What really is a boggart? How can you tell if there’s one in your home? And what do stories of these obscure creatures tell us about our fears and anxieties?

Hi everybody, I’m Nick and this is Beasts of the Olde World, a channel that explores ancient folklore, mythology, and mythical creatures from across the globe. If you’re fascinated by the mysterious and the unseen, then make sure to subscribe and ring the bell.

You may know boggarts from the Harry Potter series, but what is this magical creature from Lancashire’s folklore (in Northern England) really like? How do these frightening entities embody our greatest fears and cultural anxieties? And is it true that nobody knows what a boggart really looks like?

Are boggarts shapeshifters? Are they household sprites, mischievous goblins, and do they live in liminal spaces such as the cupboard under the stairs? Are they evil spirits or demons? Or simply apparitions? Ghosts and spectres?
How are they different from hobs and hobgoblins, from bugbears and brownies? And do they share anything in common with black dogs like the Padfoot, with fairies, or with forest tricksters like Will o’ the wisps?

Our journey takes us to places steeped in Boggart legends: Boggart Bridge in Burnley, the Boggart Stones on Saddleworth Moor, and to Boggart Hole Clough in Blackley, Manchester. We will learn about the supernatural events that tormented George Cheetham and his family in the Flit Legend, and we'll examine why boggart sightings in the 1800s most commonly occurred at night, why travelers blamed field boggarts for the strange noises they heard in the dark, and how boggarts made travel at night so dangerous. We'll also look at how the myth of these strange creatures have come to represent our fear of the dark in general.

We'll talk about the work of Ellen Walkingshaw from the University of Hertfordshire, who explains why boggarts had an unsettling link to child mortality, and we'll look at the incredible work of Dr Simon Young, author of The Boggart: Folklore, History, Place Names and Dialect, and examine his detailed analysis of the changing meaning of the word boggart, and draw some startling conclusions.

Finally we will discuss the accuracy of JK Rowling's depiction of these mysterious and ominous beings, and whether they bear any resemblance to the boggart spoken about by the Traditions, Superstitions and Folk-lore of Lancashire, or if they are actually closer to more modern, American folk-horror touchstones like Stephen King’s Pennywise.

I hope you enjoy this deep dive into England's mythic past, examining these Beasts of the Olde World. I hope you'll return for future creature features and folk horror stories.

Chapters 🔖

00:30 PART ONE - The Changing Face of the Boggart
02:25 STORY SECTION - The Flit Legend
05:53 PART TWO - The Boggart in the Mirror
10:03 PART THREE - Clues from the past
14:58 CONCLUSIONS - What is a boggartt and how accurate is the Harry Potter boggart?

Links 🔗

Supernatural Pranksters in Lancashire - Ellen Walkingshaw (University of Hertfordshire)
https://www.epoch-magazine.com/post/b...

The Boggart: Folklore, History, Place Names and Dialect by Dr Simon Young
https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=F...

#mythicalcreatures #harrypotter #horrorstories