Editing Pixie (section)

== Etymology and origin ==

The origin of the word ''pixie'' is uncertain. It could have come from the Swedish dialectal ''pyske'', meaning 'small [[fairy]]'.<ref>{{cite book|title=[[Chambers 20th Century Dictionary]]|editor=E. M. Kirkpatrick|edition=New|year=1983|page=978}}</ref> Others have disputed this, given there is no plausible case for Nordic dialectal records in southwest Britain, claiming instead—in view of the Cornish origin of the ''piskie''—that the term is more Celtic in origin, though no clear ancestor of the word is known. The term ''Pobel Vean'' (Little People) is often used to refer to them collectively.<ref>{{Cite web |title=pixie {{!}} Etymology, origin and meaning of pixie by etymonline |url=https://www.etymonline.com/word/pixie |access-date=2023-07-02 |website=etymonline.com |language=en}}</ref><ref>Traditional Cornish Stories and Rhymes, 1992 edition, Lodenek Press</ref> Because of its location of origin, it is possible it comes from the Proto-Brythonic *bɨx, which has become bych, little, in Middle Welsh and bihan, in Breton.{{citation needed|date=May 2024}} The change from b to p can be easily explained by a [[sandhi]] that occurs after the use of the old article or a pronoun.{{citation needed|date=May 2024}}

Very similar analogues exist in closely related Irish ([[Aos Sí]]), [[Manx language|Manx]] ([[Mooinjer veggey]]), Welsh [[Tylwyth Teg]] ('Fair Family'), and [[Breton language|Breton]] ([[korrigan]]) culture. Although their common names are unrelated, there is a high degree of local variation of names. In west [[Penwith]], the area of late survival of the [[Cornish language]], ''[[spriggan]]s'' are distinguished from pixies by their malevolent nature, while [[Knocker (folklore)|knockers]] are distinct for their association with tin [[mining in Cornwall]].

Pixie mythology is believed to pre-date Christian presence in Britain. Romano-British [[Hooded Spirits]] ''genii cucullati'' are a possible ancient Celtic forebear—such dwarfish sprites wore traditional hooded cloaks associated with the British and concealed phallic daggers. In the Christian era, they were sometimes said to be the souls of children who had died unbaptised (similar to the belief in [[Limbo]]). These children would change their appearance to pixies once their clothing was placed in clay funeral pots used in their earthly lives as toys. A common idea in the Victorian era was that pixies were a folk memory of the Pictish people, but that has largely been disproven and is viewed in academia as Norse propaganda against the Picts<ref>"Scottish Fairy Belief" (2007) pp. 21–22.</ref> This suggestion is still referenced in contemporary writing, but there is no proven connection, and the [[etymology|etymological]] basis is considered ambiguous.<ref>"South Coast Sunterings in England", in: ''Harpers New Monthly Magazine'', (1869) pp. 29–41.</ref> Some 19th-century researchers made more general claims about pixie origins, or have connected them with the [[Puck (mythology)|Puck]] (Cornish [[Bucca (mythological creature)|Bucca]]), a mythological creature sometimes described as a fairy; the name Puck (Irish: [[Púca]], Welsh: [[Pwca]]) is also of uncertain origin.

The earliest published version of ''[[The Three Little Pigs]]'' story is from [[Dartmoor]] in 1853 and has three little pixies in place of the pigs.<ref>English Forests and Forest Trees: Historical, Legendary, and Descriptive (London: Ingram, Cooke, and Company, 1853), pp. 189–90</ref> In older [[Westcountry dialect]], modern [[Received Pronunciation]] letter pairs are sometimes transposed from the older Saxon spelling (''waps'' for wasp, ''aks'' for ask, etc.) resulting in ''piskies'' in place of ''piksies'' (pixies) as commonly found in Devon and Cornwall in modern times.

Until the advent of contemporary fiction, pixie mythology was mostly localised to Britain. Some have noted similarities to "northern fairies", Germanic and Scandinavian [[elves]],<ref>e.g. [[John Thackray Bunce]]: ''Fairy Tales: Their Origin and Meaning'' 1878, page 133.</ref> or Nordic [[Tomte]], but pixies are distinguished from them by the myths and stories of Devon and Cornwall.

=== Cornwall, Devon and Somerset ===
Before the mid-19th century, the counties of Cornwall and Devon had numerous cultural depictions of pixies and fairies. Books devoted to the homely beliefs of the peasantry were filled with incidents of pixie manifestations. Some locales were named for the pixies associated with them. In Devon, near [[Challacombe]], a group of rocks were named after the pixies said to dwell there. At [[Trevose Head]] in Cornwall, 600 pixies were said to have gathered dancing and laughing in a circle that had appeared upon the turf until one of them, named Omfra, lost his laugh. After searching amongst the barrows of the ancient kings of Cornwall on [[St Breock Downs]], he wades through the bottomless [[Dozmary Pool]] on [[Bodmin Moor]] until his laugh is restored by [[King Arthur]] in the form of a [[Chough]].<ref>''Traditional Cornish Stories and Rhymes'', 1992 edition, Lodenek Press.</ref>

[[File:Pisky_Dartmoor_traditional_brass.jpg|thumb|Dartmoor Pisky]]

In the legends associated with [[Dartmoor]], pixies (or ''piskeys'') are said to disguise themselves as a bundle of rags to lure children. The pixies of Dartmoor are fond of music, dancing, and riding on [[Dartmoor Pony|Dartmoor colts]]. These pixies are generally said to be helpful for humans, sometimes helping needy widows and others with housework. They are not completely benign, however, as they have a reputation for misleading travellers known as being "pixy-led", and it can be cured by turning a coat inside-out.<ref>William Crossing, ''Tales of the Dartmoor Pixies'', 1890, page 6.</ref><ref>{{cite journal | author=Simon Young| title=Pixy-led in Devon and the South West| journal=Report & Transactions of the Devonshire Association| year=2016| volume=148| pages=311–336}}</ref>

In some of the legends and historical accounts, they are presented as having an [[Anthropomorphism|anthropomorphic]] stature. For instance, a member of the Elford family in [[Tavistock, Devon]], successfully hid from [[Oliver Cromwell|Cromwell]]'s troops in a pixie house.<ref>''A Handbook for Travellers in Devon,'' 1887 edition, page 230.</ref> Though the entrance has narrowed with time, the pixie house, a natural cavern on [[Sheepstor|Sheep Tor]], is still accessible.

At [[Buckland St. Mary]], Somerset, pixies and fairies are said to have been in a war. The pixies were victorious and visit occasionally, whilst the fairies are said to have left after their loss.<ref>[[Katherine Mary Briggs]]: ''The Fairies in Tradition and Literature,'' page 179.</ref>

By the early 19th century, their contact with humans had diminished. In [[Samuel Drew]]'s 1824 book ''Cornwall'', Drew states: "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."<ref>''The History of Cornwall From the Earliest Records & Traditions, to the Present Time,'' 2 vols. 1824.</ref>

==== Pixie Day ====
{{Main|Pixie Day}}

[[Pixie Day]] is an old tradition which takes place annually in June at the [[East Devon]] town of [[Ottery St. Mary]]. 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, or bell ringers, to come from Wales, of whom were escorted by monks on their journey.

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. 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", breaking the spell.

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, later imprisoning them in Pixies' Parlour to be rescued by the Vicar of Ottery St. Mary. This legend is re-enacted each year by the [[Cub Scouts|Cub]] and [[Brownie (Girl Guides)|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, Devon|River Otter]].