 Fantasy: June 22, 2022 Issue [#11419] |
This week: Pixies and Fairies! Edited by: eyestar~*  
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 Hello readers! I am back as a guest editor for this week's edition. Recently I was helping out with "Ultimate Trinket Adventure [Mainland]" activity which featured pixie guides! some of the pictures we used seem like fairies to me, so I went on my own adventure to find out more about pixie lore and how they are different from fairies!
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 Have you seen a pixie? a fairy? any member of the fairy world? In your mind, in your imagination, on a magical night in the mist, on the dunes, in the forest? Ever felt little vibes nearby that you can't see? Could be a fairy!
Pixie and Fairy lore has been around for centuries. Even in the ancient times when folks knew that plants had divas to help them grow! They are both part of the fae world and while I have seen modern pictures showing pixies that seem to be more like fairies, the earliest tales say it is not so! Let's take a look. 
 Pixies
In British folklore, pixie tales come mostly from the Moorland around Devon and Cornwall and may be of Celtic origin. They are shown as mischievous, childlike, and like to gather together for dancing and wrestling. They appear naked or dressed in dirty rags which they would disregard for new clothes. More modern versions have them with pointy ears, green outfits and pointed hats. They have coloured skin and hair with butterfly wings and are up to 4 inches tall, smaller than fairies. It is difficult to determine gender.
Pixies tend to mislead travellers, and will reward consideration and punish neglect in humans. They bless those who love them and treat them well. The are good fighters and faster than fairies. There have been some tough battles between the two! They have also been known to bestow healing, kindness and intelligence.
Two poems give an idea of how they were seen as magical beings. Victorian era poet, Samuel Minturn Peck in "The Pixies" wrote:
‘Tis said their forms are tiny, yet
All human ills they can subdue,
Or with a wand or amulet
Can win a maiden’s heart for you;
And many a blessing know to stew
To make to wedlock bright;
Give honour to the dainty crew,
The Pixies are abroad tonight.
The 9th-century English poet Nora Chesson noted pixie mythology In "The Pixie".
Have e’er you seen the Pixies, the fold not blest or banned?
They walk upon the waters; they sail upon the land,
They make the green grass greener where’er their footsteps fall,
The wildest hind in the forest comes at their call.
They steal from bolted linneys, they milk the key at grass,
The maids are kissed a-milking, and no one hears them pass.
They flit from byre to stable and ride unbroken foals,
The Pixies know no sorrow, the Pixies feel no fear,
They take no care for harvest or seedtime of the year;
Age lays no finger on them, the reaper time goes by
The Pixies, they who change not, nor grow old or die.
The Pixies though they love us, behold us pass away,
And are not sad for flowers they gathered yesterday,
To-day has crimson foxglove.
If purple hose-in-hose withered last night
To-morrow will have its rose.
They seek out human lovers to win them souls.
In lore today, I think of Harry Potter's Blue Cornish Pixies, causing mayhem when they were freed from captivity.
Some later writings have them with wands or resembling fairies.
Fairies
Fairies are widespread in European folklore rather than centered in one area as pixies were. They were seen as supernatural, metaphysical form of spirit. There is a wide collection of differing beliefs from various sources and countries, so it can be hard to pin down definition! In some areas they were feared as dangerous powerful beings or sometimes seen as friendly or mischievous. (perhaps related to pixie lore)
Many are the theories of the origins of fairies including seeing them as demoted angels or demons in a Christian tradition, as deities in Pagan belief systems, as spirits of the dead, as prehistoric precursors to humans, or as spirits of nature. 
Fairies became very popular in Victorian and Edwardian times so we have lots of artistic representations. Think of Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream"! 
Unlike Pixies, in general, fairies came to be seen as positive characters who try to show the right path. They are similar to human form but have large wings and portrayed as elegant beings with beautiful clothes. Very etherial.
They are taller than pixies, 6 inches and even taller. They live in forests, glens, gardens, and even water. They are know to have fantastical underground dwellings as well. Many tales are told of the Kings and Queens of Fairy lands. I always look for fairy rings just in case!
They are said to possess magic and have powers to effect changes in curious aspects of nature. There has always been a belief that each plant has a diva spirit to look after it. There are beliefs that different fairies have different jobs in the fae kingdom. Think of Tinkerbell, the tinker fairy. 
The word fairy itself refers to magical creatures so in bigger sense can refer to creatures like gnomes, elves, brownies etc! In this writing we are just focusing on the fairy!
Modern times have continued to be captivated by fairies. In Peter Pan, we have Tinkerbell, and the idea that fairies came from child laughter, and from there a whole genre of fairy lore arose for the young at heart. Disney even uses Tinkerbell as its symbol!
I recall a poem Shakespeare wrote: {well the first four lines I remembered! LOL)
Over hill, over dale,
Thorough bush, thorough brier,
Over park, over pale,
Thorough flood, thorough fire!
I do wander everywhere,
Swifter than the moon's sphere;
And I serve the Fairy Queen,
To dew her orbs upon the green;
The cowslips tall her pensioners be;
In their gold coats spots you see;
Those be rubies, fairy favours;
In those freckles live their savours;
I must go seek some dewdrops here,
And hang a pearl in every cowslip's ear.
 Do you have a favourite memory or tale of fairies or pixies?
 Going outside the fantasy realm, there are beliefs in real fairies today. Places like Findhorn, where they garden and witness these helps from other dimensional beings is fascinating. We are knowing more about the things we cannot see, kind of like angels. We know they are there.
 Have you seen or felt their magic?
What do you believe? What do you know? 
Thanks for reading!
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 Thanks so much for responding to my last newsletter on Watership Down! "Fantasy Newsletter (April 27, 2022)"
Osirantinous 
"I've never read Watership Down. This might be because I saw the movie as a child and it remains, to this day, the only movie I have ever walked out of. (This might have been more mum than me because I recall bawling my eyes out and she probably removed me from the theatre before the ending and making me worse!)
I actually can't bring myself to read the book."
 I hear you as I read that seeing the movie as a kid did have a negative effect. Just goes to show us that we really need to vet movies we take kids to. It is hard to see what kids are seeing today! The themes here were more for older kids and adults. Thanks for sharing!
BIG BAD WOLF is Howling 
"Never read Watership Down, but I have read the Redwall series - plenty of violence in its own right."
 I read part one of Redwall as some of my students were really into it years ago! Thanks for sharing.
Elfin Dragon-finally published 
"Wow! I didn't know there was a sequel to "Watership Down". It's one of the first Anthropomorphosism books I read, but certainly not the last. I was hooked on these types of books ever since. One of my favorite series is by Erin Hunter, "Warriors" (cats) and "Seekers" (bears). I also love "The Guardians of Ga'Hoole". I do also have some dragon stories as well."
Cool! I am familiar with Erin Hunter, mostly through kids who read the books! LOL Thanks for sharing. |
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