Nis Puk

Sources describe the name Nis Puk as a compound of two regional household-being terms: Nis/Niß (linked to the personal name Nikolaus and cognate with the Scandinavian 'nisse') and Puk/Puck/Pûk (a Low German/Old Norse term for a kobold- or manikin-like being). Folklore treats the figure as a local juxtaposition of these elements rather than presenting a single mythic origin narrative; it functions within domestic cosmology as a house-attached spirit or familiar that may attach to an owner and negotiate its place by testing household comportment.

Accounts vary by locality. Common descriptions portray the Nis Puk as the size of a small child (reports give sizes such as as tall as a one-year-old or one-and-a-half-year-old but never taller than a three-year-old; other variants report as little as three inches or 'as tall as a span'). Typical traits include a disproportionately large head, long arms, small bright eyes, and a broad/stout build in some island descriptions. Clothing items frequently mentioned are a pointed red cap, red stockings or trousers, a grey or green long ticking jacket or grey waistcoat, and soft slippers. Pomeranian variants wear a big hat brimmed upwards and a red coat; one account specifies a red jacket with seven shiny buttons on each side. Regional variants emphasize different proportions and dress rather than a single fixed appearance.

The Nis Puk performs domestic labor—sometimes described as extraordinarily strong (one account says it 'can work as much as seven men')—and moves rapidly (its slippers allegedly enable it to cover huge distances in a short time). It may act as a wealth-bringer in some locales, bringing goods (including stolen items, comparable to the Drak/kobold motif). Socially, it tests households by creating a heap of chippings and soiling milk barrels; households that tolerate these signs gain its favor and it will remain and work. If neglected, refused work, or mistreated, it can torment its owner—beating, pulling hair or ears, riding on the owner's back, or otherwise causing distress. Outside the home in some areas it may assume animal forms (a cat) or a fiery drake-like shape.