Chapter

Pooka

There were many in the village who could recount the tale of some encounter with the creature. One old dame, out gathering wood, had come across a pile of sticks that reared up at her when she tried to pick it up, hooting and mocking her in a human voice. A dairy maid told of chasing one cow ‘half across the farm’ only to discover, after she had given up the chase and walked near half an hour back, that the cow she sought was standing patiently by the milking-shed, and according to the farm hands had been there most of the morning. There were many such tales, all told with good humor, for the creature was never known to cause harm.

— William Stukeley, September 1712

The pooka (also spelled phouka, púca, bucca, and others) is a shapeshifting trickster that is common throughout the islands. It can take the form of almost anything, and delights in leading its victims on a long chase or surprising them in other ways. Its true form is unknown, though it often appears as a goat, pig, horse, or cow. It can also imitate almost any inanimate object. Unlike fairies and others, the pooka does not victimize drunkards, or bad-tempered people, or members of the clergy. Instead it seems to play its pranks on those who are most likely to take them in good part and tell others their stories. It is seldom malicious, and its tricks are never deadly.

Ritual