Home Irish Mythology & Folklore The Púca (Pooka) In Irish Folklore The Púca (Pooka) In Irish Folklore The meaning of Pooka, pronounced poo-ka, is from the old Irish word 'Púca', which means 'goblin'. There are many variations of the spelling Pooka including Púca, Plica, Phuca, Pwwka, Puka, and Pookha all of which are totally acceptable. The púca (Irish for spirit/ghost; plural púcaí), puca (Old English for goblin), also pwca, pookah, phouka, and puck, is a creature of Celtic, English, and Channel Islands folklore.
Considered to be bringers both of good and bad fortune, they could help or hinder rural and marine communities. Púcaí can have dark or white fur or hair. The creatures were said to be shape.
Learn about the Pooka, a phantom fairy creature that can change shape and is associated with the devil, fertility, and prophecy. Discover its origins, stories, and appearances in literature and culture. Ah, the Puca / Pooka / Púca.
And now, for a tiny little post about a tiny little monster: the púca. Often anglicized as "pooka," this notoriously mischievous monster is, technically speaking, a spirit. And " [l]ike all spirits," according to W.
B. Yeats, "he is only half in the world of form," (source: Fairy and Folk Tales of the Irish Peasantry, 1888). Pssst.
You can watch a video adaptation/expansion of. The Pooka - sometimes spelled Púca, Phouka, or Pooka - is one of the most enduring and mysterious figures in Irish folklore. Both feared and admired, it embodies the strange, unpredictable side of the Otherworld.
Stories describe it as a shapeshifter, a trickster, and a creature tied to the land itself. Irish Pookas in Celtic Mythology Pronounced as "Poo-ka," Pooka is the Irish word for goblin, spirit, or sprite. Other names for Pookas include púca, phouka, phooka, phooca, puca, plica, phuca, pwwka, poformokha or púka.
In modern Irish, 'Púca' is the word for ghost. The Pooka are mythic and magical creatures that can be shapeshifted; they mainly take the form of different animals. Many small lakes or springs in Ireland are known as Pollaphuca, meaning Pooka Hole.
This may suggest a benevolent entity, but the truth is very different. This mischievous faery comes out at night to cause all manner of trouble, including tearing down fences, trampling crops and terrifying livestock. The Pooka Irish and Celtic myths and legends, Irish folklore and Irish fairy tales from Irish Gods and Monsters The rider of the crossroads, The Pooka The Pooka or Puca is one of the most ancient fairy creatures of Ireland, and is known further abroad as well, called Puck or Pook.
In some places he is feared and in others respected. You may have heard of Leprechauns, Fairies, and Goblins of Irish folklore, but have you heard of the Pooka? In the world of Irish folklore, no creature has gained more notoriety than the pooka. The word "pooka" is an Irish word meaning "spirit" or "ghost", but it is most commonly used in association with a particular type of fairy that can assume various forms, including a horse.