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CORNISH FAERIES
Cornwall is a small, relatively unheard of country, located
at the tip of the "foot" of England on the peninsula that
lies to the west of the River Tamar, in the southwest corner
of the United Kingdom.
Cornwall is the homeland of the Cornish people and is also
considered one of the six "Celtic nations" by many residents
and scholars. There is a movement for greater autonomy from
English rule and many citizens would like the country to be
self-governed, as in past times. This would place them on an
equal footing with England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland.
Cornwall is famous for its legends of giants, saints, and
King Arthur and his knights. The landscape abounds with
historic monuments, holy wells, mines, and the like, and
stories of submerged or buried cities are everyday talk out
on the streets. The Cornish believed the fairies were the
souls of the ancient
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Here is the partial list of Cornish faeries (fairies):
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BOGGLES: Peat or bog
faeries. They have bulbous, mud-covered bodies and long
spindly legs and arms. They are known as boggans to
the English, and in Ireland are called ballybogs.
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KNOCKERS: Inhabit mines and make noise and sometimes
music. They are mischievous but not usually cruel. They
reward miners who leave them food or gifts with good luck.
The little bearded Knockers work industriously in the
mines, year in, year out. They are growing smaller with
every year and soon will come the day we won't be able
to see them anymore because they'll be no size at all.
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PISKIES (PISKY /
PIXIE): Some people saw
them as the souls of pagans who could not transcend to
heaven, and they were also seen as the remnants of pagan
gods, banished with the coming of Christianity. In
tradition they are doomed to shrink in size until they
disappear. The mischievous piskies are always laughing.
Some claim they are the only true Cornish fairy. They
are called Piskie in the north, and Pixie in the south.
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SPRIGGAN: Grotesque and ugly in shape. Although
quite small, they have the ability to inflate themselves
into monstrous forms which has led humans to believe
them to be the ghosts of old giants. Apart from their
useful function as guardians of hill treasure, Spriggans
are an infamous band of villains, skilled thieves,
thoroughly destructive and often dangerous. They are
capable of robbing human houses, kidnapping children
(and leaving a repulsive baby Spriggan in exhange)
causing whirlwinds to destroy fields of corn, blighting
crops and all manner of other unpleasant mischief. |
By the moon we
sport and play,
With the night begins our day:
As we dance the dew doth fall,
Trip it little urchins all:
Lightly as the little Bee,
Two by two, and three by three:
And about go we, and about go wee.
Thomas Ravenscroft,
By the Moon
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