If you’ve seen or read William Shakespeare’s famous play “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” you probably remember the mischievous sprite Robin “Puck” Goodfellow. With the approach of midsummer, it’s worth taking a look at this fascinating character immortalized by the English bard. As you’ll see, his intriguing existence started long before he worked his magic in Shakespeare’s fictional forest.
Possible Roots in Celtic Mythology
As the Encyclopedia Britannica explains, Robin Goodfellow, or Puck, was regarded as a malicious fairy or demon in medieval English folklore. In fact, his name in both Old and Middle English translates as “demon.” Historian Allen W. Wright mentions that the name “Pouk” was synonymous with the Devil. At least one period work attests to this usage: “Piers Plowman,” an allegorical narrative poem from the late 14th century. Attributed to English writer William Langland, it contains a passage in which one character claims that no “heat, hail, or hell-puck grieve” a person who continually practices patience.
At the same time, the encyclopedia reveals another interesting clue about Puck’s origins. The Irish and Welsh languages use similar terms for a certain class of trickster household spirit, “púca” and “pwcca” respectively. Both pronounced as “poo-kah,” they refer to a supernatural being that either helped or harmed humans that encountered it. Cornish legends speak of a “bucca,” a water spirit venerated by fishermen. Wright elaborates that the concept also existed among cultures outside of the Atlantic Archipelago:
- “Puki” in Old Norse civilizations
- “Puke” in Sweden
- “Puge” in Denmark
- “Puki” in Lithuania and Latvia
The Many Faces of Mr. Goodfellow
Thanks to overlapping etymologies and unclear histories, scholars aren’t sure whether Puck came from a Celtic, Germanic, Scandinavian, or Baltic culture first. Thus, it’s appropriate that this fairy’s appearances are just as mysterious. In many tales and works of art, Robin Goodfellow is pictured as a satyr-like being with horns, hooves, and patches of fur on his body. Others show him as an ugly hobgoblin or a “brownie” type fairy with pointed ears and wrinkled skin. He’s also been reimaged as a hobbit, a child, or an elf with gossamer wings. A few illustrations show a young man with long ears like that of a donkey, goat, or rabbit.
Helpful Sprite, Malevolent Fairy, or Robin Hood Himself?
Is Robin Goodfellow good, evil, or none of the above? It depends on who you ask. Shakespeare focuses mostly on the fairy’s mischievous propensities, but he depicts Puck acting on King Oberon’s orders when trying to influence others’ affections. In the classic moral alignment system pioneered by the early Dungeons & Dragons games, Shakespeare’s
Robin Goodfellow is best classified as chaotic neutral.
Shakespeare’s version of Puck claims to have several key abilities, including shapeshifting and pranks such as causing milk to spoil, leading travelers astray, and scaring young women. That’s not far off from classic descriptions, but Puck was also thought to help households by cleaning and making minor repairs. All one needed to do was leave offerings of cream or milk.
Indeed, Robin Goodfellow’s nature and powers may evidence probable connections to another medieval legend: Robin Hood. Wright suggests linkages between the two, noting the latter’s mastery of disguise and robbing from rich travelers. The Atlantic Religion blog poses a similar premise, drawing parallels between the English outlaw, older household deities, and figures such as Odin and the Roman crop protector Robigus.
“If You Pardon, We Will Mend”
In Shakespeare’s tales and European folklore, Puck can exhibit jester-like qualities. Yet if you’re kind and generous, he’ll sweep your floors or fix that annoying leak in your kitchen faucet. His pranks’ outcomes may be troublesome, but he likely means no real harm. Regardless, his unpredictable nature may reflect ancient people’s views of the world around them.