Púca
The púca (Irish for spirit/ghost), pooka, phouka, phooka, phooca, puca or púka, is primarily a creature of Irish folklore. Considered to be bringers both of good and bad fortune, they could either help or hinder rural and marine communities. The creatures were said to be shape changers which could take the appearance of black horses, goats and rabbits. They may also take a human form, which includes various animal features, such as ears or a tail.
The púca has counterparts throughout the Celtic cultures of Northwest Europe. For instance, in Welsh mythology it is named the pwca and in Cornish the Bucca. In the Channel Islands, the pouque were said to be fairies who lived near ancient stones; in Channel Island French a cromlech is referred to as a pouquelée or pouquelay(e); poulpiquet and polpegan are corresponding terms in Brittany.
Etymology
The origin of the name may have come from the Old Norse term pook or puki, which refers to a "nature spirit". In Germanic languages, such as Frisian or English, this became pucel, pook or puck.
Pooka (disambiguation)
Pooka or Púca is a faery creature of Celtic folklore.
Pooka may also refer to
Pooka (band)
Pooka was the former songwriting duo of UK guitarists/vocalists Sharon Lewis and Natasha Jones. They took their name from a mythical Irish goblin with an uneven temper.
Career
Pooka were formed early in 1992 at Nottingham Polytechnic. Lewis and Jones decided to try their luck in London, and were spotted by WEA Records after being showcased by the manager of Bunjies (a club they had played in). This resulted in their gaining a 5 album recording contract. In the US, Pooka's self-titled debut (produced by John Coxon) was released in 1993 on Elektra. Tours with Everything But The Girl, Tindersticks, Kristin Hersh, Al Stewart and The Levellers followed. Between their own recordings, Pooka co-wrote some tracks with Ultramarine for 1995's Bel Air. Pooka's second album, Spinning, was released in September 1997 on Trade 2, a subsidiary of Island Records and managed by ex-Rough Trade founder Geoff Travis.
Garnering praise and support while on tour throughout Europe in the next two years, Pooka released a five song EP, Monday Mourning, in 1999 on the French Telescopic Records label. In 2001, Lewis and Jones independently released Fools Give Birth To Angels, a self-produced, classically written and arranged collection of new songs, replete with string sections and a hand bell choir. Only 1,000 copies of the CD were produced.
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