Boogeyman

"Remember sweetie the Boogeyman only comes for naughty boys and girls who don't go to bed when their Mothers tell them to. You have nothing to fear little one."
~ Unknown villager to her daughter

Summary

The Boogeyman is a story told to children by their parents to frighten them into listening to them. The story states that children who don't go to bed after their parents tell them to will be kidnapped by the Boogeyman. There the Boogeyman will scare them until they can't scream anymore.

Historical Basis

The Boogeyman is based off an individual known as the Scion of Fear. The Scion of Fear was a tyrannical ruler of a kingdom that spanned the Sezarian Theocracy, Und, and part of Kyrelia during the Age of Umber. They ruled through unadulterated fear that they imposed or allowed to run rampant in their territory.
During their reign the Scion of Fear would send out specters to kidnap children. Though it could never be linked to them directly the populace were certain only they could have committed such a heinous act. After a successful revolt that resulted in the death of the Scion of Fear the bodies of thousands of children were discovered in their castle.

Cultural Reception

The Bogeyman is a story that is told by all cultures with minor variations from culture to culture. The story is seen as a rite of passage for parents to tell their children for individuals in Safel and The Hinterlands. In Uta'Gosh the story is mostly told amongst the slaves and has no place in the culture of Giants.

In Literature

There are some poems that include the Boogeyman in them. Most of them are about fear, dreams, nightmares, or some other variations. In novels the Boogeyman is written as the main antagonist. The most popular piece of literature that includes the Boogeyman is Stories To Tell In The Dark.