Bugbear
Creature from myth
A bugbear is a legendary creature or type of hobgoblin comparable to the boogeyman (or bugaboo or babau or cucuy), and other creatures of folklore, all of which were historically used in some cultures to frighten disobedient children.
01Etymology
Its name is derived from the Middle English word "bugge" (a frightening thing), or perhaps the Old Welsh word bwg (evil spirit or goblin), or Old Scots bogill (goblin), and cognates most probably English "bogeyman" and "bugaboo".
In medieval England, 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’s La Spiritata (‘The Possessed [Woman]’, 1561).
In a modern context, the term bugbear may also mean pet peeve.
02In 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.
Sources and credits
This article is adapted from the Wikipedia article “Bugbear”, written by its contributors and licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Fathomly has changed the layout, removed citation markers, navigation and maintenance notices, and adjusted punctuation. This adapted version is shared under the same license. For references, see the original article.
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