Bauk ( sr, Баук, ) is an animal-like
mythical creature
A legendary creature (also mythical or mythological creature) is a type of fictional entity, typically a Hybrid beasts in folklore, hybrid, that has not been proven and that is described in folklore (including myths and legends), but may be feat ...
in
Serbian mythology.
The bauk is described as hiding in dark places, holes, or abandoned houses, waiting to grab, carry away, and devour its victim; but it can be scared away by light and noise.
[ It has a clumsy gait (''bauljanje''), and its onomatopea is ''bau'' ().][
Interpretation of the bauk's attributes leads to the conclusion that the bauk is actually a description of real bears,][ which were already ]regionally extinct
In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as zones, lands or territories, are areas that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and the interaction of humanity and t ...
in some parts of Serbia and known only as legend.[ The word "bauk" was initially used as a ]hypocorism
A hypocorism ( or ; from Ancient Greek: (), from (), 'to call by pet names', sometimes also ''hypocoristic'') or pet name is a name used to show affection for a person. It may be a diminutive form of a person's name, such as ''Izzy'' for I ...
.[
]
In popular culture
Bauk is used as the translation for goblin
A goblin is a small, grotesque, monstrous creature that appears in the folklore of multiple European cultures. First attested in stories from the Middle Ages, they are ascribed conflicting abilities, temperaments, and appearances depending on ...
in Serbian editions of works of J. R. R. Tolkien
John Ronald Reuel Tolkien (, ; 3 January 1892 – 2 September 1973) was an English writer and philologist. He was the author of the high fantasy works ''The Hobbit'' and ''The Lord of the Rings''.
From 1925 to 1945, Tolkien was the Rawlins ...
, first translated by Mary and Milan Milišić. Bauk is also used as the translation for the Imp in the Serbian edition of '' A Song of Ice and Fire'' series, translated by Nikola Pajvančić.Boggart
A boggart is a creature in English folklore, either a household spirit or a malevolent '' genius loci'' (that is, a geographically-defined spirit) inhabiting fields, marshes, or other topographical features. Other names of this group include ''bu ...
in the Harry Potter book series.
See also
* Bear in culture
References
Slavic mythology
Serbian folklore
Fictional bears
Legendary mammals
Slavic legendary creatures
{{Europe-myth-stub