Traditionally, a pixie is a kind of fairy found in southwest England that has red-hair, and is found in fields. Pixies will often work for others, but they will be insulted if they receive payment for their help. Today, the word pixie has broadened a bit to mean much the same as the word fairy, and those two words are used in the same way in Pixie Tricks. Poets in England and Wales used the name Mab for the queen of the fairies in the 16th and 17th centuries. That's why in Pixie Tricks, I use the word sprite to describe fairies with wings.
Sprites can either be good or bad.
This is the Scandanavian term for elf. Sometimes they are described as being hairy and ugly, although they are able to change their shape into anything they please. They are said to have lots of treasure, and live in beautiful palaces. Arrowsmith, Nancy with George Moorse . Field Guide to Little People , Macmillan London Limited, 1977.