Also called the Old Man, Bodach Glas.
The tale
The bodach, Gaelic for old man, is a bogey of Scottish folklore said to come down the chimney to trouble naughty children. Salt on the hearth was said to keep him out. The Bodach Glas, the grey old man, was a death omen seen by certain families, made famous by Walter Scott in Waverley.
When they are met
- at night
- on winter evenings by the fire
Staying on their good side
- a pinch of salt on the hearth
- good behaviour, according to the old warnings
- a lamp left lit
Honouring them, or keeping safe
- Tell his tale as a ghost story, not as something to fear in earnest.
- Keep a lamp lit and a tidy hearth, as old households did.
What their tales teach
- the tales teach good behaviour
- the old warnings of death omens
Symbols
- the chimney
- the grey cloak
Sources
- Briggs, A Dictionary of Fairies
- Campbell, Superstitions of the Scottish Highlands
More Celtic folklore
- The Banshee The keening woman of the fairy mound
- Selkies The seal folk who come ashore
- The Púca The shape-shifter of November
- The Aos Sí The people of the fairy mounds
- The Kelpie The water horse of the lochs
- The Tylwyth Teg The Fair Family of Wales
- Leprechaun The solitary fairy shoemaker
- Clurichaun The fairy of the wine cellar