The bauchan (
Scottish
Scottish usually refers to something of, from, or related to Scotland, including:
*Scottish Gaelic, a Celtic Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family native to Scotland
*Scottish English
*Scottish national identity, the Scottish ide ...
: ''bòcan''
English: ''bauchan'', ''buckawn'' or ''bogan''
[) is a type of domestic ]hobgoblin
A hobgoblin is a household spirit, appearing in English folklore, once considered helpful, but which since the spread of Christianity has often been considered mischievous. Shakespeare identifies the character of Puck in his '' A Midsummer Nigh ...
in Scottish folklore
Scottish folklore (Scottish Gaelic: ''Beul-aithris na h-Alba'') encompasses the folklore of the Scottish people from their earliest records until today. Folkloristics, Folklorists, both academic and amateur, have published a variety of works focu ...
. It is often mischievous and sometimes dangerous, but is also very helpful when the need arises.[Briggs, Katharine (1976). ''An Encyclopedia of Fairies''. Pantheon Books. p. 19. .]
Folklore
John Francis Campbell
John Francis Campbell (Scottish Gaelic: Iain Frangan Caimbeul; Islay, 29 December 1821 – Cannes, 17 February 1885), also known as Young John of Islay (Scottish Gaelic: Iain Òg Ìle) was a Scottish author and scholar who specialised in C ...
in his ''Popular Tales of the West Highlands
''Popular Tales of the West Highlands'' is a four-volume collection of fairy tales, collected and published by John Francis Campbell, and often translated from Gaelic. Alexander Carmichael was one of the main contributors. The collection in four ...
'' tells the story of Callum Mor MacIntosh whose farm in Lochaber
Lochaber ( ; ) is a name applied to a part of the Scottish Highlands. Historically, it was a provincial lordship consisting of the parishes of Kilmallie and Kilmonivaig. Lochaber once extended from the Northern shore of Loch Leven, a distric ...
was haunted by a bauchan. The relationship between Callum and the bauchan was noted as being contradictory in nature. While the bauchan was belligerent and combative, he often provided assistance in various farm-related tasks. When Callum emigrated to New York City
New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
the bauchan went with him and helped him clear his new plot of land. In this tale the bauchan is a shapeshifter
In mythology, folklore and speculative fiction, shapeshifting is the ability to physically transform oneself through unnatural means. The idea of shapeshifting is found in the oldest forms of totemism and shamanism, as well as the oldest exist ...
and is able to transform into a goat.
Fiction
The character "Buckeye" is a bauchan in the fantasy novel '' The Haunted Wizard'' (1999) by Christopher Stasheff.
See also
* Brownie
*Wild man
The wild man, wild man of the woods, woodwose or wodewose is a mythical figure and motif that appears in the art and literature of medieval Europe, comparable to the satyr or faun type in classical mythology and to ''Silvanus (mythology), Silvanu ...
References
{{Fairies
Fairies
Hobgoblins
Scottish folklore
Scottish legendary creatures