Talk:Púca

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Whimsy

How sad that there is no place in a serious discussion of the inhabitants of the imagination for whimsy. I can understand tirades over the commercialization of treasured memories but... Ace Diamond 02:52, 17 Dec 2004 (UTC)

There's nothing wrong with whimsy. But it devastates the flow of this article when placed right at the front end. Even though there is room for whimsy in this topic, the writing also needs to be at least somewhat encyclopedic, and the placement of your quote(?) is inappropriate. Denni ☯ 19:13, 2004 Dec 18 (UTC)

Polpegan

The Breton word "polpegan" means "small people" (from pobl+bihan in modern breton). It is a south breton dalectal breton (Vannetais) and is cognate with the other breton words "ozegan" and "korrigan" in Brittany's folklore. Polpegan are thus closely related to pixies but not so much with pucks. Polpegans are moreover small little creatures, dwarf alike, and do not look like goats or rams in Breton's folklore and representations.

Using "polpegan" here is a mistake. https://fr.wiktionary.org/wiki/bihan

Encyclopedic?

Yet myth is not easily denied. The Púca, ever the master of disguise, may find new life in synthetic fur and glass eyes, and gallop forth into the darkness once again to strike fear into the hearts of the midnight traveller. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Ace Diamond (talk • contribs) 01:24, 20 December 2004 (UTC)[reply]

I do believe I said "somewhat encyclopedic." :) And was that a real quote? Denni ☯ 02:20, 2004 Dec 21 (UTC)

Yes, it is a real quote from the play Harvey. Written, by the way, by a woman who learned of the pooka at her dear old immigrant Irish grandmothers knee. - Ace Diamond 02:31, 21 Dec 2004 (UTC)

Then perhaps you can find a good spot for it in this article. I have no problem with the quote - my issue was with its placement. I have a small problem with the movie, which features a puka as a giant, sort of goofy rabbit (rather like portraying the Tasmanian devil as a bad-mannered chipmunk), but I have a dear old immigrant Irish grandmother too, so know which side to butter my bread. Denni ☯ 00:27, 2004 Dec 22 (UTC)

I think that I may be spending way too much effort on this but if you look seriously at the play (or the movie) you will notice that Harvey is a real threat to what people think is "normal". He challanges Vita's notion of propriety, he challenges Dr. Chumley's notion of psychological balance. He really is pretty scary to a 20th century world view.

You shouldn't sell Harvey too short. Watch the movie again, It really is great.

This is my last word on this subject. Merry Christmas!!! - Ace Diamond 03:56, 22 Dec 2004 (UTC)

OK, this is an old and ambiguous argument, but I am going to wake it up again as I don't see a conclusion.

The question is regarding the quote

"Pooka. From old Celtic mythology. A fairy spirit in animal form. The pooka appears here and there, now and then, to this one and that one at his own caprice. A wise but mischievous creature. Very fond of rum-pots, crack pots; and how are you, Mr. Wilson."

I think the quote enriches the article, so I'm adding it to expand the preexisting reference to the quote found in the Popular Culture section. If anyone feels it does not belong, please reply explaining why. Verdatum 20:12, 7 November 2007 (UTC)[reply]

It'd be nice to be consistent with the spelling. Tahrlis (talk) 11:45, 16 September 2008 (UTC)[reply]

NPOV

I think this sentence is NPOV. Anyone agree?

At the beginning of the 21st century, the Púca has succumbed to the enfeeblement which has been the fate of so many other powerful mythological creatures. Contemporary media have reduced it to a harmless, shy, and slightly demented garden-gnomish weevil eater. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 132.178.169.21 (talk) 00:08, 5 December 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Puck of Shakespeare

Any relationship between the Puca and "Puck" from Shakespeare's Midsummer Night's Dream?? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 203.25.38.39 (talk) 02:03, 8 March 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Popular culture

So when did the Popular culture brake off? And, by who? Seems we lost ‘Whimsy’ when it was done.192.88.212.68 17:24, 23 April 2007 (UTC)[reply]

phooka (cow blowing)

Phooka or doom dev are Indian words for cow blowing, see de:Kuhblasen. Greetings --Reiner Stoppok 01:55, 25 October 2007 (UTC) PS: [1] and [2] — Preceding unsigned comment added by Reiner Stoppok (talk • contribs) 01:55, 25 October 2007 (UTC)[reply]

MacAvoy novel

How about a mention somewhere of R. A. MacAvoy's novel "The Grey Horse," which takes place in An Cheathrú Rua, Connemara and has a puca shapeshanger as its main character?

While I'm sure it's not as well known as, for instance, the Xanth novels, it's a much more accurate representation of the traditional idea of the puca - a mischievous but benign spirit out of the Irish hills - in its indigenous setting, and the author did lots of first-hand research in Carraroe to make it that way.

Just a thought. - 24.34.85.32 (talk) 22:11, 6 March 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Donnie Darko

Is the reference to Donnie Darko relevant? Nothing in the film as I remember it alludes to Frank being a puca. Especially considering it's just a costume. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Thomtaro (talk • contribs) 17:29, 16 October 2008 (UTC)[reply]

The rabbit character is clearly pooka-inspired (which is worth mentioning in this article), but the story makes it clear that he isn't a pooka -- just a man in a Halloween costume. WilliamSommerwerck (talk) 16:37, 16 June 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Ravenloft's "Dance of the Dead" appearance

A character which is described as or named Pookha (or a different spelling, I read the book in Hebrew) appears in Dance of the Dead.
Anybody cares to confirm and add?
--77.125.137.230 (talk) 16:29, 26 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Harvey

"Harvey" was a film in 1950 starring James Stewart, directed by Henry Koster and written by Mary Chase. It depicted a man having delusions of a large rabbit, often opening doors for him and addressing him in public. In the film, a character read a description of "Pooka" out of a dictionary in a psychologist's office. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 76.21.45.218 (talk) 22:56, 17 February 2011 (UTC)[reply]

HOW ARE YOU MR WILSON? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 98.149.165.253 (talk) 02:08, 19 June 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Jimmy Stewart also refers to Harvey as a "Pooka" bewildering Mrs. Chumley who pretends to know with a smile and nod before clarifying with her limo driver and asking others in the next scene, "what's a Pooka?" — Preceding unsigned comment added by 2601:601:d00:794f:f801:7c37:9945:ead1 (talk) 00:54, 8 August 2019 (UTC)[reply]

puke

Is it possible that Puca is etymologically related to the word Puke? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 72.147.154.21 (talk) 02:01, 26 February 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Callahan's Place

In the fourth book by Spider Robinson; "The Callahan Touch," we meet Ernie Shea who is known as The Lucky Duck. Turns out Mr. Shea was a half-breed of a puca and a "Fir Darrig." Ernie is blessed (or cursed) with strange luck. The laws of probability are silly putty in his presence. Humanity's response to these events, coupled with Ernie's general short stature as given him a sour personality. He literally crashes into Mary's Place (the name of the new bar) on opening night. He stays because it's the first place where no one views him as a freak or tries to exploit him but simply accepts that weird things happen around him. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 74.97.24.135 (talk) 21:51, 29 August 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Tolkien's Legendarium

I guess don't forget about the Pukel-men that Merry recognized at Dunharrow (Druedain?).