Editing Puck (folklore)

{{Short description|Fairy from English folklore}}
[[File:Puck 1629.JPG|thumb|Illustration from the title page of ''Robin Goodfellow: His Mad Pranks and Merry Jests'' (1629)]]

In [[English folklore]], ''' The Puck''' ({{IPAc-en|'|p|ʌ|k}}),  also known as '''Goodfellows''', are [[demon|demons]] or [[fairy|fairies]] which can be [[Household deity|domestic]] [[sprite (creature)|sprites]] or [[nature]] sprites.

==Origins and comparative folklore==
===Etymology===
The [[etymology]] of ''puck'' was uncertain.<ref>See for example Katharine Mary Briggs, ''Anatomy of Puck''. New York: Arno, 1977c1959. {{ISBN|0405100825}} {{OCLC|2876094}}</ref> The modern English word is attested already in [[Old English]] as {{lang|ang|puca}} (with a diminutive form {{lang|ang|pucel}}). Similar words are attested later in [[Old Norse]] ({{lang|non|púki}}, with related forms including [[Old Swedish]] {{lang|gmq|puke}}, [[Icelandic language|Icelandic]] {{lang|is|púki}}, and [[Frisian languages|Frisian]] {{lang|fy|puk}}) but also in the [[Celtic languages]] ([[Welsh language|Welsh]] {{lang|cy|pwca}}, [[Cornish language|Cornish]] {{lang|kw|[[Bucca (mythological creature)|bucca]]}} and [[Irish language|Irish]] {{lang|ga|[[púca]]}}). Most commentators think that the word was borrowed from one of these neighbouring north-west European languages into the others, but it is not certain in what direction the borrowing went, and all vectors have been proposed by scholars. The ''[[Oxford English Dictionary]]'' favoured a Scandinavian origin, while the scholarly study by Erin Sebo of [[Flinders University]] argues for an Irish origin, on the basis that the word is widely distributed in Irish place-names, whereas ''puck''-place-names in English are rare and late in the areas showing Old Norse influence, and seem rather to radiate outwards from [[South West England]], which she argues had Irish influence during the [[Early Middle Ages]].<ref name="Sebo">{{cite journal |last=Sebo |first=Erin |year=2017 |title=Does OE ''Puca'' Have an Irish Origin? |journal=Studia Neophilologica |volume=87 |issue=2 |pages=167–175 |doi=10.1080/00393274.2017.1314773 |s2cid=164700561 }}</ref>

===Alternative names===
Puck may also be called ''The Goodfellows'' or ''[[Hobgoblin]]'',<ref name=Keightley>Keightley, Thomas. ''[http://www.sacred-texts.com/neu/celt/tfm/tfm124.htm The Fairy Mythology]'', London, H. G. Bohn, 1870</ref> in which ''Hob'' may substitute for ''Rob'' or ''Robin''. This goes back to the character "Robin Goodfellow" and his name. The name ''[[Robin (name)|Robin]]'' is [[Middle English]] in origin, deriving from [[Old French]] {{lang|fro|Robin}}, the pet form for the name [[Robert]]. Similar to the use of "the good folk" in describing fairies, it reflected a degree of [[wishful thinking]] and an attempt to appease the fairies, recognizing their fondness of [[flattery]] despite their [[mischievous]] nature.<ref name=Sparkes/>

The earliest reference to "Robin Goodfellow" cited by the ''[[Oxford English Dictionary]]'' is from 1531.  [[Anthony Munday]] mentions Robin Goodfellow in his play ''The Two Italian Gentlemen'', 1584, and he appears in ''Skialtheia, or a Shadowe of Truth'' in 1598. [[William Shakespeare]] may have had access to the manuscript of [[Lewes Lewkenor]]'s translation of ''The Spanish Mandevile of Miracles, or, The Garden of Curious Flowers'' (1600), a translation of [[Antonio de Torquemada]]'s {{lang|es|Jardín de Flores Curiosas}}. The following passage from ''The Spanish Mandeville'' discusses the mischievous spirits:

{{Blockquote
|text=Luduvico: I pray you let me somewhat understand your opinion as concerning Robingoodfellowes and Hobgoblins, which are said to be so common, that there is scarcely any man but will tell you one tale or other of them, of which for my own part, I believe none, but do make reckoning that every man forgeth herein, what pleaseth him.

<br><br>Antonio: Many of them without doubt are forged, and many also true, for these kinds of Spirits are more familiar and domestical than the others, and for some causes to us unknown, abide in one place, more than in another, so that some never almost depart from some particular houses, as though they were their proper mansions, making in them sundry noises, rumours, mockeries, gawdes and jests, without doing any harm at all: and though I am not myself witness thereof, yet I have heard many persons of credit affirm that they have heard them play as it were on [[Gittern|Gyterns]] & [[Jews Harp]]s, and ring Bells, and that they answer to those that call them, and speak with certain signs, laughters and merry gestures, so that those of the house come at last to be so familiar and well acquainted with them that they fear them not at all. But in truth, as I said before, if they had free power to put in practice their malicious desire, we should find these pranks of theirs, not to be jests, but earnest indeed, tending to the destruction of both our body and soul, but as I told you before, this power of theirs is so restrained and tied, that they can pass no farther than to jests and gawdes: and if they do any harm or hurt at all, it is certain very little, as by experience we daily see.''<ref name=Lewkenor >Lewkenor, Lewes. ''[https://quod.lib.umich.edu/e/eebo/A13830.0001.001/1:9?rgn=div1;view=fulltext;q1=Lewkenor The Spanish Mandeville or Garden of Curious Flowers]'', London, H. Mattes, 1600</ref>}}

After [[Giacomo Meyerbeer]]'s successful opera ''[[Robert le Diable]]'' (1831), [[Neo-medievalism|neo-medievalists]] and [[occultists]] began to apply the name ''Robin Goodfellow'' to [[the Devil]], with appropriately [[Tryphé|extravagant]] imagery.{{Citation needed|date=July 2024|reason=Both the association with the Devil and the opera's influence are not sourced. }}

==Characteristics==
[[File:Joseph Noel Paton - Puck and Fairies, from "A Midsummer Night's Dream" - Google Art Project.jpg|thumb|200px|[[Joseph Noel Paton]], Puck and [[fairy|Fairies]], detail from ''[[A Midsummer Night's Dream]]''.]]

According to ''[[Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable]]'' (1898):

{{Quote |
[Robin Goodfellow is a] "drudging fiend", and merry domestic fairy, famous for mischievous pranks and practical jokes. At night-time he will sometimes do little services for the family over which he presides. The [[Scottish people|Scots]] call this [[domestic spirit]] a [[Brownie (folklore)|brownie]]; the Germans, [[Kobold]] or [[Knecht Ruprecht]]. [[Scandinavia]]ns called it [[Nisse (folklore)|Nissë God-dreng]]. Puck, the [[jester]] of Fairy-court, is the same.
}}

Puck might do minor housework, quick fine needlework or butter-churning, which could be undone in a moment by his knavish tricks if displeased.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Wall|first=Wendy |url=https://www.academia.edu/3756906|title=Why Does Puck Sweep?: Fairylore, Merry Wives, and Social Struggle|date=Spring 2001|journal=Shakespeare Quarterly|volume=52|number=1|pages=67–106 |doi=10.1353/shq.2001.0021 |s2cid=191580811 |access-date=2019-07-16|doi-access=free}}</ref> A domestic spirit, he would assist housewives with their chores, in expectation of an offering of white bread and milk. If this were neglected he would steal that which he believed was owed.<ref name=Sparkes>[https://www.historic-uk.com/CultureUK/Robin-Goodfellow/ Sparkes, Abigail. "Robin Goodfellow", Historic UK]</ref>

Pucks are also known to be inherently solitary creatures. Shakespeare's characterization of "shrewd and knavish" Puck in ''[[A Midsummer Night's Dream]]'' may have revived flagging interest in Puck.<ref>Schleiner,  Winifried (1985). "Imaginative Sources for Shakespeare's Puck". ''Shakespeare Quarterly''. '''36'''(1): 65–68. {{doi|10.2307/2870083}}. {{JSTOR|2870083}}.</ref>

==Notable cultural references==

===16th–17th century===
* [[Puck (A Midsummer Night's Dream)|The character Robin Goodfellow]], also referred to as "The puck, Robin Goodfellow"  and Hobgoblin, appears as a vassal of the Fairy King [[Oberon]] in William Shakespeare's 1595/96 play ''A Midsummer Night's Dream'', and is responsible for the mischief that occurs.
* The character also appears in ''[[Grim the Collier of Croydon]]'' (1660, but perhaps based on an earlier play). It is unknown how Shakespeare's Puck appeared on the stage; but the figure in ''Grim'' was costumed "in a suit of leather close to his body; his face and hands coloured russet-coloured, with a flail."{{Citation needed|date=November 2020}}
* A Robin Goodfellow play was performed at [[Hampton Court]] on 1 January 1604, followed by ''[[The Masque of Indian and China Knights]]''.<ref>Leeds Barroll, ''Anna of Denmark, Queen of England: A Cultural Biography'' (Philadelphia, 2001), p. 83.</ref>
* An early 17th century broadside ballad ''The Mad Merry Pranks of Robin Goodfellow'' describes the character as the [[wikt:emissary|emissary]] of [[Oberon]], the Fairy King of the Night, inspiring night-terrors in old women but also carding their wool while they sleep, leading travellers astray, taking the shape of animals, blowing out the candles to kiss the girls in the darkness, twitching off their bedclothes, or making them fall out of bed on the cold floor, tattling secrets, and changing babes in cradles with elflings.<ref>"The Mad Merry Pranks of Robin Goodfellow". ''A Book of [[Roxburghe Ballads]]''. https://www.boldoutlaw.com/puckrobin/roxburghe-pranks-robin-goodfellow.html</ref>
* Robin Goodfellow is the main speaker in Jonson's 1612 [[masque]] ''[[Love Restored]].''
* [[John Milton]], in ''[[L'Allegro]]'' tells "how the drudging [[Goblin]] swet / To earn his cream-bowle" by threshing a week's worth of grain in a night, and then, "Basks at the fire his hairy strength." Milton's Puck is not small and sprightly, but nearer to a [[Green Man]] or a hairy [[wild man|woodwose]]. An illustration of Robin Goodfellow from 1639 represents the influence of [[Pan (mythology)|Pan]] imagery, giving Puck the hindquarters, [[Cloven hoof|cloven hooves]] and horns of a goat.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20070911170551/http://internetshakespeare.uvic.ca/Library/SLT/ideas/folklore.html Folklore – Robin Goodfellow (Puck)] University of Victoria/Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada</ref>

===19th century===
[[File:Robin Goodfellow, Franklin, printed for Joseph Cundall, 1845.jpg|thumb|The Mad Pranks of Robin Goodfellow, by John Franklin, engraving by Edward  Dalziel, 1845]]
* Robin Goodfellow appears in 'The Mad Pranks of Robin Goodfellow', Gammer Gurton's Pleasant Stories of Patient Grissel, The Princess Rosetta, & Robin Goodfellow, and Ballads of the Beggar's Daughter, The Babes in the Wood, and Fair Rosamond, 1845.<ref>Gammer Gurton's Pleasant Stories of Patient Grissel, The Princess Rosetta, & Robin Goodfellow, and Ballads of the Beggar's Daughter, The Babes in the Wood, and Fair Rosamond. Printed for Joseph Cundall, 1845, [https://collection.sl.nsw.gov.au/record/74VKM50mvgPy/Bj4R2VA3ZZZlm State Library of New South Wales DSM/821.04/T]</ref>
*Robin Goodfellow appears in an 1856 speech by [[Karl Marx]]: "In the signs that bewilder the middle class, the aristocracy and the poor profits of regression, we recognize our brave friend Robin Goodfellow, the old mole that can work the earth so fast, that worthy pioneer – the Revolution."<ref name="Marx">{{Cite web |url=https://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1856/04/14.htm |title=Speech at anniversary of the People's Paper |last=Karl |first=Marx |year=1856}}</ref>

===20th century===
* The character of Puck frames the tales in [[Rudyard Kipling|Rudyard Kipling's]] short story cycles ''[[Puck of Pook's Hill]]'' (1906) and ''[[Rewards and Fairies]]'' (1910).
* ''[[Dear Brutus]]'' is a 1917 fantasy play by [[J. M. Barrie]], the host "Lob" is the aged Puck from ''A Midsummer Night's Dream''.
* The 1976 play ''Robin Goodfellow'' by [[Aurand Harris]] retells ''A Midsummer Night's Dream'' from Puck's point of view.
* ''[[The Sandman (comic book)|The Sandman]]'' by [[Neil Gaiman]] includes Puck as a significant character. 
* The 1989 [[manga]] series ''[[Berserk (manga)|Berserk]]'' written and illustrated by [[Kentaro Miura]]. Set in a medieval Europe-inspired [[dark fantasy]] world features a character named Puck (パック, Pakku), a [[pixie|pisky]] elf who resembles a small fairy.
* In the Disney cartoon ''[[Gargoyles (TV series)|Gargoyles]]'', Puck is one of several Shakespearean characters with recurring roles. He is often an antagonist to the main characters, but his mischief can also help them.

===21st century===
* Puck is also a major character in [[Michael Buckley (author)|Michael Buckley]]'s 2005–2012 book series ''[[The Sisters Grimm]]''.
* Puck (Robin Goodfellow) is a character in [[Rob Thurman]]'s ''[[Cal Leandros series]]'' of novels (2006–).
* Puck is a main character in [[Julie Kagawa]]'s 2010–2015 ''[[The Iron Fey Series]]'', along with other characters from ''A Midsummer Night's Dream''. Puck is also the main protagonist in Kagawa's The Iron Raven (2021), the first book in The Iron Fey: Evenfall series.<ref>{{Citation|last=Kagawa |first=Julie |title=The Iron Raven |place=Toronto |publisher=Inkyard Press |year=2021 |isbn=978-1-335-09176-5}}</ref>
* Puck is a major character in [[Chris Adrian]]'s 2011 novel ''[[The Great Night (novel)|The Great Night]]''.
* In the 2019 [[Amazon (company)|Amazon]] series ''[[Carnival Row]]'', the Puck are a race of fae.
* Since 1998, a Canadian artist calling himself ElectricGecko has drawn a weekly comic strip called "Puck" in which the ancient fairy is incarnated as a young-appearing red-haired Canadian woman living in Hamilton, Ontario.
* Puck (also known as Robin Goodfellow) joins the series [[Chilling Adventures of Sabrina (TV series)|''The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina'']] in its third and fourth seasons (2019–2020).<ref>{{Cite web |title=''Chilling Adventures of Sabrina'' (TV Series 2018–2020) |publisher=[[IMDb]] |url=http://www.imdb.com/title/tt7569592/characters/nm7086839 |access-date=2021-01-21}}</ref>
* Puck also appears as a character in the [[God of War (franchise)|God of War]] video games, synthesized with the character of [[Mímir]] from [[Norse mythology|Norse Mythology.]] In these games, he is voiced by actor [[Alastair Duncan (actor, born 1958)|Alastair Duncan]].
*Puck is a hero in the [[Dota 2]] video game.
* 'Robyn Goodfellowe' is a young English girl in the Irish animated feature [[Wolfwalkers]] (2020)<ref>{{Cite web |title=''WolfWalkers'' |publisher=[[IMDb]] |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5198068/ |access-date=2023-03-24}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[Puck (A Midsummer Night's Dream)|Puck (''A Midsummer Night's Dream'')]]
* [[Puck (disambiguation)|Puck]] (other uses)
* [[Niß Puk]] (also Nis Puk), a being from Danish-German folklore which also might be referred to as Puck
* [[Púca]]
* [[Bucca_(mythological_creature)|Bucca]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{Fairies}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Puck (Mythology)}}
[[Category:Puck (folklore)| ]]
[[Category:English folklore]]
[[Category:English legendary characters]]
[[Category:English legendary creatures]]
[[Category:European legendary creatures]]
[[Category:New Forest folklore]]
[[Category:Fictional jesters]]
[[Category:Medieval legends]]
[[Category:Supernatural legends]]
[[Category:Household deities]]
[[Category:Sprites (folklore)]]
[[Category:Hobgoblins]]