bodach

A Bodach (Irish [ˈbɔd̪ˠəx]; plural Bodaich) is a mythical spirit or creature, rather like the Bogeyman. The word is a Scottish Gaelic term for "old man" although historically it was used as a pejorative term to refer to peasants or farmers (bothach) by the warrior class amongst the Scots ^{[citation needed]}.

Bodachs in Literature

• Bodachs occasionally appear in Charles De Lint's books of mythic fiction.
• The name Bodach is used to describe shadow-like creatures - invisible to most people - that appear at locations before disasters in the books Odd Thomas, Forever Odd and Brother Odd by Dean Koontz.

"A bodach is a mythical beast of the British Isles, a sly thing that comes down chimneys during the night to carry away naughty children." - Dean Koontz (Forever Odd)

"Bodachs are ink-black, fluid in shape, with no more substance than shadows. Soundless, as big as an average man, they frequently slink like cats, low to the ground." - Dean Koontz (Brother Odd)

"In regions of Wales and Scotland, a bodach is a term for an imp or a faery, often one of the shapeshifting, mischievious variety; this term, though derogatory in nature, was often used with affection, translating closest to "scoundrel" or "rascal".

See also

• Cailleach (the Old Woman)
• Urisk
• Wirry-cow

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