Celtic Animals Celtic Animals

Cornish Fairies

Fairy Resort at Cairn Kenidzhek

Margaret Ann Courtney describes some pixie-lore for the 'Gump' and Cairn Kenidzhek near St Just:

Not far from St Just is the solitary, dreary cairn, known as Cairn Kenidzhek (pronounced Kenidjack), which means the 'hooting cairn,' so called from the unearthly noises which proceed from it on dark nights. It enjoys a bad reputation as the haunt of witches. Close under it lies a barren stretch of moorland, the 'Gump,' over it the devil hunts at night poor lost souls; he rides on the half-starved horses turned out there to graze, and is sure to overtake them at a particular stile. It is often the scene of demon fights, when one holds the lanthorn to give the others light, and it is also a great resort of the pixies. Woe to the unhappy person who may be there after night-fall: they will lead him round and round, and he may be hours before he manages to get out of the place away from his tormentors. Here more than once fortunate persons have seen 'the small people' too, at their revels, and their eyes have been dazzled by the sight of their wonderful jewels; but if they have managed to secrete a few, behold next morning they were nothing but withered leaves, or perhaps snail-shells.

(Courtney, Cornish Feasts and Folk-lore, pages 70-71.)

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