Tradition / Region: Mordvin Mythology, Russian Mythology
Alternate Names: —
Category: Bogeyman, Bird
The Myth
In Mordvin folklore, Bobo is a short, furry creature used by mothers and grandmothers to frighten naughty children. When children misbehaved, cried too much, or refused to go to bed, elders would warn them: “Here comes Bobo from the forest! He’ll put naughty children in a sack and carry them away!”
Through these warnings, children imagined Bobo as something small but unsettling—furry, sometimes pictured with a bird-like leg, carrying an old sack. He was meant to be frightening, but never truly terrifying. The children always knew, deep down, that their mothers and grandmothers loved them and that Bobo would not really take them away.
Bobo is said to wear a black fur coat and carry a large sack, though he never actually uses it. He lives either in the forest or in vegetable gardens near homes. Late in the evening, he comes out onto the street, peers into windows, and waits. If he hears children whining, crying, or refusing to climb onto the stove or go to sleep, he begins to make noise—rustling, stomping with his furry paw, and muttering ominously, “Bo-bo-bo!”
His role is limited to scaring children into obedience. He does not kidnap anyone. Once the children quiet down and fall asleep, Bobo returns home. There, he chooses the warmest spot to sleep, and while resting, he is said to suck his paw.
Functionally, Bobo is closely related to the Slavic Babai, serving as a familiar and half-playful figure of discipline rather than a true monster. He exists at the boundary between fear and reassurance—scary enough to enforce bedtime, but gentle enough to remain part of childhood imagination rather than nightmare.
Gallery
Sources
Bestiary.us contributors. (n.d.). Eterari. In Bestiary.us, from https://www.bestiary.us/eterari/
Interpretive Lenses
Religious Readings
- Christian Ascetic Deep Dive
Philosophical Readings
- Nietzschean Deep Dive
Psychological Readings
- Jungian Deep Dive
Esoteric Deep Dive
- Hermetic Deep Dive
Political / Social Readings
- Marxist Deep Dive
Other
- How to Invite The Bobo