15 Bogeymen From

Around The World

JAMIE FRATER OCTOBER 24, 2009
The bogeyman is a legendary ghost-like monster. The bogeyman has no spei!i
appearane and oneptions o! the monster an "ary drastially e"en !rom
ho#sehold to ho#sehold $ithin the same omm#nity% in many ases he simply has
no set appearane in the mind o! a hild, b#t is &#st an amorpho#s embodiment o!
terror. This list looks at '( bogeymen !rom aro#nd the $orld.
'(
Japan

The )amahage "isits eah ho#se on )e$ *ear+s to ask i! any misbeha"ing hildren
li"e there. ,! the parents are able to report that their hildren are not la-y and do not
ry, he mo"es on to the ne.t ho#se.
'4
Korea

The /orean bogeyman is alled /otgahm, $hih is the $ord !or persimmon. The
legend is that a mother told her rying hild that she $o#ld !eed him to a tiger i! he
did not beha"e. 0 passing tiger, hearing the threat, $aited o#tside the door !or his
meal. ,nstead, the mother ga"e the hild a persimmon, a kotgahm, and the rying
stopped. The tiger tho#ght the kotgahm m#st be a terri!ially !iere reat#re to be
more !rightening than a tiger. Today, the kotgahm is most o!ten "is#ali-ed as an old
man $ith a mesh sak $ho arries na#ghty hildren a$ay.
'1
Spain and Mexico

Durmete, nio, durmete ya.
Que iene e! coco y te comer"
#o to $!eep c%i!d, &o to $!eep no'.
T%e coconut man 'i!! come and eat you.
,! yo# think o! a oon#t as a head, $ith the three holes the !eat#res o! a !ae, yo#
an see ho$ El Coo might be trans!ormed in the mind o! a hild to a hairy little
man. 2#ring the '3th and '4th ent#ries in 5pain, there $ere orphan olletors,
$ho took hildren a$ay in saks. The misbeha"ior6 Re!#sing to go to bed and
sleep.
'2
Fin!and

One o! the most #n#s#al o! the $orld+s bogeys is 7roke, a giant bl#e blob $ho is so
lonely and sad that the gro#nd beneath her !eet !ree-es as she $alks. 5he is not
male"olent, &#st lonely. B#t she !rightens people, and they r#n !rom her.
''
En&!and

There are many theories abo#t the origin o! the $ord 8bogeyman.9 One is that it
de"ol"ed !rom 8b#ggy man,9 the dri"er o! the art piking #p orpses d#ring the
Blak :lag#e that deimated E#rope. 0s in the ;nited 5tates, the bogeyman may
be nothing more learly de!ined than a mist or !og, srathing at $indo$s, or he is
sometimes tho#ght o! as a tall, ga#nt, sarero$-like man.
'0
Scot!and

The boggart is a maliio#s !airy $ho a#ses personal alamities, small and large. ,t
sometimes p#ts a old hand on people+s !aes at night. *o# m#st not name it, or it
$ill beome #nreasonable and !ollo$ yo#r !amily $here"er yo# go. 0 horseshoe
o"er the door$ay $ill protet yo# !rom boggarts.
9
(a%ama$

The 5mall <an has a rolling art and apt#res hildren $ho are o#t a!ter s#ndo$n.
,! he gets yo#, yo# $ill beome a 5mall :erson yo#rsel!, and ride in his art !ore"er.
=
(u!&aria

The anti-5anta Cla#s, Baba *aga+s e"il partner, Torbalan l#rks in the shado$s in
B#lgaria, $aiting to snath misbeha"ing hildren and arry them a$ay in a sak.
4
)*ec% Repu+!ic and ,o!and

B#bak is a sarero$-like man $ho hides on ri"erbanks, making so#nds like a lost
baby to l#re ad#lts as $ell as hildren. >e dri"es a art dri"en by ats and $ea"es
lothing !or the so#ls he has stolen.
3
-et%er!and$

The Bolman has la$s and !angs. >e hides #nder yo#r bed or in yo#r loset
$aiting to grab yo# and p#t yo# in the basement i! yo# don+t sleep.
(
,%i!ippine$

:#got <am# is a giganti, headless shape-shi!ter $ho li"es in trees and deserted
ho#ses. 5el!-beheaded, he eats hildren thro#gh the hole in his nek.
4
Que+ec

The Bonhomme 5ept->e#res ? the se"en o+lok man ? may ha"e been taken
!rom the English 8bone setter,9 an old name !or a tra"eling mediine man. The
se"en o+lok man steals hildren, b#t an only get yo# i! yo# are a$ake.
1
-or'ay

The )okken, a lake monster, $ill get yo# i! yo# don+t ome in $hen alled.
2
Trinidad and To+a&o

The @#mbies li"e here, post-death misbeha"ers. They are shape-shi!ters, so
hildren are ta#ght not to play $ith random animals. There are se"eral $ays to
de!eat @#mbies, ho$e"er. *o# an lea"e yo#r shoes o#tside% @#mbies ha"e no !eet
and $ill spend the night trying to get the shoes on. *o# an lea"e a ontainer o!
sand or rie o#tside the door% @#mbies $ill ha"e to o#nt eah grain. *o# an ross
a ri"er% @#mbies $on+t ross $ater. *o# an lea"e a rope $ith many knots% @#mbies
$ill ha"e to #ntie eah one.
'
Ita!y

,taly has l+#omo )ero, a tall man $ith an #nseen !ae, a hea"y oat and a blak
hat. >e hides #nder the table and parents knok on the table to $arn their hildren
that l+#omo )ero is present and $ill take them a$ay i! they don+t eat their dinner.