A farmer's son named Padraig one day noticed the invisible presence of the púca brushing by, and called out to him, offering a coat.
In contrast, the púca is represented as being helpful to farmers by Lady Wilde, who relates the following tale. The protective power of the "sharp things", as they are always referred to by the pooka in the tales, may stem from the Irish belief that "cold iron" has the ability to ward off the supernatural. "Have you the sharp things on?" said the animal. "Come to me," said the lad, "so I can get up on your back." Within a week the (pooka) was before him again after housing the cows. The thing threw him from its back and the lad got back early enough. "Put them on you tonight and if he brings you give him the spurs!" And this the lad did. the farmer asked the lad what had kept him out so late. It is said that the rider may be able to take control of the púca by wearing sharp spurs, using those to prevent being taken or to steer the creature if already on its back.Ī translation of an Irish púca story, "An Buachaill Bó agus an Púca", told by storyteller Seán Ó Cróinín, describes this method of control of the púca as done by a young boy who had been the creature's target once before: While púca stories can be found across northern Europe, Irish tales specify a protective measure for encountering a púca. These human encounters of the púca tend to occur in rural, isolated places, far from settlements or homes. This lore bears similarities to other Irish folk creatures, such as the daoine maithe (good people) or the slua si (fairy host), said to target humans on the road or along their regular "passes". They are commonly said to entice humans to take a ride on their back, giving the rider a wild and terrifying journey before dropping the unlucky person back at the place they were taken from. One theme of the púca's folklore is their proclivity for mischief. Also, little bad boys and girls were warned not to eat overripe blackberries, because this was a sign that the pooka has entered them. that would come in the form of wild colts, with chains hanging about them", and that did much to harm unwary travellers. , were wicked-minded, black-looking, bad things. Fairy mythologist Thomas Keightley said "notions respecting it are very vague", and in a brief description gives an account collected by Croker from a boy living near Killarney that "old people used to say that the Pookas were very numerous. The púca may be regarded as being either menacing or beneficial. The word seems to have passed from there into the Scandinavian languages including, according to the OED, " Old Icelandic púki mischievous demon, the Devil, Faroese púki, Norwegian (originally and chiefly regional) puke devil, evil spirit, mischievous person, Old Swedish puke devil, evil spirit, Swedish (now chiefly regional) puke evil spirit, devil, goblin), Old Danish puge evil spirit". Since it is a 'cultural' rather than a practical word that might be used in trading, it is thought to reflect greater cultural contact between English and Irish in the early medieval period than had been thought. The name comes from the Old Irish púca and is one of a very small number of Irish words to be borrowed into Old English where it appears to have been in use as early as the 8th century, based on place name evidence. Jèrriais), a cromlech, or prehistoric tomb, is referred to as a pouquelée or pouquelay(e) poulpiquet and polpegan are corresponding terms in Brittany. In the Channel Islands, the pouque were said to be fairies who lived near ancient stones in Norman French of the Islands (e.g. For instance, in Welsh mythology it is named the pwca and in Cornish the Bucca (thus being related in etymology and milieu to the bugaboo). The púca has counterparts throughout the Celtic cultures of Northwest Europe. They may also take a human form, which includes various animal features, such as ears or a tail. The creatures were said to be shape-changers, which could take the appearance of horses, goats, cats, dogs, and hares.
Púcaí can have dark or white fur or hair. Considered to be bringers both of good and bad fortune, they could help or hinder rural and marine communities. The púca ( Irish for spirit/ghost plural púcaí), pooka, phouka is primarily a creature of Celtic folklore.