The Pukwudgie is a magical creature native to the New England and Great Lakes regions of North America. It is related to the Goblin and shares that creature’s aversion to humans, both magical and mundane. The Pukwudgie is short and grey in color, with long ears and porcupine-like spines on its back. It hunts with poisoned arrows.
Pukwudgies are best left alone by humans and are extremely dangerous even to wizard folk. However, a large clan of Pukwudgies lives at and protects Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry (there is also a house named after them). They do so willingly but with a great show of dissatisfaction over the arrangement, which has lasted for hundreds of years.
Commentary
Etymology
According to the Native American Languages website, "Their name literally means 'person of the wilderness' and they are usually considered to be spirits of the forest."
Notes
According to Wikipedia:
Pukwudgies' features resemble those of a human, but with enlarged noses, fingers and ears. Their skin is described as being a smooth grey, and at times has been known to glow.
In Native American lore, Pukwudgies have the following traits and abilities;
- they can appear and disappear at will
- they can transform into a walking porcupine (it looks like a porcupine from the back, and the front is half-troll, half-human and walks upright)
- they can attack people and lure them to their deaths
- they are able to use magic
- they have poison arrows
- they can create fire at will
From the Web
The Puckwudgie from Native American Languages website.