The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1906-07-22
PIXIES OF OLD CORNWALL.
Good and Bad That Is Charged to
These Little People.

| From the London Globe.
| Piskies, pixies. or pgseys, are a tribe
| of elves peculiar to old Cornwall, ter
ritory once extending to the eastern edge
of Dartmoor, which is still included In
the duchy. They are not elemental spir-
| it's, but in material life were those Of the
Celtic tribes who refused to give up their
ancient religion for Christianity. but 9TH
erwise lived blameless; hence their SYM
pathy with humanity. Not good enough
for heaven, nor bad enough for hell, their
| wandering souls were permitted to remain
on earth, haunting their own familiar
moorlands, wooded coombes and waste
sea beaches.
| In early May and during the reign of
the harvest moon they are active in revel,
! but their chief festival of the year is held
on midsummer eve. With the passing of
many centuries they have greatly
shrunken in size, and are now indistin-
guishable, by daylight from ants, moths,
I or butterflies, except by those intimately
acquainted with their appearance. A
troop of these sprites was beheld of late
years by one who had the gift of such
sight on a sunny hillside one brilliant
summer afternoon. They were dancing
amid the heather bells climbing tall fox
ting fantastic capers, and as the Cornish
saying runs, Laughing like pisky.'
This shows them to be a merry race.
Apparently they are gradually becoming
converted to Christianity. for on Christ
mas eve they assemble in the deepest
mines to celebrate the holy season. when
solemn enhancing music may be heard,
and choirs of unearthly voices chanting
NOVEL;. Novel;"
They are trlcksy elves, skilled in CLAM
our and Illusion. favorite deceit of
theirs is enticing the lonely night traveller
into Dogs by appearing like the light In a
cottage window or a man walking with
lantern across ground where no human
foot can tread IN safety. They steal pref
ty babies from their cradles. leaving ugly
changelings in their places.
If spoken of unexpectedly, or even
mentioned by name, they take violent
offence. Hence they are called THE
Others" the Small People in Green" or
the Good Folks At Germol is a green
lane well known as a resort of fairies.
Once on Midsummer Eve two timers who
worked at Croft Gothal a mine hard by,
were returning late down this Bat lane
aforesaid and found 1t full from end to
end of the little people, holding high fes-
tival.
Among the crowd one of the men rec
ognized his own child for one evening
the boy had been as beautiful as could be
seen and next morning was ugly, weaz-
ened and altered. Therefore the Others
must have changed him. When relating
this tale next day at Croft Gothal he was
suddenly thrown into deep pit and al
most killed. When carried home his wife,
furious at the cause of their misfortunes,
exclaimed that the pixies were 'taxin'
tricksy devlls.' Instantly she fell back
ward into the fire and was burned severe
1y, convincing proof that these elves
must not be trihed with.
At Treonike a small hamlet in st. Aus
tell parish, a boy was once beguilded
away from his home, lost for many days.
and finally, after all hope of finding him
| had been given up, he was one morning
| discovered fast asleep on a tuft of brack-
| en-, hard by his fathers cottage door. His
/ own story ran that he had been playing
| near that spot on the day of his disap-
! pearance when he heard most exquisite
music in the air.
| AT first he mistook this for bird songs,
but soon realized that the Little People
must be the unseen musicians. Following
/ the sounds he easily penetrated thicket
J whose depths he had never before sue
| ceeded In entering, for some invisible
! guide smoothed the underground in his
| path, while causing thorns and briars to
| spring up, closer and more matted than
| formerly, behind him and on either hand.
4
| ravishing.
| At last he found himself upon the shore
| of a small lake, which, to his surprise re-
| Elected the sky thick with stars, though
| 1t had been full noontide on the common
| but a short time earlier. Then a lovely
! lady came through the darkness. took him
| by the hand and led him about under
| ground palaces, with crystal arches glow
| ing with changing tints, far finer than
| any caverns in the deepest mines.
There he saw many marvellous sights,
Toasted on dainties he had never tasted in
| his life before, gambolled or conversed
with troops of merry playmates. all beau
tifully dressed in green. At last he fell
asleep from sheer WEAKNESS. and awoke
in the spot where he had first heard the
Pisky minstrels.
The Gump, knoll near st. Just. is a
noted spot for Pixy revels. Many worthy
folks have been privileged to witness
their feasts, in a spirit of friendliness,
, and often were given valuable presents.