Bubák
Artwork by Benedetta Fiore. ArtStation | Instagram
Origin: Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Spain
Other names: Sack Man, El Hombre del Saco
The Bubák is one of many bogeyman-type creatures originating in Europe. In some stories, he’s a skeleton made into a scarecrow that hops around at night seeking victims. In others, he’s a skeletal creature or an old man with a large sack slung over his shoulder collecting anyone foolish enough to be out at night—especially children. He’s also known to imitate the sound of a crying baby to lure his prey.
In most depictions, the Bubák is most active during the full moon. He’s said to weave clothes from the souls of his victims and drive a cart pulled by black cats.
This story’s tragic origins trace back to the 16 th and 17 th centuries when it was common practice for a man to collect orphaned babies in a large bag or wicker baskets and take them to orphanages. Over time, it became a cautionary tale for children to behave themselves lest they be collected too.
A more recent addition to the Bubák’s mythos is just as tragic. In Spain, 1910, a wealthy man desperately sought a cure for his tuberculosis. He agreed to pay a “healer” a high price for a solution, though it required appalling ingredients: the blood and fat of a child. The healer kidnapped a seven-year-old boy, carried him in a sack on his back, and murdered him in a ritual to make a compress. The healer ultimately faced the death penalty for his crime.
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