Shakespeare appears to have taken the name Titania from Ovid,[31] who uses
it as an epithet of Diana, as being the sister of Sol or Helios, the
Sun-god, a Titan. Scot, in his _Discovery of Witchcraft_,[32] gives Diana
as one of the names of the "lady of the fairies"; and James I, in his
_Demonology_ (1597) refers to a "fourth kind of sprites, which by the
Gentiles was called Diana and her wandering court, and amongst us called
the Phairie."

Curiously enough in Shakespeare's most famous description of the Fairy
Queen, she is called Queen Mab;[33] this is said to be of Celtic
derivation. Mercutio's catalogue of Mab's attributes and functions
corresponds closely with the description of Robin Goodfellow.

_Puck_ is strictly not a proper name; and in the quartos and folios of _A
Midsummer-Night's Dream_, Puck, Robin, and Robin Goodfellow are used
indiscriminately. In no place in the text is he addressed as "Puck"; it is
always "Robin"[34] (once[35] "Goodfellow" is added). In the last lines of
the play he twice refers to himself as "_an_ honest Puck" and "_the_
Puck," [36] showing that the word is originally a substantive. Dr. J.A.H.
Murray has very kindly allowed the slips of the _New English Dictionary_
which contain notes for the article 'Puck' to be inspected; his treatment
of the word will be awaited with much interest. The earliest and most
important reference is to Prof. A.S. Napier's _Old English Glosses_ (1900),
191, where in a list of glosses of the eleventh century to Aldhelm's
_Aenigmata_ occurs "larbula [i. e. larvula], _puca_." Prof. Napier notes
that O.E. puca, "a goblin," whence N.E. _Puck_, is a well authenticated
word. Dr. Bradley suggests that the source might be a British word, from
which the Irish _púca_ would be borrowed; this word _pooka_, as well as the
allied _poker_, has already been treated in the _N.E.D._ _Puck_, _pouke_,
we find in O.E. (Old English Miscellany, _E.E.T.S._, 76), in Piers Plowman,