Piskies (singularly a Piskey, collectively known as the Pobel Vean and also spelt: piskie, pigsy & pizkie) are a staple of Cornish folklore. Differentiated from Spriggans by their general benevolence & from Knockers with their preference for aboveground , they are mostly defined by being small, blue tricksters that love to dance. They’re most akin to Aos sí from Ireland and the Sìth in Scotland. It’d be an insult to lump them in with faeries - the two groups were said to have done battle in Somerset with the Piskies being victorious and the English faeries banished further north.
Variously described as folk from Annown, ancestor spirits, land guardians and then with the pressure of Methodism as unbaptised child spirits (though the latter has fallen out of use). Piskies are led by their queen Joan the Wad and sometimes by her partner & king of the piskies, Jack o’ the Lantern*.
While piskies are neighbours with the Devonshire pixie, they don’t stray any further than the Tamar river in the north - tied to the burial mounts, stone circles, menhirs & quoits littered throughout the county. Described as anywhere between palm-sized to knee height, they’re blue skinned with pointed ears and cheeky faces. Pre-Victorian folklore tells of ragged hand-made clothes or just nakedness, later replaced with green clothes and pointed caps (though again, this hasn’t stuck around much aside from tourist trinkets).
The piskies are mostly a benevolent lot - singing and dancing in great numbers on the moors and sometimes helping humans with little tasks about the home. To have happy piskies around is good luck - indeed there’s still the strong practice of carrying a little pewter piskey charm around to draw luck and money.
Piskies can also offer gifts to larger folk - helping with grain harvest or hiding sweet and delicious foods around the house. Unlike faerie foods, piskies foods can be eaten with no danger of becoming trapped.
Despite their generally good nature, there are still stories of travellers becoming piskey-laden on the moorland and in quiet country paths. The most accessible one was taken down by Enys Tregarthen - How Jan Brewer was Piskey-Laden. The only way to avoid coming piskey-laden (or to escape it) is either turning all clothes inside out, or all pockets inside out. Often those who are piskey-laden have stumbled across a dance and the piskies, preferring their celebrations to be secret and disliking spies, confuse and maze someone until they are lost.
Some more malicious piskey tales tell of them leading travellers astray on Bodmin Moor by appearing like a lantern in a cottage window, loosing a farmer's horses and cows, or causing general misfortune and naughtiness. In folktales, these naughtier piskies meet their match with a quick witted and competent traveller charming them back and escaping any chance of being laden.
Good practice when visiting a stone circle or other favoured piskey home is to bring a little milk and bread (or scone, split or hot bun) and leave it about as a gift. They also enjoy gifts of fabric and ribbons to incorporate into their outfits!
*A note - Wad is an Eastern Cornish colloquialism for a bundle of straw used as a torch, tying Joan and Jack both to fire. Joan is also associated with water & good luck.
