To what extent do you think the Bucca is connected to the folk devil "horned one" of other parts of the UK? Is the Bucca just one face of that or are They more closely tied to the specific landscape and rhythms of Cornwall?
Oops I'm sorry that last ask wasn't supposed to sound like assume that they are for a fact related, I'm curious and don't know much about them including that
I'm going to approach this ask from two different points (or horns lol) because the answer is technically complicated based on your general views/aims/the context it's approached in. The first point is via something like academic folklore/folklore research divorced from religion/spirituality/veneration/worship.
I'm also going to call the horned one/old one/witchfather the folk-devil since it's an easy name to type a bunch!
From a recorded folkloric perspective, the Bucca has very little writings about it from confirmed sources! They're generally lumped in with sea-spirits/merfolk since it's easier for researchers to do that when there's very little recorded folklore with the name "Bucca" specifically attached. There are however a WEALTH of "devil" folktales that ring true with the folk-devil of the rest of the uk. These tales are super super interesting and sometimes quite funny, the first few that spring to mind are Devil's jump & the folk-devil getting some Tinners caught up in a wild party. It's easy to assume that these could have been either originally tales of the Bucca (deity) that were Christianised in an attempt to tame the Cornish OR morality plays by the Methodist church. So, from a purely academic perspective, yeah, there's a lot of overlap and similar domains.
The second approach is from the perspective of someone that worships the Bucca (me lol).
From a folk-deity perspective, where the Bucca is a whole and complete being, They are inseparably linked to Cornwall & the lands, weather patterns and the sea. Even though there are certainly overlapping domains and realms as the English Folk-Devil, that's true of any number of pantheons having similar realms with others. It's, in my opinion, incredibly important to note that Cornwall largely grew its own folklore as an isolated peninsula from the rest of the UK! (There's a lot of archaeological evidence that we traded with other costal nations, but the actual ways of getting to Cornwall via land were significantly hampered by unforgiving terrain).
Another thing is the Bucca's twin natures (that are unable to be separated from each other) are largely related to the weather and how mercurial and violently it can change! Cornwall is infamous for extreme weather in the UK since we kinda just stick out and get a battering from all angles. Also, as I think noted before on this blog, in my experience my connection to the Bucca is weaker within England...which would probably not be the case if They were synonymous/a face of the folk-Devil. Also their importance within Cornish hidden folk customs isn't to be understated either, the hidden folk/unseen guests/Pobel Vean are incredibly unique to Cornwall and the Bucca is part of that even from the perspective of a sea-spirit figure.
(Also, the idea of Bucca as a sea spirit is linked to an Irish name iirc, which is completely fair since the Celtic nations have a lot of cultural exchange within them!)
TL;DR - From an academic folklore perspective, they're similar and sometimes interchangable. From a folk deity perspective, they have as much overlap with the English folk-devil as the Roman & Greek Pantheons do. I can go into more detail if you like - just send another ask :-)
Also if any folk-devil/old one/horned one followers wanna chip in I'd love to hear other ideas too because I am an unrepentant folklore lover lol. Comparing notes is fun!
