Robin Goodfellow or Puck Coloring Pages
Robin Goodfellow, better known as Puck, is the great prankster of English folklore. He turns up where he isn't expected, leads people down the wrong path for fun, and vanishes before anyone can catch him.
He's been causing trouble in stories for hundreds of years, from fairy rings in the woods to the quiet end of a village lane.
Puck the Trickster
Puck's pranks are rarely mean, but they are relentless. He'll pull a stool out from under you, spoil the milk, or lead you in circles until you give up and sit down. The one thing that stops him is good manners: treat him well and the pranks tend to land on somebody else.
Robin Goodfellow
"Robin Goodfellow" is the polite name for him, and that's not an accident. People hoped that calling him something friendly might keep him friendly. Under that name he's a household spirit who turns up in homes and barns across England and the Celtic lands, helping with the chores if he likes you and hiding your shoes if he doesn't.
Nature Sprite
Puck belongs to the woods and the fields. He hides in the hedges, dances in the long grass and knows every stream and hollow for miles. If something in the forest moves when there's no wind, the stories say that's him.
Puck Causing Mischief in the Village
Puck's favorite trick is leading travelers astray at night. He'd appear as a light bobbing along ahead of you, and anyone who followed it would end up in a bog or back where they started. Getting lost on a path you know perfectly well is still called being pixie-led.
Mushrooms, Fairy Rings and Magic
A ring of mushrooms growing in the grass is a fairy ring, and the stories say the fairies dance there at night. The real reason is a fungus spreading outward underground, but the old advice still holds: don't step inside one.
Puck, the Night Wanderer
Puck comes out after dark, when the fields are quiet and there's nobody about to see him. Moonlight is when his magic works best, and it's when most of the stories about him happen.
Robin Goodfellow in the Spring
In spring, Puck dances among blooming apple blossoms, tiny petals swirling around him as he leaps from branch to branch. His playful energy brings the orchard to life, teasing bees or chasing the light as it filters through the delicate flowers.
Robin Goodfellow in the Summer
On warm summer days, Puck wanders through fields bursting with colorful wildflowers. He hides among the blooms, pops up behind tall stems, and weaves through buzzing insects, filling the meadows with laughter and mischief.
Robin Goodfellow in the Autumn
In autumn, Puck glides through forests of leafy wings and scattered mushrooms, blending with amber and gold. He twirls with falling leaves, bouncing from mushroom to mushroom, turning the woodland floor into a playful stage of shadow and color.
Robin Goodfellow in the Winter
Even in winter, Puck is lively in snowy forests filled with pine trees. He dashes across icy paths, leaving sparkling footprints behind, and peeks from behind frosted branches, bringing warmth and clever energy to the quiet, white landscape.
Celtic Influence
Puck fits right in with the fairy folk of Ireland, Scotland and Wales. They live in the wild places, the woods and hills and rivers, and they can change shape or disappear when they please. That's where Puck gets his enchanted-forest side: dancing by moonlight, playing tricks in the woods, and keeping company with other magical creatures.
Anglo-Saxon Influence
The Anglo-Saxon side of Puck is the one who lives in the house. He's a hob or a household spirit, and he might sweep your floor overnight or tip over the butter churn. Offer him a bowl of cream and he'll stay. Offer him new clothes and he'll leave for good, which is the same rule the Scottish brownies follow.
Puck's Role in Shakespeare's Tales
In A Midsummer Night's Dream, Shakespeare gave Puck his most famous job. Oberon sends him to fetch a magic flower, and Puck puts the love potion on the wrong sleeping man, which is how the whole play comes unstuck.
He's the one who gets the last word too, asking the audience to forgive the mischief.
Robin Goodfellow in Modern Times
Puck still turns up all over the place: in books, cartoons, games and comics, usually as a pointy-eared trickster with a grin. The modern version is more playful than the old one, who could be genuinely frightening, but he's kept the pointed ears and the habit of turning up where he shouldn't.
More Puck Coloring Pages
People have been telling Puck stories for centuries, and he's never quite settled down. He's the reason for the noise in the attic, the light in the bog and the shoes that aren't where you left them.