Piskies v Leprechauns: Which Could Bring You the Most Lottery Luck?

It hardly comes as very much of a surprise that there are many similarities between the beautiful county of Devon and the equally beguiling Ireland.

After all, tourism is very important to them both thanks to the wonderful beaches and scenic countryside both can offer. They’re both also places where myth, mystery and folklore play a large part in the culture.

Nowhere is this more evident in their resident little people, the piskies and the leprechauns. For centuries tales have been told about them and they share many similarities.

The first is their appearance. Both are traditionally said to be small in stature and have the face of old men – all leprechauns are said to be male while there are female piskies. Their clothes are also said to be green, in common with many characters from folklore ranging from Robin Hood to the ubiquitous Green Man.

They are also both meant to mischievous in different ways. In the case of the piskies one of the legends is that they use candles in the dark night to lure unsuspecting travellers on Dartmoor to fall down disused tin mines or to generally get people lost in the lonely surroundings. Leprechauns, on the other hand, are said to be very elusive and offer rewards of gold should they ever be caught by a human.

"Leprechauns" (CC BY 2.0) by redakuma

This no doubt was what began the story that the little leprechaun would be able to lead people to the mythical and elusive pot of gold at the end of the rainbow – and which has inextricably linked their identity with the so-called “luck of the Irish”.

One only has to look at a site like Lottoland to see how this has translated into everything from online lotteries to rainbow and leprechaun-themed slots games. So it’s obviously a trope that lives on strongly today and is a big appeal to players of these games.

When it comes to piskies, the flipside of their mischievous behaviour is to generally try to be helpful to people who need it the most. So the legend is that, rather than trying to get older people lost when they’re out and about, they will send them in the right direction and treat them with kindness and politeness.

There’s also a strong belief that it’s important to keep on the right side of your local piskies if you want to be treated well. So it’s been a tradition for some people to leave out small offerings of cream and plates of food. Then, if trouble does ever occur, the little people will be only too willing to help.

In some parts of Devon the legend of the piskies is particularly strong, in fact there’s a day dedicated to them on June 25th each year in Ottery St. Mary. Maybe, just maybe, this had something to do with Rodney and Vanessa Hancock, long time residents of the town, becoming lottery millionaires back in 2014.

So don’t write off the chances of piskies bring you good fortune too, and it might just be worth leaving out a small cream tea for them this evening!

Main image: "Sleeping Pixie Bronze Garden Ornament" (CC BY-ND 2.0) by isteeves