Pan, Puck, Robin Goodfellow: Elf, Faerie, Goblin, Devil or Imp? What’s in a name? • In Welsh, his name is Pwca; in Irish he was Phouka, Pooka or Puca; in Old Norse he was puki; in Swedish, puke; in Danish, puge; in Low German, puks. Today’s word Pixie or Pixy comes from Puck’s name. • Some people associate Puck/Robin Goodfellow’s name with Robin Hood. Puck or Robin Goodfellow was notorious for giving travelers a hard time! A Dangerous Sprite • The original meaning of his name was essentially demon, devil, or evil and malignant spirit. During the middle ages, one of the terms for Satan was Pouk. • Robin Goodfellow is known as a hobgoblin or hob. Hob is a short form for the name Robin or Robert ("the goblin named Robin"). Robin itself was a medieval nickname for the devil. Puck the Shape-Shifter • Puck is a shape-shifter. Mostly, he changes shape to fool people and play tricks on them. He's been in the form of animals: Phouka or Pookas can become a horse, eagle, or ass. Through the Rabbit Hole… • Sometimes he is a giant white rabbit—Alice in Wonderland and Harvey. • The rabbit and Hare are traditional symbols of fertility, intuition, rebirth, promise, fulfillment, and balance. • He is the Goddess’ creature and represents the Moon, night and dawn. • It is also associated with abundance, rebirth and release and is symbolic of the ‘tween times, dawn and dusk. Puck the Shape-Shifter • One of the most endearing forms this character takes is in the form of stuffed animals: • The Velveteen Rabbit • Winnie the Pooh Greeks • Sometimes he looks like Pan from Greek mythology or an innocent child. • He's been a rough, hairy creature or an old man. Sometimes, he is said to be the son of Oberon and a mortal woman, and his trademark laugh is “Ho, ho, ho!”—who does that remind us of? Brownies • At other times he is pictured as a brownie or hobbit. In Harry Potter, brownies show up in the form of Dobby, Kreacher, and the house elves. He would clean houses and such in exchange for some cream or milk. If offered new clothes, he'd stop cleaning. Not Just A European Spirit • Pookas or Puck are not limited only to England and Europe: The Japanese and Asian Cultures have a rich history with these same sprites. • Brownies…Soot sprites • Pookas…Traveling and wood spirits Ancient Bodies… • We recently named a moon after Puck: The tenth moon of Uranus, discovered in 1985, is now called Puck. Most of Uranus’ moons are named after Shakespeare’s characters: Cordelia, Ophelia, Bianca, Cressida, Desdemona, Juliet, Portia, Rosalind, Belinda, Puck, Titania, Oberon, Ariel, Miranda, Umbriel, Caliban, Sycorax, Prospero, Setebos, and Stephano. • The first two discovered were Titania and Oberon in 1787. .