The Utbrud: A Mini-Essay

     Robert Adams, folklorist at Indiana University, emphasizes that folklore functions to reinforce and validate the specific customs and rituals of a cultural institution. Through creation myths, these legends can serve as educational material for a society’s origins and history. Through epics, they can accentuate the importance of cohesion in building strong communal ties. And, through didactics, they can stand as a warning for the consequences of violating accepted practices. Not surprising, tales of the boogeyman fall within the later category. From the Yara-ma-yha-who of Australia’s Aborigine tribes and the Kappa of Japan to the Baba Yaga of Slavic lore and the Abu Rigl Maslukha of Egypt, stories abound about restless beings who mentally and physically punish individuals - particularly rebellious children - for straying from customary manners and morals. One such figure is the Norwegian utbrud.
     In previous centuries, unwanted children or those born during times of famine were carried out into the darkened forests surrounding the small agricultural communities of Norway and abandoned. Left to fend for themselves in the frigid woods, these hapless younglings were eventually overcome by the elements and perished. As Brian Righi explains, many Norwegians believed these utbrud returned as vengeful spirits who enacted their wrath on lonesome travellers or, as recounted in many bedtime stories, ill-behaved youths. Thus, by serving to castigate unruly kids, the utbrud function like many other boogeymen; however, they hold one distinct feature which separates them from their slew of ghastly brethren. While the Yara-ma-yha-who, Abu Rigl Maslukha, and their kin are demonic creatures or the souls of tortured adults, the utbrud themselves are children, making these menacing forces peers to the individuals they are meant to threaten.

Works Referenced

Adams, Robert. Introduction to Folklore. Columbus, OH: Collegiate Publishers Inc., 1973. 

Righi, Brian. Ghosts, Apparitions, and Poltergeists: An Exploration of the Supernatural through History. Woodbury, MN: Llewellyn Publications, 2008.