Puck

Puck occurs in Piers Plowman as a name for the Devil. In Spenser (Epithalamion, 321) and in Burton (Anatomy of Melancholy, p. 126, ed. 1881) it is employed as a general term for an evil or mischievous sprite. If was also used to designate a brownie (q.v.). The familiar notion of Puck is taken from the creation of Shakespeare in A Midsummer Night's Dream, where (act ii. scene i.), in the colloquy with the Fairy, Puck's nature and character are clearly shown.