Puck (mythology)

Puck is a mischievous nature spirit[?] in the archetype of the Horned God. In Welsh mythology[?], he is known as Pwcca, in Irish mythology as the Pooka, in Norse mythology as Puki, Puks in German. He is hairy, and sometimes has the hindquarters and cloven hooves of a goat like Pan. He has small horns, and is usually described as being smaller than a human.

While Pan is primarily the God of Shepherds, Puck is usually a denizen of the wild woods, and is said to love wild animals, and prone to transmogrification into them. He is said to be a trickster, and always causing trouble for humans. He has a parallel mediaeval instance in the fairy Robin Goodfellow.

In Ireland the word "puck" is still sometimes used to mean "goat".