The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1906-10-04
PIXIES OF CORNWALL
A TRIBE OF ELVES WITH THE SOULS
OF ANCIENT CELTS.

OF ANCIENT CELTS.
TheyAre Triclzsy Spirits, Well Skilled
In Glamour and Illusion-The Good
and Bad That Are Charged to These
Pran1zish Little People.
Piskies, pixies or pigsies are a tribe
Of elves peculiar to old Cornwall,
territory once extending to the eastern
edge Of Dartmoor which is still in
cluded in the duchy. They are not ele-
mentary spirits, but in material life
were those Of the Celtic tribes who re-
fused to give up their ancient religion
for Christianity, but otherwise lived
blameless, hence their sympathy with
humanity. Not good enough for heaven
nor bad enough for hell, their wander
ing souls were permitted to remain on
EARTH haunting their own familiar
moorlands, wooded coombes and waste
seabeaches.
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 indistinguishable by daylight from
aunts, moths 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 after
noon. They were dancing amid the
heather bells, climbing tall foxgloves,
tumbling queer somersaults, cutting
fantastic capers and, as the Cornish
saying runs, Laughing like pisky.''
This shows them to be a merry race.
Apparently they are gradually becom-
ing converted to Christianity, for on
Christmas eve they assemble in the
deepest mines to celebrate the holy sea-
son, when solemn, enhancing music
may be heard and choirs Of unearthly
voices chanting, NOVEL, Novel;"
They are triclsy elves, skilled in gla-
mour and illusion. A .favorite deceit
Of theirs is enticing the lonely night
traveller into boys by appearing like the
light in a cottage window, or a man
walking with a lantern across ground
where no human foot can tread in
safety. They steal pretty babies from
their cradles, leaving ugly changelings
in their places.
If spoken Of disrespectfully, or even
mentioned by name, they take violent
offense. Hence they are called "the
Nfh IN,
or "the good folks" At Germol is a
green lane we'll 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 it full from end to end Of the lit
tie people holding high festival.
Among the crowd one Of the men
recognized his own child, for one
evening the boy had been as beautiful as
could be seen and next morning was
ugly, weakened and altered. There
fore "the others" must have changed
him. When relating this tale next day
at Croft Gothal he was suddenly
thrown into a deep pit and almost
killed. When carried home his wife,
furious at the cause Of their misfor
tunes, exclaimed that the pixies were
''taNin', tricksy devils" Instantly
she fell backward into the fire and
was burned severely, a convincing
proof that these elves must not be
trifed with.
At Treonike, a small hamlet in St.
Austell parish, a boy was once be-
guiled 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 tuft Of bracken, 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 exuui-
site 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 pene-
trated thicket whose depths he had
never before succeeded in entering, for
some invisible guide smoothed the I'M
dergroWth in his path, while causing
thorns and briers to spring up, closer
and more matted than formerly, be-
hind him and on either hand. Also the
music became more and more ravish-
ing.
At last he found himself upon the
shore of small lake, which, to his sur
prise, reflected the sky thick with stars,
though it had been full noontide on the
common but a short time earlier. Then
lovely lady came through the dark
ness, took him by the hand and led
him about underground palaces with
crystal arches, glowing with changing
tints, far finer than any caverns in the
deepest mine.
There he saw many marvellous sights,
Toasted on dainties he had never tasted
in his life before, gamboled or con-
versed with troops of merry play
mates, all beautifully dressed in green.
At last he fell asleep from sheer weari-