Sunday, August 15, 2010

Bonhomme Sept-Heures (Quebec, Canada)

The Bonhomme sept-heures is a kind of bogey man in the folklore of Quebec (Canada)

Etymology
Bonhomme sept-heures means seven o’clock man and may have been taken from the English bone setter, an old name for a traveling medicine man. Another origin might be bomb setter, the person who was in charge to lighten the gas or oil lamps in Montreal in the XIXth century. He had to fulfill his duty before 7 o'clock. Both origins are contested as there are earlier forms of bogeymen (called Bonhomme Basse-Heure) with similar names in the folklore of France.

Description
The bonhomme sept-heures looks like an old man with a hat, a stick and a bag where he puts the naughty children or store sand that he would throw into children's eyes to blind them.

Behavior
The seven o’clock man steals children that he find alone on the street after 7 o'clock.

-taken from Monstropedia

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