Bodach

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A Bodach (Irish [ˈbɔd̪ˠəx]; plural Bodaich) is a mythical spirit or creature, rather like the Bogeyman. The word is a Scottish Gaelic term for "old man" although historically it was used as a pejorative term to refer to peasants or farmers (bothach) by the warrior class amongst the Scots^{[citation needed]}.

Can also be spelt "Boddach".

The name, if not other features, has been snatched to Dungeons and Dragons roleplaying game, by the name bodak.

[edit] Bodachs in Literature

Bodachs occasionally appear in Charles De Lint's books of mythic fiction.
The name Bodach is used to describe shadow-like creatures - invisible to most people - that appear at locations before disasters in the books. They seem to feed on the misery of others. Odd Thomas, Forever Odd and Brother Odd by Dean Koontz.

"A bodach is a mythical beast of the British Isles, a sly thing that comes down chimneys during the night to carry away naughty children." - Dean Koontz (Forever Odd)

A bodach is a massless shadow that slightly resembles a fox, it is loosely bound to this worlds physics as it can not fly or pass through walls without a small crack or hole. A mass of bodachs corresponds to a massacre or other bloodbaths in the world of the living, as they seem to be attracted by extremely violent events.