What is the origin of 'bogeyman'?

Answer 1

The bogeyman is less a mythic creature and more a folk loric monster created, most likely by parents who used this nonspecific creature to keep their children in bed and not out in the night playing unsupervised. The difference between mythology and folklore can be differentiated by the message of the tale and how that message endeavors to explain the phenomenon of life and the trials and tribulations that come with living. Mythology tends to be more religious in nature and offers life lessons to help the listener or reader of that myth better understand their own life. Thus, most stories of the Old and New Testaments can be considered mythology, the stories and legends of the Greek and Roman gods can be considered mythology and even the tale of Luke Skywalker in Star Wars and any of the various comic book heroes such as Superman, Batman, Spiderman and Ironman can be counted among mythological tales. Folklore and urban legends on the other hand do not offer any life lesson and more intended to entertain by scaring or amusing the listener or reader.

The legend of the bogeyman, also known as the boogeyman, boogyman, or bogyman has a vast and varied history, which is another way of saying that no one is quite certain when or where the legend of the bogeyman first began. As if often the case with folk lore, the origins of such stories are less important than the effect the tale has upon its listeners or readers. Even the etymology of the word remains uncertain and may ultimately be derived from the Middle English word bugge which means frightening spectre. There are, however, words such as the German variation bogge, the Welsh word bwg, the Scottish/Gaelic word bocon and other such variations as boggart, boggy, and bubbear all of which refer to some sort of goblin or other horrifying monsters. The term bogeyman may also come from the Scottish word bogle which means ghost or hobgoblin dating back to the early 1500's and was popularized by 19th century English poets such as Sir Walter Scott and Robert Burns.

There also claims made that the word is a derivation of a popular name assigned to Napoleon Bonaparte by the British who called Napoleon boney and claimed that later evolved into boneyman. Whatever the veracity of this etymology, boney as a description of Napoleon was certainly used to scare children of that day. The term may have also began with the people of Indonesia from the word bugis which was a term ascribed to the pirates who preyed in the Straits of Malacca. It was, according to this theory of the etymology, European sailors who came across this word and the tales that came with it and took it back home and used the word bugisman to scare their children into behaving. Yet there is even another source which described the bog men who supposedly lived in the peat bogs of English moors. The fear of these bog men was that they would come walking off the moors as zombie like monsters.

In other cultures there is the bag man of Brazil called hombre de la bolsa or del saco, hombre de la costa, or the portuguese word homen do saco. The legend of del saco serves the same function of the bogeyman, which is to scare children and tells a tale of a bum or hobo who carries a sack on his back much like Santa Clause and steals children who have misbehaved to sell them on the black market. In Bulgaria the children are told the same tale only this monster is known as torbolan. The French tell a similar tale only the creature is known as le croque mitaine, (the mitten biter). In Germany the bogey man is called Der Swartz Mann, (The Black Man), which is not a physical description of his skin color, but a description of his character and his proclivity towards hiding in dark places such as the closet or under the bed. The Greeks call him Babaulos, who also hides under beds. In Hungary the creature is known as mumus, and in the Netherlands, Boeman, Boezeman, Boezehappert, Jan Haak, Manetje met de Haak,and at least half a dozen other names.

The story of the bogeyman is known throughout all of Europe and besides the countries all ready mentioned can be heard in Italy, Poland, Norway, Switzerland and Romainia, to name just a few. The legend can also be found in the folk tales of Iran, Iraq, and India making any historical account of the origin of the bogeyman as hopeless the children who have misbehaved and now must face this mysterious and undefined creature who is prolific across the world.

Answer 2

The bogeyman is less a mythic creature and more a folk loric monster created, most likely by parents who used this nonspecific creature to keep their children in bed and not out in the night playing unsupervised. The difference between mythology and folklore can be differentiated by the message of the tale and how that message endeavors to explain the phenomenon of life and the trials and tribulations that come with living. Mythology tends to be more religious in nature and offers life lessons to help the listener or reader of that myth better understand their own life. Thus, most stories of the Old and New Testaments can be considered mythology, the stories and legends of the Greek and Roman gods can be considered mythology and even the tale of Luke Skywalker in Star Wars and any of the various comic book heroes such as Superman, Batman, Spiderman and Ironman can be counted among mythological tales. Folklore and urban legends on the other hand do not offer any life lesson and more intended to entertain by scaring or amusing the listener or reader.

The legend of the bogeyman, also known as the boogeyman, boogyman, or bogyman has a vast and varied history, which is another way of saying that no one is quite certain when or where the legend of the bogeyman first began. As if often the case with folk lore, the origins of such stories are less important than the effect the tale has upon its listeners or readers. Even the etymology of the word remains uncertain and may ultimately be derived from the Middle English word bugge which means frightening spectre. There are, however, words such as the German variation bogge, the Welsh word bwg, the Scottish/Gaelic word bocon and other such variations as boggart, boggy, and bubbear all of which refer to some sort of goblin or other horrifying monsters. The term bogeyman may also come from the Scottish word bogle which means ghost or hobgoblin dating back to the early 1500's and was popularized by 19th century English poets such as Sir Walter Scott and Robert Burns.

There also claims made that the word is a derivation of a popular name assigned to Napoleon Bonaparte by the British who called Napoleon boney and claimed that later evolved into boneyman. Whatever the veracity of this etymology, boney as a description of Napoleon was certainly used to scare children of that day. The term may have also began with the people of Indonesia from the word bugis which was a term ascribed to the pirates who preyed in the Straits of Malacca. It was, according to this theory of the etymology, European sailors who came across this word and the tales that came with it and took it back home and used the word bugisman to scare their children into behaving. Yet there is even another source which described the bog men who supposedly lived in the peat bogs of English moors. The fear of these bog men was that they would come walking off the moors as zombie like monsters.

In other cultures there is the bag man of Brazil called hombre de la bolsa or del saco, hombre de la costa, or the portuguese word homen do saco. The legend of del saco serves the same function of the bogeyman, which is to scare children and tells a tale of a bum or hobo who carries a sack on his back much like Santa Clause and steals children who have misbehaved to sell them on the black market. In Bulgaria the children are told the same tale only this monster is known as torbolan. The French tell a similar tale only the creature is known as le croque mitaine, (the mitten biter). In Germany the bogey man is called Der Swartz Mann, (The Black Man), which is not a physical description of his skin color, but a description of his character and his proclivity towards hiding in dark places such as the closet or under the bed. The Greeks call him Babaulos, who also hides under beds. In Hungary the creature is known as mumus, and in the Netherlands, Boeman, Boezeman, Boezehappert, Jan Haak, Manetje met de Haak,and at least half a dozen other names.

The story of the bogeyman is known throughout all of Europe and besides the countries all ready mentioned can be heard in Italy, Poland, Norway, Switzerland and Romainia, to name just a few. The legend can also be found in the folk tales of Iran, Iraq, and India making any historical account of the origin of the bogeyman as hopeless the children who have misbehaved and now must face this mysterious and undefined creature who is prolific across the world.