Bugul Noz

In Breton beliefs, the Bugul Noz ([byɡylˈnoːs] "Night Shepherd") is a fae-like being who lives in the woodlands of Brittany. He is the last of his kind and is said to be incredibly ugly, which causes him distress. His appearance is so awful that even woodland animals avoid him, and he sometimes cries out to warn others nearby of his approach, so that he won't frighten them and that they will go home. He is called the night shepherd because it is generally not safe in forests late at night. The Bugul Noz is not malicious (indeed, rather kind and gentle), he is always alone because of his hideous visage.^[1]

They are so hideous that it is said that occasionally, those who see him will die.^[2]

The Bugul Noz finds a mention in a letter of introduction to a section of the book The fairy faith in Celtic Countries, dealing with fairy faith in Brittany. Anatole Le Braz, Professor of French Literature, University of Rennes, Brittany, mentions the Bugul Noz to the author, Mr. Wentz.^[3] In this mention, the Bugul Noz seems less frightening in appearance. Rather than being a spirit to be feared he might "fulfill a beneficial office, in warning human beings, by his coming, that night is not made for lingering in the fields or on the roads, but for shutting oneself in behind closed doors and going to sleep. This shepherd of the shades would then be, taken all together, a kind of good shepherd. It is to ensure our rest and safety, to withdraw us from excesses of toil and the snares of night, that he compels us, thoughtless sheep, to return quickly to the fold."

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