pūķis

by Aldis Pūtelis

In Latvian myth, a pūķis is a flying household spirit bringing its master the goods it stole somewhere else. There spirits can be bought or bred. There are also spells to "tie it down," so it can be taken over from its master.

These spirits have to treated right otherwise it will either leave its master, die, or do its master harm. It can be compared with the Finnish para, the Estonian puuk, and the Lithuanian pūkys and áitvaras. Cp. puck.

The pūķis' appearance is that of a flying fiery ball.

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