Menu
Home
People
Places
Arts
History
Plants & Animals
Science
Life & Culture
Technology
Reference.org
Bugbear
open-in-new
<h2 id="etymology">Etymology</h2> <p>Its name is derived from the <a href="/facts/Middle_English/dj1wHvwd">Middle English</a> word "bugge" (a frightening thing), or perhaps the <a href="/facts/Old_Welsh/SCyecAo4">Old Welsh</a> word <i>bwg</i> (evil spirit or <a href="/facts/Goblin/5z16X9mR">goblin</a>),<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:2" href="#fn:2"><sup>2</sup></a> or <a href="/facts/Old_Scots/ARnSuERY">Old Scots</a> <i>bogill</i> (goblin), and cognates most probably English "bogeyman" and "bugaboo". </p><p>In <a href="/facts/Medieval_England/XFS67p7P">medieval England</a>, the bugbear was depicted as a creepy bear that lurked in the woods to scare children. It was described in this manner in <i>The Buggbears</i>,<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:3" href="#fn:3"><sup>3</sup></a> an adaptation, with additions, from <a href="/facts/Antonio_Francesco_Grazzini/rQNLkHs7">Antonio Francesco Grazzini</a>’s <i>La Spiritata</i> (‘The Possessed [Woman]’, 1561).<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:4" href="#fn:4"><sup>4</sup></a> </p><p>In a modern context, the term <i>bugbear</i> may also mean <a href="/facts/Pet_peeve/AvUK8boa">pet peeve</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:5" href="#fn:5"><sup>5</sup></a> </p> <h2 id="in-popular-culture">In popular culture</h2> <p>Bugbears appear in a number of modern fantasy literature and related media, where they are usually minor antagonists.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:6" href="#fn:6"><sup>6</sup></a> They also appear as monsters, described as large, hairy goblinoids, in the canon of popular fantasy role-playing games.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:7" href="#fn:7"><sup>7</sup></a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:8" href="#fn:8"><sup>8</sup></a> </p> <h2 id="see-also">See also</h2> <ul><li><a href="/facts/Moss_people/ENdqtcep">Moss people</a></li> <li><a href="/facts/Nachtkrapp/a4bJeAmw">Nachtkrapp</a></li> <li><a href="/facts/Sprite_(creature)/gdLTc0lk">Sprite (creature)</a></li> <li><a href="/facts/Wirry-cow/b1H6ffEJ">Wirry-cow</a></li> <li><a href="/facts/Y%C5%8Dkai/UrP0aaxq">Yōkai</a></li></ul> Look up <i>bugbear</i> in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. <h2 id="references">References</h2> <ol> <li id="fn:1"><p>J. Simpson; E. Weiner, eds. (1989). "Raven". Oxford English Dictionary (2nd ed.). Oxford: Clarendon Press. ISBN 0-19-861186-2. <a href="0-19-861186-2" target="_blank">0-19-861186-2</a> <a href="#fnref:1" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:2"><p>Briggs, Katherine M. (1976). A Dictionary of Fairies. Harmondsworth, Middlesex: Penguin. p. 52. ISBN 0-14-004753-0. <a href="0-14-004753-0" target="_blank">0-14-004753-0</a> <a href="#fnref:2" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:3"><p>Briggs, Katherine M. (1976). A Dictionary of Fairies. Harmondsworth, Middlesex: Penguin. p. 52. ISBN 0-14-004753-0. <a href="0-14-004753-0" target="_blank">0-14-004753-0</a> <a href="#fnref:3" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:4"><p>Bond, R. Warwick. "Early Plays from the Italian" (PDF). warburg.sas.ac.uk. Retrieved 2019-01-07. <a href="https://warburg.sas.ac.uk/pdf/emh68b2456693.pdf" target="_blank">https://warburg.sas.ac.uk/pdf/emh68b2456693.pdf</a> <a href="#fnref:4" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:5"><p>"Definition of BUGBEAR". www.merriam-webster.com. 13 July 2023. <a href="http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bugbear" target="_blank">http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bugbear</a> <a href="#fnref:5" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:6"><p>Jon Saklofske; Alyssa Arbuckle; Jon Bath (10 December 2019). Feminist War Games?: Mechanisms of War, Feminist Values, and Interventional Games. Taylor & Francis. p. 73. ISBN 978-1-00-075120-8. <a href="978-1-00-075120-8" target="_blank">978-1-00-075120-8</a> <a href="#fnref:6" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:7"><p>"Bugbear - Pathfinder Wiki". Pathfinder Wiki. Retrieved 24 May 2020. <a href="https://pathfinderwiki.com/wiki/Bugbear" target="_blank">https://pathfinderwiki.com/wiki/Bugbear</a> <a href="#fnref:7" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:8"><p>"Bugbear - D&D Beyond". D&D Beyond. Retrieved 24 May 2020. <a href="https://www.dndbeyond.com/monsters/bugbear" target="_blank">https://www.dndbeyond.com/monsters/bugbear</a> <a href="#fnref:8" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> </ol>