The Pooka

I can’t believe it! The Fifth Cycle has a “connection” with the pooka (No Spoilers.), and I haven’t written about this creature yet. Oh, well. Better late than never. The pooka is a shapeshifter. It takes on all sorts of forms. In fact, its appearance varies with whatever county in Ireland you might encounter it. In County Down, the pooka looks like a short, disfigured goblin. In County Laois, it’s a monstrous giant. In Counties Waterford and Wexford, the pooka looks like a giant eagle, while in Roscommon, it takes the form of a wild goat. A horse is another popular form the pooka is known to take, so is a hare, dog or a young bull. They take human form, too, on occasion. What all of these different forms have in common is that they have black hair, feathers, or fur.

Pookas are mainly known for creating mischief. Their favorite trick is to lure a hapless human into climbing on its back and taking it for a wild ride through the forest. The reluctant rider always survives. They just end up a bit bruised when the pooka tosses them at the end of the ride. 

Pookas are known to be very chatty and helpful too. People were known to seek them out for advice. Pookas were also known to predict the future too. It’s doubtful that the pooka wouldn’t help humans without something in return.

Pookas are typically associated with the harvest-time. When the harvest is brought in, it’s tradition for farmers to leave a few stalks behind. That is known as the “pooka’s share.” If a farmer did not leave the pooka its share, they could expect trouble. The pooka would destroy the farmer’s property, breaking down fences, terrorizing livestock, and destroying crops when it was time for them to come in. They were not without their benevolent side though. If a farmer regularly leaves the pooka its share, it becomes a sort of guardian. The pooka would also use its ability to see into the future to help these farmers, warning them if some sort of natural disaster was approaching. It would also protect the farmer against any kind of threat, human or supernatural.

A few pookas just seem to be helpful by nature. The famous Irish poet Lady Wilde once related the tale of a pooka that took the form of a young bull that secretly aids a farmer’s son with milling corn into flour, ultimately making the farmer very wealthy. If a pooka takes the form of a hare, it will most likely be helpful, wise and even humorous.

The title character in the play/film Harvey is identified as a pooka. The mysterious rabbit character in the movie Donnie Darko, who guides Donnie throughout the movie has been called a pooka as well – or at least serves that purpose.

The pooka is a tremendous character. I’m looking forward to using this new information I’ve learned in continuing installments of The Fifth Cycle. A pooka (or two) might end up appearing in other stories as well.