This picture is a photograph of part of a painting at the Museum of Witchcraft & Magic in Boscastle, Cornwall. It was probably painted in the 1960s, and features a group of Cornish piskies.
It gives us a visual glimpse into the nature of Piskies. They are small, merry, unexpected, mischievous, playful, ageless, mythical creatures - often associated with death. They are found on moorland areas of Devon and Cornwall, and around ancient sites such stone circles, barrows and dolmen. They are considered “in between” - neither cursed nor blessed.
Their name changes depending on region. In Cornwall they’re known as piskay, pigsy, piskey, or piskie. In Devon they are known as pixies, pixy, or piscy.
The nature of these creatures also varies from county to county. In some places they are mischievous, in some places they are friendly and benign, and in others they are more devious and cunning. They are known to lead travellers astray on the moors, getting them lost, which is known as being pixy-led.
Pixie mythology is localised to Britain, in particular to Devon and Cornwall. They have been likened to the elves of Germany and Scandinavia, including the Tomte, which I wrote about earlier, but they are distinguished from them. They are different to fairies/elves, and in some British folklore pixies have battled the fairy folk.
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