually are not made of ordinary matter. Despite the fact that they are believed to be essentially incorporeal, they do interact in physical shapes with the material universe and travel between the...
- FairyFairyA fairy is a type of mythical being or legendary creature, a form of spirit, often described as metaphysical, supernatural or preternatural.Fairies resemble various beings of other mythologies, though even folklore that uses the term...
- Fairy GodmotherFairy godmotherIn fairy tales, a fairy godmother is a fairy with magical powers who acts as a mentor or parent to someone, in the role that an actual godparent was expected to play in many societies...
- GoblinGoblinA goblin is a legendary evil or mischievous illiterate creature, a grotesquely evil or evil-like phantom.They are attributed with various abilities, temperaments and appearances depending on the story and country of origin. In some cases, goblins have been classified as constantly annoying little...
- Korrigans
- Peter and the Piskies: Cornish Folk and Fairy TalesPeter and the Piskies: Cornish Folk and Fairy TalesPeter and the Piskies: Cornish Folk and Fairy Tales is a 1966 anthology of 34 fairy tales from Cornwall that have been collected and retold by Ruth Manning-Sanders. It was the first in a long series of such anthologies by Manning-Sanders....
- SpriteSprite (creature)The term sprite is a broad term referring to a number of preternatural legendary creatures. The term is generally used in reference to elf-like creatures, including fairies, and similar beings , but can also signify various spiritual beings, including ghosts. In Eoin Colfer's Artemis Fowl books,...
- SylphSylphSylph is a mythological creature in the Western tradition. The term originates in Paracelsus, who describes sylphs as invisible beings of the air, his elementals of air...
- The Spiderwick ChroniclesThe Spiderwick ChroniclesThe Spiderwick Chronicles is a series of children's books by Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Black. They chronicle the adventures of the Grace children, twins Simon and Jared and their older sister Mallory, after they move into Spiderwick Estate and discover a world of fairies that they never knew...