pooka

pooka

pooka, phouka, púca [Ir. púca; ON pukki]. Irish fairy presented variously in a large body of lore collected in the 19th century. In the works of T. Crofton Croker (1825–7) the pooka is malevolent and demonic, spoiling blackberries, and taking the form of a horse and offering unsuspecting mortals a dangerous ride. In Lady Wilde's Ancient Legends (1887) the pooka is benevolent and helpful, like the Scottish brownie. A common speculation links the pooka to the English folk figure Puck, although the Welsh pwca is a more likely Celtic cognate. Cf. Corn. BUCCA, Manx BUGGANE. The 6′ 3¢ invisible rabbit in Mary Chase's Broadway comedy Harvey (1944) is identified in the text as a pooka.

Show all research tools

Cite this article
Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography.

  • MLA
  • Chicago
  • APA

JAMES MacKILLOP. "pooka." A Dictionary of Celtic Mythology. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. 29 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

JAMES MacKILLOP. "pooka." A Dictionary of Celtic Mythology. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. (May 29, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O70-pooka.html

JAMES MacKILLOP. "pooka." A Dictionary of Celtic Mythology. 2004. Retrieved May 29, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O70-pooka.html

Learn more about citation styles

pooka

pookabazooka, euchre, farruca, lucre, palooka, pooka, rebuker, snooker, Stuka, verruca •babushka •booker, cooker, hookah, hooker, looker, Sukkur •Junker • onlooker • yarmulke •Hanukkah • manuka •chukka (US chukker), ducker, felucca, fucker, mucker, plucker, pucker, pukka, shucker, succour (US succor), sucker, trucker, tucker, yucca •skulker, sulker •bunker, hunker, lunker, punkah, spelunker •busker, tusker •latke • motherfucker • bloodsucker •seersucker • abaca • stomacher •Linacre, spinnaker •massacre •Jataka, Karnataka •Tripitaka • Ithaca •burka, circa, Gurkha, jerker, lurker, mazurka, shirker, smirker, worker •tearjerker • craftworker •metalworker • networker •caseworker • fieldworker •teleworker • shopworker • outworker •homeworker • stoneworker •woodworker

Show all research tools

Cite this article
Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography.

  • MLA
  • Chicago
  • APA

"pooka." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. 29 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

"pooka." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. (May 29, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-pooka.html

"pooka." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Retrieved May 29, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-pooka.html

Learn more about citation styles

Free newspaper and magazine articles

Pooka pick-up Lottery grant.
Newspaper article from: Sunday Mercury (Birmingham, England); 2/22/1998
Pooka planning a grand night out.
Newspaper article from: Sunday Mercury (Birmingham, England); 8/2/1998
Beguiling sounds; Pooka Ronnie Scott's, Birmingham.
Newspaper article from: The Birmingham Post (England); 8/7/1998

Facts and information from other sites

Pictures from Google Image Search

Click to see an enlarged picture
Click to see an enlarged picture
Click to see an enlarged picture

See more pictures of pooka