A demon or evil spirit in old English folklore; a malevolent creature believed to inhabit bogs and marshes.
From 'bog' + the Old English suffix '-ard' (meaning a creature or being). Related to 'boggart' and 'bogeyman' in folklore traditions. Appears in medieval English literature and regional folklore.
Medieval English people were genuinely terrified of bogs—people would disappear in them, get lost in mist, and strange things happened in the dark water, so they invented 'boggards' as explanations for the eerie atmosphere and unexplained dangers.
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