A Word or Two on Pixies

The Pixies - 19th century English poet Nora Chesson

Have e’er you seen the Pixies, the fold not blest or banned?

A common Pixie

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,

They seek out human lovers to win them souls.

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.

What is the difference between a Pixie and a Fairy?

Pixies are generally benign, mischievous, short of stature and attractively childlike; they are fond of dancing and gather outdoors in huge numbers to dance or sometimes wrestle, through the night. They are often confused for Fairies, but they are two separate races, and there is often war between them. They both reside in Faye, and fall under the general classification of Sprite; Pixies and Fairies, along with other creatures such as Elves, Gnomes, Goblins, Kobolds, Mermaids, Naiads, Nymphs, Selkies, and Sirens, can all be considered a part of the Sprite family.

Fairies physically do not look much different from their cousins the Pixies, but tend to hold nothing but malice toward the human race. They have been known to steal babies, leaving a Changeling in its place. What becomes of the human child is uncertain.