Editing Pixie (section)

=== 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]].