Particularising Pixies

Particularising Pixies: Names and Naming Post 11 

When I started writing the Fairy in the Bed series, I dealt with just one kind of fay. As

the series expanded, I brought in more. To justify having them different (they're all fay or fairies, but many of them categorise themselves beyond that) I came up with naming systems to suit each group.

Part of the fun, if not making up the names from scratch, lies in adapting existing names and finding enough that fit recognisably into a culture.

Pixies appear early in the series and their naming habits are probably more eclectic than most.

Many of them choose botanical or gemstone names, but sometimes it’s difficult to discern a pattern, even in a family. 

The Peckerdale / Grene clan who are involved in one way or another with Peckerdale Grene Community Tower  are a strong presence in the books. The two patriarchs are Peter Peckerdale and Peter Grene, who are distant cousins. Their shared name means rock, so it fits the “natural world” thread of naming. Peter P (as he’s universally known when not being called grumpy old -insert noun -) is married to Pia Tillien a pixie miss  (the males call themselves pixie men) as serene as he is mercurial.

Peter G’s wife is Gentian Hillyard, who sports a botanical name. Their only child is Malachite “Mal” Grene.

Peter P and Pia had four children. The eldest is Melody Peckerdale Skipton. The second is Kristos “Kris” Peckerdale, then Alexander and finally Leilana “LeeLee” Peckerdale Grene who married Mal Grene. LeeLee’s name is botanical, while the two sons have Greek names like their father.

Melody’s half courtfolk daughter is named Ryl. This looks as if it might be short for Amaryllis, but Ryl is the whole name. It can be floral (via Amaryllis) or it might refer to a stream. Melody picked Glissando, a musical term, for her daughter’s second name; a musical theme Ryl herself continued with her own four sons.

Mal and LeeLee gave their son two family names, making him Peckerdale Peter Grene. He goes by Peck mostly. Since his wife is human, their children will probably have less odd names.

Peck’s sister is named Promise, generally known as Prom.

Kris has a son and a daughter by his leprechaun wife Calypso. They are named Corin (after Calypso’s mother Corinna) and Jisinia, which is a flower name.

Alexander has a natural son named Quinn and an adopted daughter (so to speak) named Cèilidh, but since they have a leprechaun parent each they don’t really follow the pixie tradition.

Another branch of the same family is descended from Portier Grene, a son of Berryman Grene and Clover Garth. Portier, whose name suggests pear trees and gateways, married a human. His two halfling children, Betula and Birch, have tree names. Betula is grandmother to Simon Bakewell, a trace pixie.

Other named pixies are Cambria Tillien, Casha Glen, Chance Grene, Gard Tillien, Gareth Peckerdale, Glendie Grene, Harry McFee, Jestima Grene, Kishie, Quercus Grene, Russet Fen, Shan, Tess Bryn, and York Shimmer.

So, that’s the pixies for you. Just when you think you have a handle on the way they choose to name their children, you find plenty of evidence to the contrary. 

The Fairy in the Bed series is showcased at Larksinger while the books can be purchased from the publisher.

About the Blog

Sally is Sally Odgers; author, anthologist and reader. You can find you way into her maze of websites and blogs via the portal here.(Sally is me, by the way.)

The goal for 2017 was to write a post a day profiling the background behind one of my books; how it came to be written, what it's about, and any things of note that happened along the way. 2017 is well behind us, but I ran out of year before running out of books. As of June 2018 I STILL hadn't run out of books, but many of those still to come are MIA by which I mean I don't have copies and remember little about them. There are more new books in the pipeline, and I'm certainly showcasing those, but in between times, I'm profiling some of my characters, places and objects. Thank you so much to everyone who's come along on this journey so far!