Cornish Pixie

Cornish Pixies were magical beasts with a proclivity for immense mischief and annoyance to anyone who came across them. They were bright blue in colour and very small in size.

Mohandas Alva

Article written by Mohandas Alva

M.A. Degree in English Literature from Manipal University, India.

Cornish Pixies, generally known as pixies, were named so because of their place of origin. Pixies or Cornish Pixies originated from Cornwall, England, and were mostly known to be endemic to this place. They were considered to be very mischievous and sometimes even dangerous. They had electric blue skin and were known to be very active. Dymphna Furmage is possibly the first witch to spot the presence of Cornish pixies during her holiday in Cornwall in the 17th century. She was abducted by a group of Cornish pixies, and this led to a lifelong fear of them in her. After repeated requests to the British Ministry of Magic from Dymphna to eradicate the whole pixie species in a humane way, she died in the year 1692, and her request remained rejected.

Pixies first appeared in the Harry Potter series when Defence Against the Dark Arts professor Gilderoy Lockhart unleashed them in his first Defence Against the Dark Arts lesson and later escaped when he realized they were uncontrollable. Hermione had to use one of her spells, specifically the freezing charm, to prevent them from causing more ruckus in the class.

Physical Appearance and Description

Cornish Pixies were very small in size, and their adults grew only up to 8 inches tall. They had electric blue skin, which had a shiny surface, jet-black eyes, and blue wings. The wingspan of an average adult was also the same as their size, which is 8 inches. They were endemic to Cornwall, England, although there may have been pixies in other parts of the world as well. They were related to the doxies and fairies. They were classified as magical beasts by the Ministry of Magic. They were described in detail in the Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them textbook.

Cornish pixies were distinctly known for their ability to fly. They had intricate wings that helped them fly constantly. They were very mischievous and would often lift up people by their ears and hoist them on a high surface like a tree, a fan in the room, or a chandelier, as they did with Neville during the DADA class. They had a pair of antennas on their heads and were known to only communicate with each other through a series of shrill noises that only they could understand. 

Appearance in the Harry Potter Series

The Pixies first appeared in the wizarding world in the Harry Potter series in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets when the Defence Against the Dark Arts professor Gilderoy Lockhart took a freshly caught colony of Cornish pixies in a cage to the classroom at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. He then let this colony loose in the class expecting the students to somehow manage to catch and neutralize them. However, they started creating a ruckus, and although Professor Lockhart tried to use the incantation Peskipiksi Pesternomi, which was quite likely just gibberish, he was unsuccessful in controlling them. He then asked Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger to “take care of the mess” and retreated from the classroom. 

The pixies harassed several of their classmates and got a hold of Neville Longbottom’s ears and hoisted him up towards the ceiling, and eventually fixed him into a chandelier. Finally, enraged by the riot they were causing, Hermione Granger successfully captured them and put them back in their cage using the freezing charm. This is probably one of the most magical movie moments and definitely the most magical movie moment of these devious creatures.

In the movie installments of the Harry Potter series, a Cornish Pixie is shown as a mischievous being and a magical creature with a cheeky grin, constantly making devious faces. 

A group of Cornish Pixies are seen in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows when Harry tries to get hold of the Lost Diadem of Ravenclaw in the Room of Requirement. They try to attack Harry, but he acts swiftly in shooing them away.

Cornish Pixies are one of the most popular toys available in the Harry Potter toy collection. They are in strong demand and usually come with poseable arms and glossy black inset eyes, quite similar to the version shown in the Harry Potter movies. They are an engaging toy for children and make for a fine adult collectible or a perfect gift for a Harry Potter fan interested in Harry Potter decor. A pixie soft toy is also a fun addition to the toys that are modeled after pixies. It is among the many wizarding world characters to have a soft toy modeled around it.

Pixies in Mythology

Pixies have existed in the mythology of Muggles for a very long time. Pixies have more specifically been a part of British Mythology and have characteristics similar to the Cornish Pixies in the Harry Potter universe. Pixies were believed to be inhabiting Cornwall, Devon, Hampshire, and Dorset. They were considered to be quite similar to fairies and were even supposed to have been adapted from fairy mythology.

Pixies were known to wear green outfits and peaked hats and were believed to have pointy ears in more modern interpretations of them. However, they were sometimes described as having round ears and wearing bundles of dirty, ragged clothes. 

Pixies were known to be fond of dancing and would sometimes gather to dance and even wrestle in large numbers. They were very childish and mischievous, just like the ones in the Harry Potter series but looked very different from the pixies in the Harry Potter universe.

FAQs

Where do Cornish Pixies live?

Cornish Pixies were known to live in Cornwall, England originally. This is where Dymphna Furmage was attacked by a swarm of pixies in the 17th century while holidaying. However, pixies also live in other places and have frequented several magical places, including Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. They can be taken from one place to another in cages, as Professor Gilderoy Lockhart did.

Is there a difference between a pixie and a fairy?

Yes, there are several differences between pixies and fairies. Although they both come from similar origins and have similar characteristics, there are several key differences between the two. The major difference between a pixie and a fairy is that pixies resemble large winged insects with human traits, while fairies look a lot more like miniature humans with wings.

What do Cornish Pixies eat?

Cornish Pixies were believed to be Omnivores like most other humans. Therefore, they ate a wide variety of plants that were available in their immediate surroundings. Cornish Pixies also ate several types of insects, although they preferred beetles over spiders and moths. Insects were probably the only source of protein for Cornish Pixies, and therefore, they ate insects in abundance.

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Harry Potter Quiz

Summon your wit and wisdom—our Harry Potter Trivia Quiz awaits you! Do you have the knowledge to claim the title of Master Witch or Wizard? Take the challenge now!

1) What is the name of the goblin who helps Harry, Ron, and Hermione break into Gringotts?

2) Who originally owned the Elder Wand before Dumbledore won it?

3) What is the name of the book Hermione gives to Harry before his first ever Quidditch match?

4) Who is the Half-Blood Prince?

5) What is Dumbledore's full name?

6) What is the name of Harry Potter's pet owl?

7) Who was the Peverell brother that owned the invisibility cloak?

8) What potion is known as "Liquid Luck"?

9) What specific type of dragon does Harry face during the Triwizard Tournament?

10) Which object is NOT one of the Deathly Hallows?

11) Which creature can transform into a person's worst fear?

12) Which character is killed by Bellatrix Lestrange in the Battle of Hogwarts?

13) Which spell is used to open the Marauder's Map?

14) What does the Mirror of Erised show?

15) What is the effect of the Cheering Charm?

16) In which Harry Potter book does Harry first speak Parseltongue?

17) What animal represents Hufflepuff house?

18) What are the dying words of Severus Snape in both the book and the film "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows"?

19) What was the last Horcrux to be destroyed?

20) What is the name of the train that takes students to Hogwarts?

21) What is the core ingredient of the wand owned by Harry Potter?

22) In the "Order of the Phoenix," who is NOT a member of the original Order of the Phoenix shown in the old photograph that Moody shows Harry?

23) What creature is Aragog?

24) Who teaches Herbology at Hogwarts?

25) What is the name of the goblin-made object that is supposed to bring its owner prosperity, but also brings them into conflict with goblins?

26) What does the incantation "Obliviate" do?

27) What form does Hermione Granger's Patronus take?

28) Which potion did Hermione brew in her second year that allowed her, Ron, and Harry to assume the identities of Slytherins?

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Mohandas Alva

About Mohandas Alva

M.A. Degree in English Literature from Manipal University, India.

Mohandas is very passionate about deciphering the nature of language and its role as a sole medium of storytelling in literature. His interests sometimes digress from literature to philosophy and the sciences but eventually, the art and craft of narrating a significant story never fail to thrill him.

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