you spot a goblin crouched like a cat
lying and wait just when you least
expect it you're on his back and he's
taking you on what will surely be the
wildest and most terrifying ride of your
life
the puka a shape-shifting goblin
terrorizes his victims at night and
plays cruel jokes he carries unwilling
Riders through brambles and narrow
Cliffs and bestows magical gifts
existing somewhere between Boogeyman
scapegoat and temperamental Fae the
known trickster animal spirit was once
dreaded across Ireland the Channel
Islands and England and has survived the
test of time don't believe me just ask
Shakespeare
I'm Dr Emily zarka and this is monstrum
this Monster's influence is demonstrated
by its hotly debated etymology puka
means Goblin in Old English but did that
word come from Scandinavian Germanic or
Celtic Origins some Scholars trace it
back to Icelandic Roots others say
Norwegian Origins and others old Danish
or old Swedish and there's arguments to
be made for Irish Welsh and the Cornish
etymology as well that's a lot of
colloquial contention the common reality
is that in every language the term
refers to a negative Spirit a
mischievous monster be because the
definition is the same across so many
different languages yet no one clear
origin to me that suggests that this
monster was around for a very long time
before spreading across northern Europe
like a lot of Monsters the name might
differ depending on who is telling the
tale and where they are telling it but
the basic characteristics are consistent
an expressly animal spirit they threaten
death but do not kill they can bestow
kindness but generally prefer cruelty
and they are encountered at night and
during the Harvest Time where they
frolick through the hay while these
shape-shifting tricksters can choose to
take on any animal form they favor cows
dogs donkeys goats and horses
particularly a small Shaggy Pony in some
regions they even take on a diminutive
humanoid form their other worldly nature
is indicated by completely black
coloring or animal features like ears
horns or tail the puka seems to exist
mainly to harass late night Travelers
spooking them out of their wits their
favorite way to do this this unexpected
rides through the countryside yep the
monster lies in wait for popping up
tossing their victim onto their backs
and bolting across the landscape with
little thought for the safety or comfort
of the rider they intentionally run
through thorny bushes alongside stone
walls and on the precipice of cliffs
these death-defying rides rarely result
in serious harm to the rider other than
the pure Terror in some instances the
monster takes pity on the naive traveler
and might happily Trot them home but it
is also known to spoil wild fruits by
urinating or spitting on them in one
story The puka gives a magical flute to
a piper that makes him famous but only
after playing a few cruel jokes on him
first according to Legend This is the
same flute that makes people dance until
they die which seems like a questionable
gift to say the least another
interesting trait of this monster he
talks according to the tale a farmhand
while putting away the cows after
milking finds himself tossed onto the
back of a young horse throughout the
night the horse takes him on a rough
harrowing ride across the countryside
the next morning quite bruised and worse
for wear he tells his boss of the
encounter the man's advice wear Spurs
when the horse appears again the young
man asked to ride on its back but the
cunning creature seems to sense
something is afoot it asks have you the
sharp things on when the farmhand
confirms he does the horse Retreats but
this is not the last the farmhand will
see of the monster returning from a
party one night the man is startled when
a horse jumps off the path and knocks
him down covering the man with his body
in a protective stance a bright light
blasts down on the path at that same
moment the creature Rises stating that
it saved him from being killed by a
spirit when the farmhand asks who saved
him the horse replies I I am the puka
there are many variations of this puka
tail the bright light may be interpreted
as a demonic Force but more commonly the
spirit or Spirits the story is referring
to are the good people the Fey folk in
every version of this Legend and there
are a lot the puka never calls the Spurs
by their name the monster refers to them
only as sharp things regardless of if
the story is told in English Gaelic or
any other language the puka's aversion
is important enough that even in one
story where the creature attacks a
fisherman the man is able to defeat the
puka by attaching a row of hooks on his
heels like Spurs Spurs are used to
control horses so why would a
supernatural being have such a hatred of
the sharp things well Spurs are
traditionally made from steel or iron
those of you with a little knowledge of
the FAE might recognize the folkloric
significance of iron which is said to
deter or injure them the puka's
reluctance to even speak the word for
spur might be a nod to this tradition
and could hint at the monster's own
lineage the puka's connection to the
good people of Celtic lore reiterates
that its Origins are quite old while
monks who came to Ireland started
writing down these Traditions around the
17th century be assured that oral
storytelling was an integral part of
Irish culture long before that and
remember these stories are not memorized
scripts but ever-changing performances
between shanaki traditional Gaelic
storytellers and audience
as Christianity's influence grew in
Ireland the animal trickster spirit is
replaced by a guardian angel or other
Angelic being in the farmhand narrative
turning the story into one about the
Divine influence of God rather than puka
intervention the puka remains relatively
the same in appearance and action across
Ireland and other parts of Europe even
as Christianity becomes more prevalent
sometimes characteristics have important
enough moral cultural and social meaning
that they need to remain the same take
the monster's connection to the wild
Hunt an archaic folklore Trope involving
a Divine or semi-divine figure leading a
band of Supernatural entities and or the
dead on a nighttime horseback hunt that
causes General havoc and fear amongst
humans the wild Hunt is linked back to
ancient Cults of fertility death
ancestor worship and Magic the puka who
forcefully takes humans on death-defying
rides could fit right into this
narrative which would make it very old
indeed the places the puka appear often
bear that name and have ecological and
economic importance or value there are
marshes rocks waterfalls Caverns Wells
and other spots across northern Europe
with some variation of Puka as part of
their place names designating biological
habitats and resources that should be
left undisturbed by man places like Paul
and puka and puckstown
in fayapuka and Cary County Ireland it
was said apuka resided undisturbed by
Mortals in a particular Marsh for over a
century until a young man named Tim
Dorney inherited the land and decided to
cut the marsh up with drains and dishes
driven from its home the puka becomes
enraged and begins harassing Tim's
family one night while surveying his
land for stray cattle Tim finds himself
on the back of a monster who is
Galloping at a furious pace held on by
an invisible force Tim is unable to
Dismount the monster scrapes him against
stone walls through bushes and
eventually almost throws him off a cliff
deciding at the last second to spare him
Satisfied by the man's immense fear
raged by this encounter and swears
revenge on the creature he takes to
wearing long neck Spurs and carries a
weighted whip with an iron grip when the
puka takes him for another Wild Ride It
suffers great pain from these devices
these sharp things are enough to deter
the puka for a Time years pass until one
night when Tim is returning home from a
late night card game he comes across a
small horse tied up next to the bank of
a river the docile horse wears a straw
saddle with a white Thorn Branch tucked
inside the White Thorn plant is said to
be unlucky and can attract fairies Tim
recognizes this warning salutes the puka
and continues to walk home but this
won't be the end of his run-ins with the
monster the puka avenges his injuries by
driving Tim's horses off a cliff horses
that were carrying butter meant to pay
Tim's rent and without the butter Tim
loses the farm and the puka Reigns
Victorious having rid himself of an
inhospitable family this story is a
cautionary tale against disrupting
nature but it also promotes something
else a reverence for folklore Tim can
keep his life and his land for a longer
period only because he recognizes the
white Thorn Branch as a warning
promoting the idea that these so-called
superstitions and legends protect those
who know them any crops left after Salin
are considered tainted by the puka and
in some places the monsters left
offerings as placation this might be a
way to encourage resource management and
ensure the Harvest is fully collected
before it can spoil e when ridiculed the
legends of the puka are acknowledged as
part of national and cultural histories
and over time the monster's integration
into literature and popular fiction
solidifies its place as a common social
convention Puck the mischievous
shape-shifting narrator of Shakespeare's
A Midsummer Night's Dream clearly
borrows its name and nature from the
puka tradition like the folkloric figure
Shakespeare's Puck the merry Wanderer of
the night is unbothered by the effects
of his actions on humans which include
misleading night Wanderers crafting
potions pouring drinks on people and
turning human heads into donkey heads
but don't think the puka's influence
ended centuries ago it appears in the
guise of a black goat with long horns
standing on its hind legs in Thomas
Crofton Crocker's fairy Legends and
traditions in the 19th century a text
whose great popularity undoubtedly
introduced many more people to the
creature in 20th century plays and
movies The puka's Legend influences
characters sometimes in a comedic way in
a 1950 film Harvey a giant rabbit
appears only to main character Elwood
Harvey is mischievous pulling pranks and
causing confusion about a decade later a
more direct Association turns up in the
movie Darby O'Gill and the little people
an Irish King owns a mischievous horse
that can change color disappear and is
named puka in the 21st century we get
more modern and metaphorical versions of
the puka fans and some Scholars I'm both
of the 2001 cult classic Donnie Darko
believe apuka is at its core one who
leans into the more malevolent
mischievousness of the monster
then there's puka from the into the dark
horror Anthology this might be the most
unusual and unnerving interpretation of
the puka a toy that records what its
owner says in either Naughty or Nice
mode when an actor is hired to wear the
promotional fursuit version of the
character an interesting take on the
monster's shape-shifting abilities
quickly consumes him taking over his
personality
stories of the puka continue to
circulate today both in oral tradition
and popular culture whatever form this
shape-shifting creature takes it always
manages to disrupt the lives of those
around it For Better or Worse the very
malleability of the pukus form helps it
endure who knows what shape it will take
next
am I in the right Mark
sorry
it was literally right in front of my
face
okay nature indicated with completely
black coloring or animal features like
ears horns hurts if