Episode 140: Dark Fae: Bogeyman

The folklore of the bogeyman in a nutshell, translated to Afrikaans, and how I reimagined it for my writing.

Written and narrated by Ronel Janse van Vuuren.

Copyright 2024 Ronel Janse van Vuuren — All rights reserved.

Learn more about the bogeyman in folklore here.

Get the transcript here.

Learn more about the author and her writing here.

Music: Secrets by David Fesliyan (FesliyanStudios.com) and Dramatic Heartbeat by FesliyanStudios.com

Transcript

You’re listening to the Faeries and Folklore podcast by Ronel.

I’m dark fantasy author Ronel Janse van Vuuren. With over a decade of digging around in dusty folklore books, researching creatures of imagination that ignited my curiosity, I’m here to share the folklore in a nutshell and how I reimagined it for my writing in an origin of the fae.

This is the Faeries and Folklore podcast.

Hi, I’m your host Ronel Janse van Vuuren. You can just call me Ronel. In today’s episode, we’re continuing our exploration of the fae realm.

This episode is brought to you by my Dark Court Sisters book series. Available in ebook, paperback and audiobook. Three sisters. Three destinies. Three ways to destroy the world. Go to ronelthemythmaker.com/darkcourtsistersseries for more.

You can now support my time in producing the podcast (researching, writing and everything else involved) by buying me a coffee. This can be a once-off thing, or you can buy me coffee again in the future at your discretion. Go to buymeacoffee.com/ronel to support me.

We’re continuing our exploration of Dark Fae.

Today’s Faery: Bogeyman

Folklore in a Nutshell by Ronel

In folklore, sometimes called bugbears or the bagman, the bogeyman is a terrifying goblin used to scare children (and at times, adults) into good behaviour. From a bogeyman haunting the orchards, such as Awd Goggie who would “get them” if they went into the orchards alone, to one haunting the lone roads after dark, such as Jack in Irons who wears the heads of his victims around his neck along with the clanking chains wound around him, the bogeyman is there to warn people of the consequences of not doing the safe and right thing. Awd Goggie probably “got” the children who ate too much fruit in the orchards with runny tummies… Other bogeymen include creatures such as Rawhead and Bloody Bones who supposedly lived in the cupboard under the stairs, punishing children who lied, said bad words – or peeped into the cupboard it lived in, seeing its true appearance. And, of course, el cucuy who hides under the bed or in the closet, its glowing eyes the only sign that it is there, ready to pounce on misbehaving children.

The bogeyman isn’t simply there to scare: this murderous, malignant creature will punish those who step over the social bounds of what is acceptable.

And now for my interpretation of the fae in an Origin of the Fae: Bogeyman

Belief in them makes them stronger. They can move as shadows or be corporeal – or something in-between. Some intentionally hunt people through their connections with others, playing mind games before killing their prey. They feed on the fear they incite. For most, fear is enough to sustain them, but others need to kill. They live in the dark spaces in a dwelling: under the bed, beneath the sofa, in the closet, in the dark corner of a cupboard, etc. They don’t like light or laughter. They take on the appearance of that which would terrify their victim the most.

As a little bonus, let’s look at this faery translated to Afrikaans: Paaiboelie

I hope that you’ve enjoyed this episode of the faeries and folklore podcast and that you’ve learned something new about faeries.

Remember that you can get a transcript of this episode in the description. If you’re new to the podcast, why not go and grab your free copy of Unseen, the second book in the Faery Tales series, on my website ronelthemythmaker.com? Loads of folklore, magic and danger await! Take care!

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You can now support my time in producing the podcast (researching, writing and everything else involved) by buying me a coffee. This can be a once-off thing, or you can buy me coffee again in the future at your discretion.