"Pooka" is a legendary animal in European folklore, capable of many fun and magical feats.

Playful and amusing, "Pooka" can assume the form if any animal you can imagine.

The Pooka is a creature of Irish and Welsh myth. It is one of the myriad of fairy (faerie) folk, and like many faerie folk, is both respected and feared by those who believe in it.

According to legend, the Pooka is an adroit shape changer, capable of assuming a variety of terrifying forms, but most commonly takes the form of a sleek black horse with a flowing mane and glowing yellow eyes.

The Pooka is considered by many to be the most terrifying of all the creatures of faerie. Not the slightest reason is its appearance, but rather its powers that are most feared. It is said to waylay travellers and others about at night, and if it is able to toss them onto its back, will, at very least, provide them with the ride of their lives, from which they will return forever changed. The Pooka has the power of human speech, and has been said to call those it feels have slighted or offended it out of their homes for a ride. If they fail to appear, it will tear down fences, scatter livestock, and create general mayhem.

Certain agricultural traditions surround the Pooka. It is a creature associated with Samhain 

(a Wiccan Harvest Festival more commonly known as Halloween), when the last of the crops is brought in. Anything remaining in the fields is considered "pooka," or fairy-blasted, and hence inedible. In some locales, reapers leave a small share of the crop, the "pooka's share," to placate the hungry creature. Nonetheless, November Day (November 1) is the Pooka's day, and the one day of the year when it can be expected to behave civilly.

In some regions, the Pooka is spoken of with considerably more respect than fear; if treated with due deference, it may actually be beneficial to those who encounter it. The Pooka is a creature of the mountains and hills, and in those regions there are stories of it appearing on November Day and providing prophecies and warnings to those who consult it.


Word: púca (POO-kuh)

Meaning: púca = goblin, sprite, pooka