Bogeyman

Thesis - Spring/Summer 2015

The purpose of this thesis is to investigate the possibility of fundamental fears in human nature and society, with a focus on Anglo-American society and culture due to the influence
on this culture on both the horror genre and the case monsters, Slender Man and the Bogeyman.
Chapter Two elaborates on the central theoretical considerations of the thesis. This includes a discussion of the dispute of inherent predator templates for threat identification contra early development of cognitive categories, an elaboration on emotional mechanisms and the implications of Horror and fear from a biological perspective. Further, the chapter includes a discussion of monsters and the monstrous, and the interrelation of these with culture. A greater focus has been placed on introducing and explaining the biological element of the theoretical contemplations, as this has been perceived to be the more controversial aspect of biocultural theory.
Chapters III and IV consists of two separate case studies on Slender Man and the Bogeyman respectively. The analyses and discussions of the case studies are based on a selection of
narratives. Chapter III details the creation and later development of Slender Man, focusing on three different narratives – the two edited paranormal images from which the character originated an interactive online video series, and a video game – that have been highly influential on the evolution and spread of the monster. It has been found that a significant
aspect of Slender Man’s anxiety inducing potential is based on a deceptive similarity to humans, being vaguely human in shape, though the character is faceless, thus denying identification and interpretation of intentions and marking it as something that is definitely not human, although we cannot tell what it is. The character denies the possibility of identifying it, provoking a clash between our drive to know and our fear. He displays the
ability to appear suddenly, or vanish, at will, effectively hunting in a fashion natural to humans – through persistence – only better. The chapter discusses the character’s detrimental influence on the mental as well as physical health of his victims seemingly able to cause both insomnia and amnesia – either of which may appear as symptoms of extreme stress. Likewise, the character demonstrates cultural climate of mistrust in anonymous governments and anxiety regarding surveillance and breach of privacy. Finally, the character seems to confront cultural concepts of safety and control, in regards to modern technology and electric light.
Chapter IV elaborates on the Bogeyman’s superordinate position as a monster, and attempts to reach a more precise characterization and definition of the otherwise cross
culturally and geographically varied figure. Due to the inherent amorphous nature of the figure, the chapter bases itself on two different narratives, a short story and a film, both produced within the horror genre, and studies carried out on the matter of bogeymen and –women. It has been found that, owing in part to its formlessness, the figure is highly indicative of sociocultural fears and anxieties, such as clashing cultures or subcultures – such as the culture of an older generation clashing with that of the new – and concerns regarding
authorities and safety one’s society and local community. The figure is further indicative of a number of social conventions, such as the special regard of pet dogs, of the influence of our
what-if bias, and of the prudence in acting with caution while still seeking new information.
Finally, the figure is highly suggestive of the anxiety inducing effect of ambiguity and a certain prevalence of the fear of the unknown.
The thesis concludes that our ambivalent interest in Horror may be the result of a clash between our drive for investigating and learning, and our need to stay safe and avoid potential danger, together with a hyper-responsive threat detection system biased to assume the worst. It postulates that there are clear indications of fear of the unknown, uncertainty, and ambiguity, as fundamental fears in both human nature and Anglo-American dominated culture. Yet it suggests that further studies may benefit from the inclusion of a wider range
of monsters and monstrosities.

Pour l’Occident médiéval, les documents intéressant les croquemitaines sont fort rares. Etablir une typologie est donc fort périlleux. Mais il est probable que des êtres surnaturels présents dans le monde adulte (diable ; démons ; loups garous) ont pu être utilisés dans le monde de l’enfance. En 1982 (Le Monde alpin et rhodanien, p. 221-234), J. Berlioz avait étudié l’expression « faire barbo » apparaissant  dans le recueil d’exempla du dominicain Etienne de Bourbon (mort vers 1261), et reprise dans la Tabula exemplorum (fin XIIIe siècle). Etait avancée l’hypothèse de l’utilisation d’un masque barbu, ce dernier prenant le nom de barbo, barbou, barbeu. De nouveaux témoignages renforcent cette hypothèse, comme ceux de Guillaume d’Auvergne, évêque de Paris (1228-1249), grand connaisseur de la culture « populaire ». Hormis les récits exemplaires, les écrits théologiques et les textes littéraires (Joinville, Chaucer), les images fournissent de précieux témoignages. Danièle Alexandre-Bidon a recherché si, dans l’iconographie du XVe et du début du XVIe siècle, il existait des allusions, visuelles, aux barbos et si l’image était susceptible de contribuer à en préciser l’apparence ou de confirmer la déclinaison sous forme de masque de cette technique d’éducation par la peur.  L’enquête a démontré la quasi absence de représentation d’un être verbal en situation éducative, même dans la plus familiale des iconographies (livres d’heures, livres pour enfants), alors qu’on y voit d’abondance d’autres êtres verbaux, monstres divers, nains, fantômes et loups garous. Certaines images – mais d’interprétation difficile – montrent un masque barbu présenté par un adulte à un enfant. Le dénominateur commun des personnages dominateurs et dévoreurs (et notamment mangeurs d’enfants), outre la gueule ouverte, est la barbe (par ailleurs ambivalente). Certains jeux d’enfants utilisent un masque, comme si après une éducation par la peur du masque dévorateur, sa récupération sous la forme ludique avait pour finalité de dissiper le traumatisme éventuel de la pédagogie « à la dure » des nourrices médiévales.

Antjie Somers was described as a town ghost, a mountain or river spirit, a legendary highway robber or a child snatcher in South Africa. Over a hundred years ago, Antjie was already a bogey of children of various ethnic backgrounds. This villain was said to be spotted from Cape Town up to the Olifants River Valley in the north, across southern parts of the Karoo, and up to Port Elizabeth in the east. Bogeys are usually described and imagined as either masculine or feminine. Antjie, on the other hand, is one of the few bogeys in the world that are portrayed as gender ambiguous. Although the character’s name and clothes are feminine, the oral tradition endowed Antjie with uncannily masculine features, such as long feet, wide shoulders, thick hands and facial hair. That is why some storytellers believed that Antjie was a male cross-dresser or even genderfluid, shifting between masculine and feminine at will. I explore the origins of this character in the stories and legends of other peoples, such as Khoisan, Dutch or Indonesian.

Were preachers aware of educational games? Research into the collections of exempla (13th-15th century)

During the Middle Ages, preachers used exempla to make their sermons more accessible to the illitterati. In the dialectic between edification and amusement, these anecdotes come close to becoming games. Taking into account the many meanings of the terms ludere and ludus, the authors examine the chapter on play and games in Jean Gobi's Scala coeli in which the preacher's wrath is especially directed at gambling for money. Play and games could also, however, be the basis for didactic and allegorical discourse. The authors investigated
the ludic implications of the so-called "classifying" images, examining the example of the barbo as cited by Étienne de Bourbon. A figure meant to cast fear into the hearts of children for educational purposes, stories of the barbu might be enhanced by the use of a bearded mask, a puppet or by the teller hiding his face only to uncover it suddenly once more. The medieval pastoral sermon was a vehicle for ludic amusement and instructive fear.

Les prédicateurs connaissaient-ils la notion de jeux éducatifs ?
Enquête dans quelques collections de récits exemplaires (XIIIe-XVe siècle)

Au Moyen Âge, les prédicateurs ont utilisé les exempla pour rendre leurs sermons plus accessibles aux illitterati. Dans leur dialectique entre l'édification et le plaisir ces anecdotes se rapprochent des jeux. En tenant compte de la polysémie des termes ludere et ludus, est abordé le chapitre dédié au jeu dans la Scala coeli de Jean Gobi : ses foudres s'abattent surtout sur les jeux de hasard avec gain d'argent. Cependant des jeux ont pu servir de matrice à un discours didactique et allégorique. Nous interrogerons aussi la valeur ludique des images dites "classificatrices". Enfin, nous prendrons l'exemple du barbo cité par Étienne de Bourbon destiné à faire peur aux enfants dans un but éducatif, peut-être à l'aide d'un masque barbu, d'une marionnette ou du geste de cacher le visage et de le découvrir brusquement. La pastorale médiévale joue du plaisir ludique comme de la peur didactique.

Antjie Somers, described as a cross-dressing man or a haggish woman with masculine and animalistic traits, was a bogey of South African children in the 19th–20th centuries. It is one of the few bogeys in the world that is portrayed as gender ambiguous. Given the current interest in ambiguities of gender identity and expression, the emergence of Antjie Somers as a popular and influential folklore character may be viewed in the context of transgression of cultural boundaries and its consequences. The child snatcher tales of Antjie Somers evolved from Cape ghost and robber legends as well as from European legends
of the “Test of Sex: Catching an Apple” and the “Hairy-Armed Hitchhiker”
types. They involve a male robber who uses female disguise to conceal his evil intentions and to lure his intended victims. Such tales employ a motif that the Khoisan and the European traditions seem to share: if children are neglected, someone childless can steal them. In Khoisan tales, the thief is a baboon who wants to bring the human child up as if it were a monkey. In European tales, it is an ogre or a hag who envies those  who have and can bear children. Antjie Somers stories do not seem to demonise gender transgression. Cross-dressing is a means to the character’s criminal ends rather than a demonstration of his gender self-attribution. The gender ambiguity appears to be peripheral to the main lesson of Antjie Somers narratives: if people abuse your trust, they can
abuse you.