A bugbear is a

legendary creature A legendary creature is a type of extraordinary or supernatural being that is described in folklore (including myths and legends), and may be featured in historical accounts before modernity, but has not been scientifically shown to exist. In t ...

or type of

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 ...

comparable to the

boogeyman The bogeyman (; also spelled or known as bogyman, bogy, bogey, and, in US English, also boogeyman) is a mythical creature typically used to frighten children into good behavior. Bogeymen have no specific appearances, and conceptions vary drast ...

(or bugaboo or babau or cucuy), and other creatures of

folklore Folklore is the body of expressive culture shared by a particular group of people, culture or subculture. This includes oral traditions such as Narrative, tales, myths, legends, proverbs, Poetry, poems, jokes, and other oral traditions. This also ...

, all of which were historically used in some cultures to frighten disobedient

child A child () is a human being between the stages of childbirth, birth and puberty, or between the Development of the human body, developmental period of infancy and puberty. The term may also refer to an unborn human being. In English-speaking ...

ren.

Etymology

Its name is derived from the

Middle English Middle English (abbreviated to ME) is a form of the English language that was spoken after the Norman Conquest of 1066, until the late 15th century. The English language underwent distinct variations and developments following the Old English pe ...

word "bugge" (a frightening thing), or perhaps the

Old Welsh Old Welsh () is the stage of the Welsh language from about 800 AD until the early 12th century when it developed into Middle Welsh.Koch, p. 1757. The preceding period, from the time Welsh became distinct from Common Brittonic around 550, ha ...

word ''bwg'' (evil spirit or

goblin A goblin is a small, grotesque, monster, monstrous humanoid creature that appears in the folklore of multiple European cultures. First attested in stories from the Middle Ages, they are ascribed conflicting abilities, temperaments, and appearan ...

), or

Old Scots Early Scots was the emerging literary language of the Early Middle English–speaking parts of Scotland in the period before 1450. The northern forms of Middle English descended from Northumbrian Old English. During this period, speakers refer ...

''bogill'' (goblin), and cognates most probably English "bogeyman" and "bugaboo". In

medieval England England in the Middle Ages concerns the history of England during the Middle Ages, medieval period, from the end of the 5th century through to the start of the Early modern Britain, early modern period in 1485. When England emerged from the co ...

, the bugbear was depicted as a creepy bear that lurked in the woods to scare children. It was described in this manner in ''The Buggbears'', an adaptation, with additions, from

Antonio Francesco Grazzini Antonio Francesco Grazzini or Antonfrancesco Grazzini (March 22, 1503February 18, 1584) was an Italian Renaissance author." Biography He was born in Florence or in Staggia Senese (he wrote of himself: ') of a good family, but there is no record ...

’s ''La Spiritata'' (‘The Possessed

oman Oman, officially the Sultanate of Oman, is a country located on the southeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in West Asia and the Middle East. It shares land borders with Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen. Oman’s coastline ...

��, 1561). In a modern context, the term ''bugbear'' may also mean

pet peeve A pet peeve, pet aversion, or pet hate is a minor annoyance that an individual finds particularly irritating to a greater degree than the norm. Origin of the concept The noun ''peeve'', meaning an annoyance, is believed to have originated in the ...

In popular culture

Bugbears appear in a number of modern fantasy literature and related media, where they are usually minor antagonists. They also appear as monsters, described as large, hairy goblinoids, in the canon of popular fantasy role-playing games.

References

{{Fairies English legendary creatures Hobgoblins Supernatural legends Bogeymen

Etymology

In popular culture

See also

References