Tag Archives: Misbehaving children

Lulu Khor Khoreh

Age: 20

Text: According to the subject, a creature that is prominent within Persian folklore is a creature named Lulu Khor Khore. Described as a hairy, hideous, monster-like creature, Lulu Khor Khore hides in the dark corners of childrens’ rooms – whether that be under the bed, in their closet, or just simply in the shadows. She explained that as an evil entity, Lulu Khor Khore knew when children had been bad; if they disobeyed their parents, talked back, or just misbehaved, he would snatch them away in the middle of the night and the children would never be seen again.

Context: The subject heard this story often from her father when she was growing up. Her father, from Iran, would remind her that Lulu Khor Khoreh knew when she was misbehaving and not listening to her parents – he warned would warn her that if she kept acting out he would steal her away in the middle of the night, and there would be nothing he or she could do to stop it (unless she started listening and behaving). She remembers hearing about Lulu Khor Khoreh often whenever she didn’t want to practice the violin and would try to hide in her room to avoid her lessons. As she grew up, she heard less and less about Lulu Khor Khoreh (much to her relief, as she told me she truly was scared of the thought of him, let alone being carried away in the middle of the night by him); she explained to me that this story was just a means of getting children to behave – kind of like Santa Claus, or Baba Yaga. 

Interpretation: I believe that the subject is very much correct in her observations – despite the fact that Lulu Khor Khoreh himself is unique to Persian culture, the overarching idea or purpose that he serves is one that can be found across time and the globe. His story is a means of getting children to behave and listen to their elders.

Budda Baba: Pakistani Boogie Man

Nationality: Pakistani
Age: 19
Occupation: Student
Residence: Los Angeles
Primary Language: English
Language: Urdu

This is the transcribed conversation I had with a friend of mine from Pakistan about what is essentially the Pakistani Bogeyman.

About:

E: What can you tell me about the Old Man?

A:  Throughout my childhood I would be frightened by the “Budda Baba”, which translates to “old man” in English. This was an icon in the childhoods of many Pakistani children as their parents would use him as a scare. An example from my life that happened the most was that my mother would say that this “Budda Baba” would come if I didn’t go to bed. I would immediately go to bed and hide under my blanket, trying to hide from this fictional man, and by doing so I would eventually go to sleep.

E: Was there any narrative or tale associated with Budda Baba?

A: None that I know of.

E: Did any of your friends experience similar of instances of being told Budda Baba would appear?

A: Many of them, but most instances were when they were misbehaving.

E: Around what age did you first hear about this and until what age did you believe it?

A: My parents first told me about Budda Baba, in the prior example, when I was around 7 years old. I believe it till around 12 when I figured out what my parents were doing.

E: Is it as relevant today?

A: Yes, my younger sister is ten years old and my parents and extended family still pull the Budda Baba on her.

E: What value does this still hold for you, if any?

A: I was never a very disobedient child but it did overtime reinforce the idea of parental authority. Although it is a pretty good way to get your kid to listen to you.

Reflection/Analysis:

I found the concept of the Budda Baba intriguing. For one the threat of the old man is rather vague, the only information is that he would appear and is visually menacing. I feel as though one of the factors contributing to this fear is how ambiguous it is and the possibility of how morbid it could be. This reminds me of Scandinavian folkloric tales of monsters who would kidnap, torture, or kill misbehaving children, though those stories have more grim endings. I also believe the translation of the monsters name should be noted. Since it’s an old man rather than some horrific beast, I think it reflects a sense of respect for elders and double as a parallel of a patriarchal society.