Bogeyman

Bogeyman (usually spelled boogeyman in North American English; also spelled bogieman or boogie man; see American and British English spelling differences, Feminine: Bogeywoman) is a common allusion to a mythical creature in many cultures used by adults to frighten children into good behavior. This monster has no specific appearance, and conceptions about it can vary drastically from household to household within the same community; in many cases, he has no set appearance in the mind of an adult or child, but is simply a non-specific embodiment of terror. Parents may tell their children that if they misbehave, the bogeyman will get them. Bogeymen may target a specific mischief—for instance, a bogeyman that punishes children who suck their thumbs—or general misbehavior, depending on what purpose needs serving. In some cases, the bogeyman is a nickname for Satan. Bogeyman tales vary by region. The bogeyman is usually a masculine entity, but can be any gender, or simply be androgynous, or even be feminine.

Etymology

The word bogeyman, originally used to describe angels and monsters in English, is believed to be derived from Middle English bogge or bugge, meaning 'terror', 'frightening specter' or 'scarecrow'. The word has equivalents in many other languages such as: bogle (Scots), boeman (Dutch), Butzemann or Buhmann (German), buse, busemann or bogeyman (Norwegian), bøhmand, bussemand or bogeyman (Danish), púca, pooka, pookha or bogeyman (Irish), pwca, bwga, bwgan or bogeyman (Welsh), puki (Old Norse), bucca (Cornish), mumus or bogeyman (Hungarian), bòcan or bogu (Slavonic), buka, Babay, Babayka, Babayko, búka, pugalo or пугало (Russian), bauk or баук (Serbian), bubulis (Latvian), baubas or bukas (Lithuanian), bobo, babok, bebok or straszydło (Polish), bubák or strašák (Czech), bubák or strašiak (Slovak), bebok (Silesian), papão or bicho-papão (Portuguese and Portuguese (Portugal)), bua, boghma or ბოღმა (Georgian), babau, uomo nero or spauracchio (Italian), baubau or bogeyman (Romanian), papu or bogeyman (Catalan), boeman (Afrikaans), boeboelaas (Surinamese Dutch), bampoúlas, Baboulas, Μπαμπούλας, bampás or μπαμπάς (Greek and Byzantine Greek), bûzeman or bogeyman (Western Frisian), buba, gogol or mashtrues (Albanian), babáj, zhupel or жупел (Ukrainian), bogeyman a ɔyɛ ɔbarima (Akan), bogēmani or ቦጌማን (Amharic), baebue or بعبع (Arabic), bahi or բահի (Armenian), bogeyman (Assamese), bogeyman ukax mä jaqiwa (Aymara), ovçu (Azerbaijani), bogeyman (bogeman) ye (Bambara), Bōgimyāna or বোগিম্যান (Bangla/Bengali), bogeyman (Basque), strašydla or страшыдла (Belarusian), bogeyman or बोगीमैन के नाम से जानल जाला (Bhojpuri), bogeyman (Bosnian), strashen chovek or страшен човек (Bulgarian), bho gayy maann or ဘိုဂေးမန်း (Burmese), bogeyman (Cebuano), bogeyman (Central Kurdish), Yāoguài or 妖怪 (Chinese (Simplified)), Yāoguài or 妖怪 (Chinese (Traditional)), bogeyman (Corsican), bauk (Croatian), bogeeman eve or ބޮގީމަން އެވެ (Divehi), bogeyman or बोगीमैन (Dogri), bogeyman (Esperanto), koll (Estonian), bogeyman ƒe amegã (Ewe), bogeyman (Filipino), bogeyman (Finnish), épouvantail (French), coco (Galician), bogeyman or bogeyman, omusajja omulala (Ganda), bogeyman or बोगीमन हें नांव (Goan Konkani), bogeyman rehegua (Guarani), Bōgīmēna or બોગીમેન (Gujarati), bogeyman (Haitian Creole), bogeman (Hausa), kanaka hoolele (Hawaiian), בוגימן (Hebrew), hauva khada or हौवा खड़ा (Hindi), bogeyman (Hmong), bogeyman (Icelandic), bogeyman (Igbo), bogeyman ti tao (Iloko), hantu (Indonesian), Bogīman or ボギーマン (Japanese), bogeyman (Javanese), Bōgimyān or ಬೋಗಿಮ್ಯಾನ್ (Kannada), baqtaşı or бақташы (Kazakh), bogeyman or bogeyman (Khmer), bogeyman (Kinyarwanda), bogimaen or 보기맨 (Korean), bogeyman we dɛn kɔl bogeyman (Krio), bogeyman (Kurdish), bogeyman or богейман (Kyrgyz), bogeyman or bogeyman (Lao), bogeyman (Latin), moto oyo azali kosala bogey (Lingala), bogeyman (Luxembourgish), babadžija or бабаџија (Macedonian), bogeyman or बोगीमैन (Maithili), bogeyman (Malagasy), bogeyman (Malay), bogimaan or ബോഗിമാൻ (Malayalam), bogeyman (Maltese), bogeyman or ꯕꯣꯒꯤꯃꯦꯟ꯫ (Manipuri (Meitei Mayek)), tangata pouaru (Māori), Bōgīmĕna or बोगीमॅन (Marathi), bogeyman a ni (Mizo), ögögch or өгөгч (Mongolian), Bōgīmyāna or बोगीम्यान (Nepali), bogeyman ya go dira dilo (Northern Sotho), munthu (Nyanja), bogeyman (Odia), bogeyman jedhamuun beekama (Oromo), bogeyman or بوګی مین (Pashto), bogeyman or بوگی (Persian), Bōgīmaina or ਬੋਗੀਮੈਨ (Punjabi), bogeyman nisqa (Quechua), tagata leaga (Samoan), bogeyman or बोगीमैन (Sanskrit), bogeyman (Scottish Gaelic), bogeyman (Shona), bogeyman or ڌاڙيل (Sindhi), bogeyman or bogeyman (Sinhala), bogeyman (Slovenian), bogeyman (Somali), bogeyman (Southern Sotho), coco (Spanish), bogeyman (Sundanese), bogeyman (Swahili), buse (Swedish), mardikor or мардикор (Tajik), Pōkimāṉ or போகிமான் (Tamil), богейман (Tatar), Bōgī maniṣi or బోగీ మనిషి (Telugu), Piṣ̄āc or ปิศาจ (Thai), bogeyman or ቦጊማን (Tigrinya), bogeyman (Tsonga), öcü (Turkish), bogeyman (Turkmen), bogeyman or بوگی مین (Urdu), bogeyman (Uyghur), o'yinchi (Uzbek), ông trùm (Vietnamese), bogeyman (Xhosa), bogeyman or באָגיימאַן (Yiddish), bogeyman (Yoruba), bogeyman (Zulu), Abogiman or Абогиман (Abkhazian), ureung bogey (Acehnese), bogeyman (Acoli), Bogey num (Afar), bogeyman (Alur), bogejman or богейман (Avaric), bogeemain or बोगीमैन (Awadhi), bogeyman (Balinese), بوگی مین (Baluchi), Bogeyman (Baoulé), bogejman or богейман (Bashkir), bogey (Batak Karo), bogeyman (Batak Simalungun), bogey (Batak Toba), umuntu umukankaala (Bemba), bogeyman (Betawi), bogeyman (Bikol), bogeyman (Breton), bogejman or богейман (Buriat), bo gat mann or 波吉曼 (Taiwanese/Cantonese), bogeyman (Chamorro), bogeyman or богейман (Chechen), Bogeyman (Chiga), bogeyman (Chuukese), bogejman or богейман (Chuvash), bogeyman or богейман (Crimean Tatar), بوگیمن (Dari), Raan ye cɔl Bogey (Dinka), bogeyman (Dombe), Bogeyman (Dyula), bo gi men or བོ་གི་མེན། (Dzongkha), Bogeymaður (Faroese), Bogeyman (Fijian), bogeyman (Fon), Bogeyman (Friulian), bogeyman (Fulani), bogeyman (Ga), bogeyman (Hakha Chin), bogeyman (Hiligaynon), bogeyman (Hunsrik), Bogeyman (Iban), bogeyman (Jamaican Patois), Bogeyman (Jingpo), bogeyman (Kalaallisut), kam bogeyman (Kanuri), Bogeyman (Khasi), Bogey (Kituba), bogey borok (Kokborok), bogejman or богейман (Komi), Bogey (Kongo), Bogeimens (Latgalian), Bogeyman (Ligurian), bogeyman (Limburgish), Bogeyman (Lombard), Jalno (Luo), bogeyman (Madurese), bogeyman (Makasar), bwqymn or بوڬيمن (Malay (Arabic)), bogeyman (Mam), Dooinney bogey (Manx), bogeyman (Marshallese), bogeemain or बोगीमैन (Marwari), bogejman or богейман (Meadow Mari), urang galeh (Minangkabau), bogeyman (Morisyen), bogeyman (Nahuatl (Eastern Huasteca)), Bogeyman (Ndau), bogeemyaan or बोगीम्यान (Nepalbhasa (Newari)), bogb߭eman or ߓߏߜ߭ߋߡߊ߲ (NKo/N'Ko), bogeyman (Northern Sami), Bögi̱mɛn (Nyer), bogeyman (Occitan), bogejman or богейман (Ossetic), bogeyman (Pampanga), bogeyman (Pangasinan), bogeyman (Papiamento), Bwgy̰ my̰n or بوگی مین (Punjabi (Arabic)), Bogeyman (Q'eqchi'), bogeyman (Romany), Bogeyman (Rundi), zo ti bogey (Sango), bọgēmēna (Santali (Latin)), bogeyman (Seselwa Creole French), pūw⸒kyī⸒mĕn⸒ or ပူဝ်ႇၵျီႇမႅၼ် (Shan), Bogeyman (Sicilian), i-bogeyman (South Ndebele), bogeyman (Susu), Bogeyman (Swati), taata (Tahitian), Bogeyman (Tamazight), bugiman or ⴱⵓⴳⵉⵎⴰⵏ (Tamazight (Tifinagh)), bogeyman (Tetum), bo ge men or བོ་གེ་མེན། (Tibetan), Bogeyman (Tiv), bogeyman (Tok Pisin), Bogeyman (Tongan), Bogeyman (Tswana), Bogiman or ಬೊಗಿಮನ್ (Tulu), Bogeyman (Tumbuka), bogiman or богиман (Tuvinian), bogiman or богиман (Udmurt), Bogeyman (Venda), bogeyman (Venetian), bogeyman (Waray), Bogeyman (Wolof), bogejman or богейман (Yakut), bogeyman (Yucatec Maya) and hombre de bogey (Zapotec).

A related word, bugbear, from bug, meaning goblin or scarecrow, and bear, was imagined as a demon in the form of a bear that eats small children, and was also used to mean a general object of dread. The word bugaboo, with a similar pair of meanings, may have arisen as an alteration of bugbear.

Physical description and personality

Descriptions of the bogeyman vary across cultures, yet there are often commonalities between them. These may include having claws/talons, or sharp teeth. The nature of the creature also varies from culture to culture, although most examples are said to be a kind of spirit, with demons, witches, and other legendary creatures being less common variants. Some are described as having certain animal features such as horns, hooves, and bug-like appearances.

The personality traits of bogeymen most easily divide the species into three categories: the kind that punishes misbehaving children, the kind that is more prone to violence, and the kind that protects the innocent. They all operate in the same way, in that they all exist to teach young children lessons. The large majority of bogeymen just function to frighten children with potential punishments, and not actually to inflict much damage. The more vicious bogeyman is said to steal the children at night, and even to eat them, or to commit some other violence. The last category is the bogeyman who protects people and only punishes those guilty, regardless of age.

Other putative origins

Because of the myth’s worldwide prevalence, it is difficult to find the original source of the legends. The Bogeyman was first referenced for the hobgoblins described in 16th century England. Many believed that they were made to torment humans, and while some only played simple pranks, others were more foul in nature.

Analogs in other cultures

Bogeyman-like beings are almost universal, common to the folklore of many countries.

Sack Man

In many countries, a bogeyman variant is portrayed as a man with a sack on his back who carries naughty children away. This is true for many Latin countries, such as Brazil, Portugal, Spain, and the countries of Spanish America, where he is referred to as el "Hombre del costal", el "hombre del saco", or in Portuguese, o "homem do saco" (all of which mean "the sack/bag man"), or el roba-chicos, meaning child-stealer. Similar legends are also very common in Eastern Europe (e.g. Bulgarian Torbalan, "sack man"), as well as in Haiti and some countries in Asia.

El Coco

El Coco (also El Cuco and Cucuy, sometimes called El Bolo) is a monster common to many Spanish-speaking countries.

In Spain, parents will sing lullabies or tell rhymes to children, warning them that if they do not sleep, El Coco will come to get them. The rhyme originated in the 17th century has evolved over the years, but still retains its original meaning. Coconuts (Spanish: coco) received that name because their brownish hairy surface due to the three indentations reminded Portuguese explorers of Coco.

Latin America also has El Coco, although its folklore is usually quite different, commonly mixed with native beliefs, and, because of cultural contacts, sometimes more related to the boogeyman of the United States. However, the term El Coco is also used in Spanish-speaking Latin American countries, such as Bolivia, Colombia, Guatemala, Peru, Mexico, El Salvador, Honduras, the Dominican Republic, and Venezuela, although there it is more usually called El Cuco, as in Puerto Rico, Chile, Uruguay and Argentina, yet, El Cuco is also found in Spain.

Among Mexican-Americans, El Cucuy is portrayed as an evil monster that hides under children's beds at night and kidnaps or eats the child that does not obey his/her parents or go to sleep when it is time to do so. However, the Mexican-American bogeyman does not resemble the shapeless or hairy monster of Spain: social sciences professor Manuel Medrano says popular legend describes El Cucuy as a small humanoid with glowing red eyes that hides in closets or under the bed. "Some lore has him as a kid who was the victim of violence... and now he's alive, but he's not," Medrano said, citing Xavier Garza's 2004 book Creepy Creatures and other Cucuys."

Cuca

In Brazilian folklore, a similar character called Cuca is depicted as a female humanoid alligator. There's a famous lullaby sung by most parents to their children that says that the Cuca will come to get them if they do not sleep, just as in Spain. The Cuca is also a character of Monteiro Lobato's Sítio do Picapau Amarelo, a series of short novels written for children which contain a large number of characters from Brazilian folklore.

Babau

In the countries of the eastern Mediterranean, children who misbehave are threatened with a creature known as "babau" (or "baubau", "baobao", "bavbav", or similar). In Italy and Romania, the Babau (in Romania, Bau-bau) is also called l'uomo nero (Romanian: omul negru) or "black man". In Italy, he is portrayed as a tall man wearing a heavy black coat, with a black hood or hat which hides his face. Sometimes, parents will knock loudly under the table, pretending that someone is knocking at the door, and say something like: "Here comes l'uomo nero! He must know that there's a child here who doesn't want to drink his soup!" L'uomo nero is not supposed to eat or harm children, just take them away to a mysterious and frightening place. A popular lullaby says that he would keep a child with him "for a whole year". In Slovenia, the "Bavbav" is described as a formless spirit. In Greece, the equivalent of the Bogeyman is known as Baboulas, while in Cyprus, the equivalent is Kkullas. Typically, he is said to be hiding under the bed, although the details of his story are adapted by the parents in a variety of ways. In Egypt, "al-Bu'bu'" (البعبع) is often depicted as a night creature dressed in black who haunts children that misbehave.

Butzemann

In Germanic countries, the bogeyman is called the butzemann, busseman, buhman, or boeman. In Germany, the bogeyman is known as the "Buhmann" or the Butzemann. The common German expression is "der schwarze Mann" ("the black man" in English), which refers to an inhuman creature which hides in the dark corners under the bed or in the closet, and carries children away. The figure is part of the children's game "Wer hat Angst vorm schwarzen Mann?" ("Who is afraid of the bogeyman?").

In Denmark, the creature is known as the bussemand or bøhmand. It hides under the bed and grabs children who will not sleep. As in the English equivalent, bussemand is also a slang term for nasal mucus. In Norway, he is referred to as the Busemann. In the Netherlands, the Boeman is portrayed as a creature that resembles a man, dressed completely black, with sharp claws and fangs. He hides under the bed or in the closet. The Boeman takes bad children or those that refuse to sleep and locks them in his basement for a period of time.

In the Pennsylvania Dutch dialect, used in those areas of Pennsylvania colonized by Swiss, Dutch and German peoples during the eighteenth century, "der Butzemann" is the term for a male scarecrow. A female scarecrow is a "Butzefrau".

Other examples

• Afghanistan – The Madar-i-Al is a nocturnal hag that slaughters infants in their cribs and is invoked to frighten children into obedience. Burning wild rue seeds and fumigating the area around the baby is believed to offer protection against her.
• Albania – The Buba is a serpentine monster. Mothers would tell their children to be quiet or the Buba would get them. The Gogol is a terrible giant that frightens children into being good. The Lubia is a female demon with an insatiable appetite for the flesh of children, especially girls. She has many heads, from seven to a hundred, and like the Greek hydra if one head is severed then others will grow in its place.
• Algeria - The best known boogeyman in Algeria is H'awouahoua, a monstrous chimera made from multiple animal parts with eyes of flaming spit who wears a coat made from the skins of the misbehaving children he eaten.
• Azerbaijan – The Div is a hairy giant that eats children. It was outsmarted and defeated by a clever young boy named Jirtdan, a popular hero in Azerbaijani fairy tales.
• Belgium – Oude Rode Ogen ("Old Red Eyes") is known throughout the Flanders region and said to originate in Mechelen. He is said to have been a cannibalistic shapeshifter that was able to change between human form and that of a black dog. It later became a children's story in the early 1900s called "The Nikker", in which the creature devoured young children who stayed up past their bedtime. The second Belgian bogeydog is Kludde. And in addition, the third Belgian boogeyman is Colôrobètch the Red Beaked Rooster, also known as Colôrobètch the Bisedaemon, meaning "Cold Demon" or "Demon of the Cold".
• Belize – Tata Duende is a mythical goblin described as being of small stature, with a beard, wrinkles, backwards feet, a large brimmed hat, and lacking thumbs. He is the protector of the forests, animals and people and was used to scare children from going out to play at night or going into the jungle.
• Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Serbia and Macedonia (North Macedonia) - Babaroga (a South Slavic variant of Baba Yaga, baba meaning hag and rog meaning horn, thus literally meaning horned hag) is commonly attributed the characteristics of the bogeyman. The details vary from one household to another. In one version, Babaroga takes children, puts them in a sack, and then, when she comes to her cave, eats them. In another version, she takes children and pulls them up through tiny holes in the ceiling. The details vary regionally and by household due to oral tradition, but she always manifests as a menacing hag who hunts irreverent children. She is described as fond of trapping and eating caught children.
• Brazil and Portugal – A monster more akin to the Bogeyman is called Bicho Papão ("Eating Beast") or Sarronco ("Deep-Voiced Man"). A notable difference between it and the homem do saco is that the latter is a daytime menace and "Bicho Papão" is a nighttime menace. In Brazil, the best known boogeyman is Cuca.
• In Inuit religion, there is a shapeshifter called the Ijiraq which is said to kidnap children, hide them away, and abandon them. If the children can convince the Ijiraq to let them go, they can use inukshuk to find their way home. Within Inuit mythology, there is also the Qallupilluit (male) and the Qalupalik (female), human-like creatures with long fingernails, green skin, large noses (for the males), breasts (for the females) and long hair that live in the sea. They carry babies and children away in their parkas if children they disobey their parents and wander off alone close to the water. The Qalupalik/Qallupilluit adopt the children and bring them to live with them underwater.
• Canada - Within the culture of French Canadians, the Bogeyman is called Bonhomme Sept Heures (En: The Seven O'Clock Man). Children are cautioned to go to bed by 7 pm, or else be taken by The Seven O'Clock Man.
• Congo – In the Lingala language, the Dongola Miso or "Creature with Scary Eyes" is used to discourage children from staying up beyond bedtime. It is also used to warn children or even adults about the potential danger in speaking to or dealing with strangers.
• China – "Ou-wu" is usually described as a witch or a scary woman who kidnaps children who misbehave. It is popular among southern regions of China and places like Hong Kong. The origin of the term is a pronoun for "monster" and it is widely used as a synonym for "ugly" or "hideous" even today.
• Cyprus – In Cypriot Greek, the Bogeyman is called Kkullas (Κκουλλάς); a man (vaguely described as hooded and/or deformed) who will put misbehaving children in a bag and take them away from their homes.
• Czech Republic – The equivalent of the Bogeyman in the Czech Republic is the Bubak. The Bubak is a monstrous demonic scarecrow that attacks children, teenagers and adults alike, and is not picky when attacking his targets. He cries like a baby to lure victims and kill them. He rides on a cart pulled by giant black cats, and on all nights of the full moon, he weaves giant piles of clothes made from the souls of his captured victims. Also, this counts with bubák (≈ imp) or strašidlo (≈ ghost), but these are not typically connected with abducting children nor with discriminating between well and bad behaved ones. This is more often attributed to polednice and klekánice (Lady Midday), or to the čert (Krampus, or lit. devil) who, along with St. Nicholas is traditionally believed to visit families on December 5.
• Egypt – The "Abu Rigl Maslukha" (ابو رجل مسلوخة), which translates to the "Burning Mummy Child". It is a very scary story that parents tell their children when they misbehave. The "Abu Rigl Maslukha" is a monster that got burnt when he was a child because he did not listen to his parents. He grabs naughty children to cook and eat them.
• England:
  • In East Yorkshire, young children were warned that if they stole from orchards, they might be eaten by a fairy called Awd Goggie.
  • Yorkshire children were also warned that if they were naughty, the Great Black Bird would come to carry them away.
  • In Devon, local versions of Spring-Heeled Jack included a "bogeyman" that "danced in the road and leapt over hedges with the greatest of ease", with reported sightings in North Devon and locals describing "haunted" stretches of road in the South Devon towns of St Marychurch and Torquay, beginning in the 1840s.
  • The Gooseberry Wife was said to guard gooseberry bushes on the Isle of Wight and took the form of a large hairy caterpillar.
  • Churnmilk Peg in West Yorkshire was a female goblin who guarded nut thickets until they could be harvested and would always be seen smoking a pipe. Melsh Dick was her male counterpart and performed the same function.
  • Tom Dockin had iron teeth that he used to devour bad children.
  • Grindylow, Jenny Greenteeth and Nelly Longarms were grotesque hags who lived in ponds and rivers and dragged children beneath the water if they got too close.
  • Peg Powler is a hag who inhabits the River Tees.
  • Other nursery bogies include Mumpoker, Tankerabogus who drags children into his deep, dark pit and Tom-Poker who lives in dark closets and holes under stairs.
  • Black Annis or Black Agnes was a hag with a blue face and iron claws who lived in a cave in the Dane Hills of Leicestershire. She ventured forth at night in search of children to devour.
• Finland – The equivalent of the Bogeyman in Finland is mörkö. The most famous usage of the word these days takes place in Moomin-stories (originally written in Swedish) in which mörkö (the Groke) is a large, frightening, dark blue, ghost-like creature.
• France – The French equivalent of the Bogeyman is le croque-mitaine ("the mitten-biter" or rather "the hand-cruncher"—mitaine means mitt in an informal way). The other French boogeymen are Camacrusa, Scarbo, Mourioche, the Whipfather, Mahwot, Traicousse and Karnabo.
• Georgia – In addition to a "Bag Man" very similar to its namesakes from other cultures, in Georgia, a fictional creature called "Bua" is sometimes used by parents to (lightly) scare little children (up to preschool age) when misbehaving; e.g., "If you don't eat well now, Bua will come," or "Do you hear Bua knocking? It asks why you don't want to go to bed." It's usually not specified what Bua looks like or what it does to children; nevertheless, Bua can "bite you", or "take you away". It also can "steal" something: "You can't have more candies now—Bua took them." There may be an etymological link to "bu", the Georgian word for owl, which makes night sounds scary to children.
• Germany – The Bogeyman is known as Der schwarze Mann ("the black man"). "Schwarz" does not refer to the color of his skin (most Germans had never met a real black person during the time these legends developed), but to his preference for hiding in dark places, like the closet, under the beds of children, or in forests at night. There is also an active game for little children which is called Wer hat Angst vorm schwarzen Mann? ("Who is afraid of the black man?"), and an old traditional folk song Es tanzt ein Bi-Ba-Butzemann in unserm Haus herum ("A Bi-Ba-Bogeyman Dances Around in Our House"). The best known German boogeyman is Krampus.
• Greece – In Greek culture, there exists a mythical creature called Baboulas (Greek: Μπαμπούλας). It is used by parents to scare children from misbehaving. It is said to be some kind of cannibal that eats the children. That's why the most used phrase about the creature is: "Greek: Ο Μπαμπούλας θα έρθει και θα σε φάει", meaning "The Bogeyman will come and eat you". The other Greek boogeyman is Lamia.
• Haiti – In Haiti, a Bogeyman-like entity exists known as Mètminwi, The Master of Midnight slash The Midnight Master. He is depicted as a skinny, extremely tall man who walks around at 12:00 AM at midnight and eats those on the streets. The story is told to children to deter them from going out late.
• Hungary – The Hungarian equivalent of the Bogeyman is the Mumus, which is a monster-like creature, as well as the Zsákos Ember, literally meaning "a man with a sack". A third creature is the Rézfaszú bagoly ("Copperpenis Owl"), a giant owl with a copper penis.
• Iceland – The Icelandic equivalent of the Bogeyman is Grýla, a female troll who would take misbehaving children and eat them during Christmas Eve. However, as the story goes, she has been dead for some time. She is also the mother of the Yule Lads, the Icelandic equivalent of Santa Claus, the wife of Leppalúði and the owner of the Yule Cat.
• India – In India, the entity is known by many different names across numerous cultures. Urdu speaking peoples refer to Bogeyman-like creatures by names including Shaitan, Bhoot, and Jin Baba. Hindi speakers call them Baba and Bhoot. In Bihar, parents use a demon named Bhakolwa as a Bogeyman. The terms Petona and Kaatu are also used. In Rajasthan, parents use the name Haboo. In Karnataka, the demon Goggayya (roughly meaning "terrible man") is a Bogeyman counterpart. In the state of Tamil Nadu, Rettai Kannan (the two-eyed one) or Poochaandi (பூச்சாண்டி) are equivalents. In Andhra Pradesh, the equivalent of the bogeyman is Boochodu. In central Kerala, the bogeyman is referred to as "Kokkachi", who is said to take away disobedient children. In South Kerala, the bogeyman is called "Oochandi". Among Konkani speakers on India's western coast, "Gongo" is the Bogeyman equivalent. Among Marathi speaking people (predominantly in Maharashtra), parents threaten the misbehaving children with a male ghost called "Bāgul Buā" (बागुल बुवा). In general, the "Buā" is supposed to kidnap children when they misbehave or do not sleep. In the eastern state of Odisha, the bogeyman is a ghost figure called "Baaya" (ବାୟା).
• Indonesia – In Indonesian mythology, particularly on Java, Wewe Gombel is a benevolent ghost which takes away children abused and mistreated by their parents. She keeps the children in her nest atop a palm tree and takes care of the children until the parents decide to mend their ways. If they truly want their children back, Wewe Gombel will return them unharmed.
• Iran – In Iran, a popular children's folklore creature known as "لولو خورخوره" (Lulu Khor-Khore). Perception of it varies widely but it's commonly represented as coming out at night and eating misbehaving children.
• Iraq - Iraqi folklore has the saalua, a half-witch half-demon ghoul that "is used by parents to scare naughty children", and often seduces men in cemeteries. She is briefly mentioned in a tale of the 1001 Nights, and is known in some other Persian Gulf countries as well.
• Italy – In Italy, "L'uomo nero" (meaning "the black man") is a demon that can appear as a black man or black ghost without legs, often used by adults for scaring their children when they don't want to sleep. In some parts of the country, it is also known as "babau".
  • Marabbecca is a malevolent water monster from the mythology of Sicily that lived in wells and reservoirs and was said to come up and drag children that played too close down into the water to drown.
• Ireland - In Ireland, there is a monster called "An fear dubh", which translates to "The black man" that is similar to the babau from Italian folklore.
• Japan – Namahage are demons that warn children not to be lazy or cry, during the Namahage Sedo Matsuri, or "Demon Mask Festival", when villagers don demon masks and pretend to be these spirits. The other Japanese boogeyman is Aobozu, a blue cyclopean priest monk who kidnaps children who play in the fields instead of going home straight after school.
• Korea – Dokkaebi (도깨비) are misunderstood as monsters that appears to get misbehaving children, but the Dokkaebi are not completely evil, and in fact, they often try and help humans, but are scared away by their appearances, forcing them to resort to stalking and beating them to death.
• Lithuania – referred to as the Baubas, an evil spirit with long lean arms, wrinkly fingers and red eyes. She harasses people by pulling their hair or stifling them.
• Luxembourg – De béise Monni (the evil uncle), De Kropemann (the hookman), De Bö, and de schwaarze Mann (the black man) are Luxembourg's equivalents of the Bogeyman. Luxembourg's many variations of the bogeyman may be the result of its strong cultural attachment to its neighbor countries due to the country's small size. The Kropemann lives in the sewerage and uses his hook to catch children by the nose if they stand too close to a storm drain, drawing them down to him. Parents threaten their naughty children, warning them of De béise Monni alias Bö alias schwaarze Mann, who will come to take them away if they don't behave.
• Latin America - In Latin American countries that are not Mexico, the best known boogeyman is El Hombre Del Saco.
• Macedonia – Macedonian people have a bogeyman called Strasilo (which means something like "frightener" because "strav" means fear/scare), which only comes out at night, hides under beds, in forests, caves, basements, etc. It is said to grab and eat children (usually bad ones).
• Malaysia – in the East Coast state of Kelantan, the word "Mmugo" is used to describe the unknown entity to scare children and teenagers. Mmugo doesn't have any specific shape or appearance and could be anything from unknown savage animals or mythical creatures. Sometimes. the word Mmugo is also use to refer unknown animals that caused damage to crops and fruits in the orchards. The other best known Malaysian bogeys are the Bès.
• Malta – Kaw Kaw or Gaw Gaw, was a grey, slimy creature that roamed the streets at night. It could smell a person's guilt and enter their homes, through cracks and fissures, by extending and contracting its snail-like body. Once it was inside their rooms, it would flash them a ghastly grin, with its huge, toothless mouth, scaring them witless. The best known Maltese boogeyman is Il-Belliegha.
• Mexico – There is the Robaniños ("kidnapper of kids"), a person with whom a child is warned about going out without supervision. The best known Mexican bogeymen are El Cucuy and La Llorona.
• Myanmar/Burma – Children are threatened with Pashu Gaung Phyat, meaning Malayu Headhunter. In Burmese, Malays were called "Pashu", which may come from Bajau or Bugis. Even Peninsular Malaysia was called Pashu Peninsula. It is common knowledge that some ethnic groups in Eastern Malaysia, Iban and Dayak, were notorious headhunters. Although the Wa tribe of Burma was famous through to the 1970s as ferocious headhunters, it is a mystery why Burmese use the faraway Pashus as bogeymen.
• Nepal – In Nepali, a popular bogeyman character is the 'hau-guji'. Among the Newars, Gurumapa is a mythological ape-like creature who was supposed to enjoy devouring children. Itum Bahal of inner Kathmandu and the Tinkhya open space in front of the Bhadrakali temple in the centre of Kathmandu are associated with the fable of Gurumapa.
• Netherlands - The Bokkenrijders or “buck riders” are ghostly thieves who ride flying goats.
• Pakistan – The Mamma is a large apelike creature that lives in the mountains and ventures forth to kidnap young girls. He will carry them back to his cave, where he licks their palms and the soles of their feet, which makes them permanently unable to flee.
• Panama – In Panama, children are warned that if they are naughty, La Tulivieja will come to get them. She was a spirit who was cursed by God for drowning her child, and transformed into a hideous monster with a pockmarked face, long and bristly hair, clawed hands, a cat's body and hoofed feet. She was also cursed to forever look for her drowned child.
• Philippines – Pugot (only in most Ilocano regions), Sipay, Mamu, or Mumu. In Kapampangan culture, it is known as the Mánguang Anak or the Child-Snatcher.
• Poland – Czarny Lud (Black Man or Black Apeman) is a monster that kidnaps badly behaving children and presumably eats them. It is referenced in a children's game of the same name, which involves one child being blindfolded, and other children trying to avoid being caught. Baba Jaga (Baba Yaga) is a mythological forest who is said to kidnap badly behaving children and eats them. In some regions (mainly in western Poland) a more common creature is the Bebok/Bobok, which is a small annoying demon.
• Roman Republic – The military successes of Hannibal Barca's Campaign on the Italian Peninsula during the Second Punic War had caused so much damage and distress to the Romans that mothers began to threaten their children with brutal tales of Hannibal and warnings of being taken away by Hannibal if they misbehaved, making him the Roman Bogeyman by definition.
• Russia and Ukraine – Children are warned of Baby/Babayka, buka, and Baba Yaga, who are said to come for them at night if they misbehave.
• Saudi Arabia – Abu Shalawlaw (أبو شلولو) is a Bogeyman-like creature said by parents to come to eat children who are disobedient, e.g. by not going to sleep on time or not completing their homework.
  • Hejaz, Saudi Arabia - أمنا الغولة والدوجيرة or "Dojairah and Umna al Ghola", which means "Our mother the Monster", is used to scare children when they misbehave or walk alone outside.
• Scotland - Misbehaving children were warned that the bodach would come down the chimney and take them.
  • The each-uisge is the Scottish version of the water horse, a monster that lives in seas and lochs and usually takes the form of a horse. A cautionary tale tells how the each-uisge persuaded seven little girls to get on its back before carrying them into the water to be devoured.
• Serbia – Bauk is a monstrous bear in Serbian mythology. Bauk is described as hiding in dark places, holes or abandoned houses, waiting to grab, carry away, and devour its victim; it can be scared away by light and noise. It has a clumsy gait (bauljanje), and its onomatopoeia is bau (Serbian pronunciation: bau).
• Singapore – The locals have a similar reference to the Bogeyman, typically told to young children as "Ah Bu Neh Neh", or in some cases, "Matah", catching them when they are guilty of naughty acts. Although "Matah" actually stands for "Mata-Mata" in Malay, which means a spy or spies, it is generally used by the locals as a nickname for the police.
• South Africa – The Tokoloshe or Tikoloshe is a dwarfish creature of Xhosa and Zulu mythology said to be summoned by sangomas, a traditional healer of the region. It wanders around causing mischief and frightening children. It is also described as a small, muscular, hairy witch-familiar with an unusually large penis which visits women in their dreams and sexually assaults them.
• South Korea and North Korea - The "Net Bag Grandfather" (Mangtae Hal-abeoji, 망태 할아버지, also known as Mangtae Yeonggam, 망태 영감) is an imaginary old man employed by adults to frighten children into obedience. It is said that he kidnaps spoiled, misbehaving children and takes them away to the mountains, where they are never seen again. His female counterpart and wife is The "Net Bag Grandmother" (Mangtae Hal-meomi, 망태 할머니, also known as Mangtae Halmeom, 망태 할멈).
• Spain – El Ogro (the Spanish word for ogre) is a shapeless figure, sometimes a hairy monster, that hides in closets or under beds and eats children that misbehave when they are told to go to bed. El Sacamantecas ("Fat extractor" in Spanish) is a kind of bogeyman or criminal characterized by killing for human fat and has been used to scare children into behaving. The best known Spanish boogeyman is El Cuco.
  • Catalonia - espantacriatures (lit. 'scare children' in Catalan/Valencian) is the general term for imaginary beings employed by adults to frighten children into obedience. Some examples include El Butoni, El Banyeta, la Quarantamaula, l'Home del sac (Sack Man), les encantades 'the enchanted (women)', la Cuca Fera, el Moro Mussa (or "Mussa the Moor"), la Bubota, els gambosins, and l'Home dels nassos.
• Sweden – In Sweden, there is no counterpart to the Bogeyman. The common reference to Monstret under sängen, which essentially means "the monster under the bed", refers to children's own excuses for not being able to go to sleep. Näcken and Brunnsgubben were previously used to scare children away from wells and dangerous water.
• Switzerland – In Switzerland, the Bogeyman is called Böllima or Böögg has an important role in the springtime ceremonies. The figure is the symbol of winter and death, so in the Sechseläuten ceremony in the City of Zürich, an effigy figure of the Böögg is burnt. In Southern Switzerland, people have the same traditions as in Italy.
• Syria - Principally in Syria, but also in bordering countries such as Lebanon and Turkey, parents warn at bedtime to go to sleep or King Richard the Lionheart will get them. The image of the English King Richard the First as a bogeyman in the Middle East has existed since the Third Crusade.
• Taiwan – Among the Taiwanese and the Minnan Taiwanese, Grandmother Tiger (虎姑婆 / Hóo-koo-pô) is a figure used to scare disobedient children. She is the origin of Little Red Riding Hood, and is the female cat counterpart of the Big Bad Wolf. She is a tigress disguised as a human grandmother.
• Tanzania - In the Swahili language, Zimwi is a figure used to scare disobedient children.
• Trinidad and Tobago – Most Trinbagonians (mostly in the rural demographic) use folklore to scare disobedient children. The most common word that is used is Jumbie/Jumbee. Some "jumbies" are the Soucouyant, Lagahoo, La Diabless, Papa Bois, Mama Dlo, etc. "Bogeyman" is also used in the same context as its origin, but by mostly urbanized citizens, and it is also be called "The Babooman".
• Turkey – The Öcü is an equivalent monster in Turkish culture. Much like its English language counterpart, the form, powers, or even general temperament of the creature is undefined to the degree that it is unclear whether the word refers to a single being or a category or species of mythic creatures.
• United Arab Emirates – Children were scared with Om Al-Khadar wa Alleef (أم الخضر واللّيف), which means (Mother of Vegetables and Fiber), which takes the appearance of a tall beautiful giantess woman with bark brown skin, giant Size 40 US Women's feet with five toes on each foot with well-developed toenails and very long green hair that flows in the wind. This name is used in both the UAE and in some neighboring countries like Bahrain. This mythical creature is usually used by parents to make their children stay inside after sunset and go to sleep (scaring them with her). The name was inspired by the palm tree because of the scary sounds that come out of it when the wind blows, and because it's also tall and high and its leaves are so long that it resembles a woman.
• United States – The Bogeyman may be called "Boogerman" or "Boogermonster" in rural areas of the American South ("booger" being an American English equivalent of the British English "bogey"), and was most often used to keep young children from playing outside past dark, or wandering off in the forest. During the Green Corn Ceremony, young Cherokee boys wearing caricature masks would make fun of politicians, frighten children into being good, and shake their masks at young women and chase them around. Male participants in this "Booger Dance" were referred to as the "Booger Men", with female participants, young Cherokee girls, being called the "Booger Women". In some Midwestern states, the boogeyman scratches at the window. In the Pacific Northwest, he may manifest in "green fog". In other places, he hides or appears from under the bed or in the closet and tickles children when they go to sleep at night, while in others, he is a tall figure in a black hooded cloak who puts children in a sack. It is said that a wart can be transmitted to someone by the boogeyman.
  • The Jersey Devil, which originated in the Pine Barrens of New Jersey in the early 18th century, was originally described as having a horse's head, bat wings, cloven hooves, and a serpent's tail. Regarding the famous Jersey Devil sightings of 1909, Loren Coleman and Ivan T. Sanderson offered the explanation that they were part of an elaborate real estate hoax, used by developers as a boogeyman figure to frighten residents into selling their property at lower prices.
  • Bloody Bones, also known as Rawhead or Tommy Rawhead, is a boogeyman of the American South. Rawhead and Bloody Bones are sometimes regarded as two individual creatures or two separate parts of the same monster. One is a bare skull that bites its victims and its companion is a dancing headless skeleton. Bloody Bones tales originated in Britain.
  • The Nalusa Falaya ("Long Black Being") is a ghost being of Choctaw mythology described as a tall spindly humanoid that can slither like a snake or become a shadow. It may frighten children from staying out too late and can bewitch hunters.
  • Cipelahq (or Chebelakw) is a dangerous bird spirit of Wabanaki folklore, used in stories to scare children into obeying their parents. Chebelakw has an unearthly cry and resembles a large diving owl, with only its head and talons visible. Similar monsters called Stinkini and Big Owl were found in Seminole and Apache mythologies, respectively.
• Vietnam - In Vietnam, the Ông Ba bị, Ông kẹ or Ngáo ộp is a creature often used by adults to scare children if they disobey, if they misbehave, or if they're anorexic. The Ông Ba bị is described as having nine straps and twelve eyes (Ba bị chín quai mười hai con mắt).