Bodach
A bodach (Scottish Gaelic pronunciation: [ˈpɔt̪əx]; plural bodaich), as borrowed into English, is a mythical spirit or creature, rather like the bogeyman.[1] In Modern Scottish Gaelic the word simply means "old man", colloquially often used affectionately. Historically its meaning is "mature person", from bod "penis" and the suffix -ach, literally "someone who has a penis".[2]
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Bodachs in literature [edit]
- Bodachs are seen at the beginning of Moonshine by Rob Thurman.
- Bodachs occasionally appear in Charles De Lint's books of mythic fiction.
- The name Bodach is used to describe shadow-like creatures - invisible to most people - that appear at locations before disasters in the books Odd Thomas, Forever Odd, Brother Odd, and Odd Hours by Dean Koontz. These can only be seen by Odd.
- Bodachs appear as evil supernatural soldiers, or goblins, in Alan Garner's fantasy novel The Moon of Gomrath.
"A bodach is a mythical beast of the British Isles, a sly thing that comes down chimneys during the night to carry away naughty children." - Dean Koontz (Forever Odd)
"Bodachs are ink-black, fluid in shape, with no more substance than shadows. Soundless, as big as an average man, they frequently slink like cats, low to the ground." - Dean Koontz (Brother Odd)
"In regions of Wales and Scotland, a bodach is a term for an imp or a faery, often one of the shapeshifting, mischievous variety; this term, though derogatory in nature, was often used with affection, translating closest to "scoundrel" or "rascal".
Bodachs in movies [edit]
The movie The Eye starring Jessica Alba shows shadowy, otherworld creatures that escort the dead away, matching the idea of bodach. Like in Odd Thomas novels, the bodach in The Eye also become numerous just before a tragic incident where many people will die.
Bodachs in music [edit]
Na'Bodach [sic] is a band, located in the United States of America, specializing in Celtic music. Two releases, "An Intelagent Design" (2006), "Knickers Down, Bottoms Up", (2003).[1]
See also [edit]
- Celtic mythology in popular culture
- Cailleach (the Old Woman)
- Urisk
- Wirry-cow
References [edit]
- ^ Leslie Dunkling. A dictionary of epithets and terms of address Routledge, UK 1ST edition (June 27, 1990) ISBN 978-0-415-00761-0 (hardback) 978-0-203-19195-8 (electronic)
- ^ MacBain, A. An Etymological Dictionary of the Gaelic Language Gairm 1896 (reprint 1982) ISBN 901771-68-6
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