Fabulous Folklore: The Tulip Piskies

Somewhere along the River Tavy on Dartmoor, a sweet and kindly old lady lived in a beautiful little cottage, surrounded by flowers. She had lavender and hollyhocks, rosemary and mullein. Forget-me-nots and lilies, sunflowers and tulips. She worked hard to create a beautiful garden that bloomed all year round; it was her pride and joy. She was proud of the tulips, especially the red ones.

This sanctuary extended beyond her garden. She lived next to a green meadow which was covered by piskie rings. The locals held the rings as caused by piskie-led ponies being driven round in circles in the dead of night. But the old lady knew differently.

One night the lady was woken by a sweet tune drifting in through her window. She lay there for a few minutes before realising the tune was a lullaby. She sat up in her bed and cast her gaze out of her window - her prized tulips were shimmering and waving in the moonlight to the gentle tune. As she woke properly from her slumber and her ear sharpened, she realised the tulips were gently singing along to the tune.

This continued for a number of nights, and the old lady, tuned in to the ways of the world, realised what was happening. The piskies were bringing their babies to the tulips, laying each precious baby within a tulip flower. The tulip nannies gently rocked and sang the piskie babies to sleep, while the adult piskies danced their merry dance until the break of dawn. No ponies were needed to make the rings; the piskies made them all by themselves.

The piskies loved the land surrounding the cottage, and they loved the old lady. They never forgot her kindness. Her tulips lived longer than those of the other villagers. They smelt a little bit sweeter, and shone a little bit brighter.

Sadly, in time, the old lady died. The old man that moved into the cottage did not care for flowers or tulips or pretty things; he wished only to grow vegetables for himself. He built a fence to keep animals and birds out the garden. The piskies saw to it that nothing would flourish and grow ever again; and the whole garden soon became barren and empty, much like the old man’s heart.

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