Boogeywomen in Folklore

When people think of a creature that snatches up little children in the night, they usually think of the boogieman, but there are many boogiewomen in folklore that are just as malevolent and frightening as the boogieman. Here are a few of the boogeywomen found in folklore around the world.

The Banshee is one of the more popular boogiewomen. There is folklore of banshees being the spirits of deceased women, but there is also folklore of banshees being elemental spirits, such as a fairy. In some folklore, fairies are considered spirits of the dead. According to folklore, a banshee’s scream is heard before a death in a family.

Black Annis or Black Agnes is a boogiewoman who resides in a cave in the English countryside of Leicestershire in the Dane Hills, which has a tunnel connected to Leicestershire castle according to folklore. She has iron talons, blue skin, and only one eye. She preys on little children, which she eats and decorates her cave with their skins.

Baba Yaga is a boogiewoman that comes at Christmas time. She slits open the bellies of bad children.

Mamuna is a harry female creature that steals babies and replaces them with changelings that look similar to the children she has stolen. 

The corn mother is the personified spirit of the corn crop in Northern European folklore. The corn mother is also a boogiewoman that will catch children who go into the corn fields when they are told to stay out of them.