Bauk

Bauk

Region of origin: Serbia

A bestial entity that lives in darkness, the bauk lives in woods or abandoned houses and preys on people who wander close to its domain, sneaking up on them with a lumbering gait and a signifying “bau” sound. They can be warded off with light and noise. In modern usage they have become comparable to imps and goblins, but their origins may lie in exaggerated tales of bears from regions that did not regularly encounter them.

Originally posted on Tumblr on July 24, 2016

Boo Hag

Boo Hag

Region of origin: Southeastern United States

A variation of the hag folklore from Gullah tradition, the boo hag is a skinless, vampiric creature who may tear the skin off a victim and wear it as their own to blend in as human. The boo hag sustains itself by sneaking into homes at night through cracks and shadows and perch itself upon the sleeping person inside, sucking out their breath and feeding off their life essence. They are associated with sleep paralysis and waking up exhausted even after a full night’s sleep.

Originally posted on Tumblr on June 23, 2016

Buggane

Buggane

Region of origin: Isle of Man

Ogre-like boggarts from the Isle of Man, bugganes were brutish but generally solitary creatures, content to live away from in burrows and ruins unless disturbed (or, like people, some were just jerks looking to pick a fight), at which point they could use their great strength to mete out destruction. To this end, fairies would use bugganes as hired muscle to enact punishment on mortals who had somehow offended them.

Originally posted on Tumblr on June 22, 2016

Bubák

Bubák

Region of origin: Czech Republic and Poland

A regional variation on the “sack man” archetype of boogeyman, the Bubák was a scarecrow-like spectre that would find people out in the night and shove them in his bag, taking them away in a cart pulled by giant cats never to be seen again. He often lures his victims in by imitating a child crying and grabbing them when they came to investigate. On the nights of a full moon, he would weave clothes made from the souls of those he had captured.

Originally posted on Tumblr on June 4, 2016

Iara

Iara

Region of origin: Brazil

A creature living in Brazilian lakes and other large bodies of water, the iara would lure men into the water with hypnotic songs, where they would live with and serve her. While the iara are immortal, their thralls would grow old and die as normal at which point she would seek out a replacement. Origins for the iara lore exist as one way of explaining what happened to people who had wandered into the jungle and never returned, and developed over time from a mixture of river monsters from traditional indigenous Brazilian mythology and the stories of European mermaids brought over by Portuguese settlers.

Originally posted on Tumblr on May 25, 2016

Mètminwi

Mètminwi

Region of origin: Haiti

A Haitian regional variation of boogeyman folklore, the Mètminwi was a giant man, over two stories tall, with thin stilt-like legs and matching arms. His name a play on the French for “Master of Midnight,” Mètminwi would roam the streets at night looking for people who stayed out too late, scooping them up and taking them away never to be seen again.

Originally posted on Tumblr on April 18, 2016

Saalua

Saalua

Region of origin: Iraq

A ghoul-like demon comparable to a succubus, the saalua supposedly lived in cemeteries and served as a warning to not venture out alone at night, as she would seduce men she encountered and force them into servitude.

Just a note on this one: I took heavy design influence for it, particularly the black and gold motif, from the short film Baghdad Night by Furat Al Jamil which she made in part to help prevent tales of the saalua and similar folklore of her community from slipping into obscurity. Given this and a ton of other creatures don’t have much more of an internet presence than a quick blurb on Wikipedia without some deep diving that seems like an endeavor worth supporting.

Originally posted on Tumblr on April 8, 2016

Muldjewangk

Muldjewangk

Region of origin: Lake Alexandrina, South Australia

A river monster (or monsters) from Australian aboriginal stories, the muldjewanks were dangerous creatures once said to exist in what is now the Murray River around Lake Alexandrina. Stories of the muldjewangk had them vary in size; from smaller man-sized ones, who would come to the river’s edge to destroy fishermen’s gear and snare children who ventured too close, up to gargantuan monsters capable of attacking steamships.

Originally posted on Tumblr on April 7, 2016

Urayuli

Urayuli

Region of origin: Alaska, United States

A species of hominid from the folklore of the Yup’ik tribes of southwestern Alaska. Descriptions from sightings mention exceptionally long arms, glowing eyes and making a mournful call comparable to that of a loon. The urayuli are considered to be peaceful, but old stories warn children not too wander alone in the woods where the creatures live or they’ll turn into one themselves.

Originally posted on Tumblr on March 26, 2016

Nargun

Nargun

Region of origin: Victoria, Australia

Parents of the Gunaikurnai tribes of Australian aborigines would warn their children from wandering off alone or else they may be abducted by the nargun, a large fearsome rock creature impervious to weaponry. It was said to live by what is now Woolshed Creek in a nearby cave that was sacred to the tribes, in particular the women who used the site for rituals of initiation and maturation.

Originally posted on Tumblr on February 22, 2016