Bugbear
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- For the Finnish video game studio, see Bugbear Entertainment.
- For the Dungeons & Dragons creature, see Bugbear (Dungeons & Dragons)
A bugbear is a legendary creature comparable to the bogeyman, bogey, bugaboo, hobgoblin and other creatures of folklore, all of which were historically used in some cultures to frighten disobedient children. In a modern context, the term serves as a metaphor for something which is annoying or irritating. According to Webster's Dictionary, a bugbear is "an imaginary goblin or spectre used to excite fear", "an object or source of dread" or "a continuing source of irritation".
[edit] Other uses
- "Bugbear" is also another term for scarecrow.
- In the role-playing game Kingdom of Loathing, bugbears are bipedal creatures that resemble small bears. Confusingly, actual bears are known as 'bars' (mimicking the speech of rednecks).
- Bugbear is also the name of a monster in the Nintendo DS game Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow. In the game it is portrayed as a levitating eyeball with a long tail and a pair of spikes coming out of either end of the eyeball. The spikes and the tail both generate electricity. In actuality, the creature's name was mistransliterated from Backbeard, a different entity which it much more closely resembles.
- In the MMORPG Final Fantasy XI, bugbears are a creation of the goblins through eugenics. Significantly larger and stronger than goblins, they also have enhanced senses that includes multiple eyes. They are implied to be second-class citizens that are relegated the jobs that require brute strength.
