Folk creatures

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. The púca has counterparts throughout the Celtic cultures of Northwest Europe. For instance, in Welsh mythology it is named the pwca and in…

The POOKA is a solitary Irish fairy presented variously in a large body of lore collected in the 19th century. In the works of T. Crofton Croker (1825–7), the pooka is malevolent and demonic, spoiling blackberries, and taking the form of a horse and offering unsuspecting mortals a dangerous ride. In Lady Wilde's Ancient Legends (1887), the pooka is benevolent and helpful, like the Scottish brownie. Known also as the phouka or púca, a common speculation links the pooka to the English folk…

People, no matter from which era and what traditions, have always felt the need to explain their surroundings. After all, the greatest fear is the fear of the unknown. Before science did better explanations, myths, and mythical creatures fulfilled the need to know what, why, and how our reality exists.

Russian Folk Negative Characters

Here is a list of (almost) all Slavic mythical creatures. Alkonost, who gets her name from the Greek demigod Alyclone, is a creature with the body of a bird and the head of a woman. Her voice is incredibly beautiful and alluring, causing people to forget everything and never be able to experience happiness like hearing the voice again. She lives in the underworld with her counterpart, who is named Sirin, who appears in an orchard during the morning to cry on the Apple Feast of the Savior…

The Kelpie is a shape-shifting spirit inhabiting lochs in Irish and Scottish folklore. It is usually described as a black horse-like creature, able to adopt human form. Stories about Kelpies say that some of them are reputed to be very dangerous because of their habit of seducing humans into straddling them and then drowning or even devouring them. Almost every sizeable body of water in Scotland has an associated kelpie story. The origins of narratives about the creature are unclear but it…

The art of Brian Froud.

Bean Nighe