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How Do You Say "Bogeyman" In Esperanto?

by bartlett22183, March 5, 2011

Messages: 31

Language: English

bartlett22183 (User's profile) March 5, 2011, 11:35:36 PM

Long ago, when I was small, two older girl cousins were often my babysitters. They had me thoroughly intimidated by the threat of the boogeyman (also spelled "bogeyman"). In the USA, the boogeyman is an imaginary fearsome being invoked to cajole little children into good behavior.

I presume that many cultures around the world have a notion like the boogeyman used to cajole small children. So how do you say "boogeyman" (bogeyman) in Esperanto? rideto.gif

Paŭlo

NothingHere (User's profile) March 5, 2011, 11:57:06 PM

I don't think Esperanto really has very much "folklore" or anything, so I'm not sure if there is really an Esperanto equivalent to Bogeyman, but you could say "Monstraĉo" or something.

T0dd (User's profile) March 6, 2011, 12:31:56 AM

Interesting question. I just looked it up in Wikipedia and learned that in many cultures the boogeyman, or equivalent, is a mysterious man with a sack, who abducts children. Something like "sack man" is therefore used in some languages. The "boogey" in the English word doesn't really mean anything anymore so I'd say SAKULO, said in ominous tones, would be a fair translation.

Evildela (User's profile) March 6, 2011, 1:03:33 AM

Well there is a Vikipedio page on the subject calling him the Infantimigulo at the following link: http://eo.wikipedia.org/wiki/Infantimigulo

sudanglo (User's profile) March 6, 2011, 12:10:08 PM

Reading the Vikipedia article I quite like the idea of following the German.

So perhaps, 'la homo de la mallumo'. A common thread seems to be that the Bogeyman appears after dark.

Has someone not already translated a children's story with the Bogeyman in Esperanto?

bartlett22183 (User's profile) March 6, 2011, 7:50:02 PM

Evildela:Well there is a Vikipedio page on the subject calling him the Infantimigulo at the following link: http://eo.wikipedia.org/wiki/Infantimigulo
Interesting article. Thanks for the link. However, "infantimigulo" seems to be more a descriptor rather than a word one would use to a recalcitrant child. T0dd's suggestion of "Sakulo" might fill the bill, as it would be similar to a notion found in different cultures.

{Edit: perhaps even more, "Sakulaĉo".}

Paŭlo

Miland (User's profile) March 6, 2011, 9:25:42 PM

bartlett22183:how do you say "boogeyman" (bogeyman) in Esperanto?
I might use forkaptisto or infanŝtelisto, if the main idea were that of a kidnapper.

antoniomoya (User's profile) March 6, 2011, 10:48:51 PM

En Hispanujo, kiam mi estis infano (dinosaürepoke rideto.gif ), niaj patrinoj minacis nin per la esprimo "el hombre del saco" (la sakulo).

(Please, translate into English. Thanks)

Amike.

Miland (User's profile) March 6, 2011, 10:51:40 PM

antoniomoya:En Hispanujo, kiam mi estis infano (dinosaürepoke rideto.gif ), niaj patrinoj minacis nin per la esprimo "el hombre del saco" (la sakulo).
(Please, translate into English. Thanks)
Translation:
In Spain, when I was a child (in the age of the dinosaurs rideto.gif ), our mothers threatened us with the expression "the sackman" (la sakulo).

3rdblade (User's profile) March 6, 2011, 11:22:49 PM

But Sakulo means almost nothing to me. In my mind, that means the guy who bags my groceries ridulo.gif So unless he's a skulking weirdo, he doesn't strike fear into me okulumo.gif
I had a think about this and all the translations have the same problem. I think what's needed is a text or two that would use a word like sakulo to give it a menacing context. After all, 'bogey' is one over par, and 'boogey' (a regional variant) is what we do down at the disco! okulumo.gif

The best coinage I could come up with was l' ombraĉulo (the bad-shadow man). Blame it on the boogeyman.

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