A Midsummer Night's Dream - California Shakespeare Theater

The Puck Page
“I am that merry wanderer of the
night.”
—Puck, Act 2, scene 1
If you are interested in the myth and
folklore of fairies, here are more tidbits
on how Puck and his kin have been
seen and described throughout history.
Prior to Shakespeare, who may have been
influenced by the Welsh Pwca, Puck and Robin
Goodfellow were considered separate creatures.
Now they are considered the same creature.
Parallel words exist in many ancient languages—
puca in Old English, puki in Old Norse, puke in
Swedish, puge in Danish, puks in Low German,
pukis in Latvia and Lithuania—mostly with the
original meaning of a demon, devil or evil and
malignant spirit… Because of this similarity, it is
uncertain whether the original puca sprang from
the imaginative minds of the Scandinavians, the
Germans or the Irish.
—Gillian Edwards, hobgoblin and Sweet Puck
p.143
Puck used his shape-shifting to make mischief.
For example, the Phouka (Ireland) would turn
into a horse and lead people on a wild ride,
sometimes dumping them in water. The Welsh
Pwca would lead travels with a lantern and then
blow it out when they were at the edge of a cliff.
—http://www.boldoutlaw.com/puckrobin/puck.
html
LIGHTNING IN A BOTTLE
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