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Pesky coverage - pixie day

Anyone who knows anything about pixies knows of Ottery St Mary in Devon, host to the annual pixie day on the Saturday nearest to Midsummer's Day. The Pesky Pixie, loves this event and wishes the organisers every success. Only a place that can boast a national pixie day can host a world famous Tar Barrel Rolling. These two events are enough to make the carnival seem like a walk in the park. But not quite.

Pixie day 2010. The day seemed from the vantage point of the ethereal otherworld that I inhabit, to go very well indeed. The mischief maker in chief aka the chief pixie, whipped the assembled pixie hoards into a frenzy (as per usual huh) and they rampaged, naughtily annoying the local bell ringers and scouting about generally. Until, that is, they were once again foiled and banished from the Devonshire town.

Background - The Pixies of Ottery St mary, Devon.

Long before mankind came to Devon the land was occupied by pixies, a magical race with a great love for the peace and quiet of the beautiful country of Ottery. Pixies loved nature and the natural, so early pagan man did not jar too much with their beliefs.

As man became more numerous, and built on the land, relations with the pixies became more strained. In Ottery the pixies lived on, though increasingly ill at ease as the Christian church came to dominate the lives and beliefs of their human neighbours. When a church was built in the town things became worse.

All this antagonism worsened when the parish church of St Mary was constructed, an impressive building founded by John de Grandisson, Bishop of Exeter , in 1342. St Mary's was created as a collegiate church, a little brother to Exeter Cathedral, but still a huge edifice for a small town like Ottery. Any help the pixies had given before to the humans - they were famed for aiding poor widows, and giving a hand with the housework for the aged and infirm - was stopped, and the magical creatures fought their human tormentors with a thousand little conflicts and clashes, causing an accident here, an injury there.

The final straw for the pixies came in 1454, when a great set of bells was brought to the church. Pixies loath the sound of bells, an unnatural noise that carries into all the country round about, almost impossible to escape. They tried to prevent the bells being delivered, they tried to stop them being hung. But on Midsummer's Eve 1454 the bells were ready to be rung for the first time, and as they were tolled the pixies fled to a cave near the river Otter, still known as Pixie's Parlour.

In a desperate effort to stop the ringing and have their revenge on the settlement the pesky pixies kidnapped the entire team of bell-ringers from the church, and spirited them away, but through divine intervention the campanologists escaped.

On Midsummer's Eve to this day Ottery celebrates the miraculous escape of the bell-ringers, local children playing the part of the pixies, dragging the bell-ringers from the church. Parents can look on at their offspring dressed in green pixie costumes, and enjoy a glass of beer or two at the fete, known as Pixie Day, as they contemplate trying to get their progeny to sleep that night, full of the excitement of magic and mayhem.

View of pixie history

Pixies are tiny magical creatures born into existence, they are whimsical creatures with no real purpose, and their history is one primarily of peace and quiet. Pixies spend a lot of time studying magic and often take it very seriously. They enjoy a good life of peaceful comfort in  their woodland home. The darkest hour for pixies came with the evolution of llaiadains; pixies whose wings were confiscated as punishment. These were evil pixies who had committed crimes against the pixie kingdom. Their existence forced the pixies to become ever vigilant in their own protection, for they now had a dangerous enemy. Since this time, many pixies devote their lives to protecting forests, as opposed to just living in them. Increasing civilization and its infringement on the idyllic, natural world has also forced pixies into more action.

Pixies have wings that are irridescent, often casting a beautiful haze of colours as they hover. With wings they fly naturally. They also have the ability to become invisible at times by channeling powers from magical sources. Due to their small size, pixies are incredibly dexterous and can move very swiftly. Some pixies are meticulous in their appearance and are often beautiful and exotic looking. Others are more natural looking and less aesthetically obsessed.

The more popular view of the pixies' origin is the same as with most fairies: pixies come from the land of Faerie. This place has numerous names, and confused descriptions. Some people claim it is an underground kingdom, some claim it is a distant island, and more recently, some claim it is a separate dimension, linked to this one. It is also said that the pixies have their own realm within the land of Faerie, called Pixy Land.