A lot of people became interested in the demon named Bagul after watching the movie "Sinister", because there this creature appeared as an anti-hero, instilling fear and forcing young children to do terrible things. After that, the demon received the soul of such a child and took him to his retinue. But what does mythology say about such a creature as Bagul? Is it a demon or a god? And was it really called by the ancient people?
Bagul in the movie "Sinister"
First, let's get to know Bagul from the horror movie closer. According to a legend voiced by one of the heroes - a professor of occult sciences - Bagul is a demon. Mythology claims that children were sacrificed to him. This ancient rite was characteristic of the Scandinavian peoples, but the mystical creature began to manifest itself in the United States, and from about the 60s of the last century.
Once every few years, under strange circumstances, a family died in one of the states. At the same time, each time they found the bodies of all its members, with the exception of one child. The loss was investigated, but neither the body, nor the boy or girl himselffound. Similarly, the killer could not be found. The press stopped writing about what happened, police reports gathered dust in the police stations, and a few years later everything was repeated again.
What does demonology say?
The field of knowledge that studies evil spirits claims that the Norwegian demon Bagul is just an invention of Hollywood filmmakers. In fact, no religion knew creatures with that name. Bagul is not mentioned in any source, although demons and gods to whom children were sacrificed so that they could get enough of their souls existed.
Thus, the Aztec culture may have committed cruel acts of child abuse. In the last century, a burial was discovered, which led researchers to such conclusions. It contained the remains of 42 children. According to some signs, experts concluded that this was a ritual murder. Perhaps the sacrifices were intended for the ancient god Tlaloc, the patron of rain, capable of bestowing fertility.
The Carthaginians also gave the souls of their babies to the gods, so that they would contribute to their success in trade and other matters. This assumption was made by scientists after the remains of 200 boys and girls were found. According to Plutarch's notes, children from we althy families, as well as sole heirs, were especially valued by the gods.
Moloch - the prototype of Bagul?
So, in ancient cultures, child sacrifices sometimes took place. But the cases described above indicate that people did this to appease the gods. What aboutdemons? How did these creatures manifest themselves in the fantasy of the creators of the film "Sinister"? Let's try to figure it out.
In the movies, Bagul is a demon who takes the souls of children for himself. Perhaps Moloch, the deity of the Moabites, who was mentioned in the Bible, could serve as his prototype. The rite of sacrifice was truly terrible. A child was placed in the hands of the statue of Moloch (he was depicted as a man with the head of a bull), and a fire was made below. The cries of the baby were drowned out by ritual chants…
Moloch is sometimes called not just a deity, but a demon. However, some researchers are inclined to assume that this mythical character never actually existed. And in general, child sacrifices were rare among ancient peoples, and the word mlk (Milk, Moloch), found in scientific treatises of those times, could only reflect the very term of transferring the soul of an infant to one or another deity.
Bagul and children in the film "Sinister"
Let's go back to the famous horror movie. In it, children fell into the clutches of Bagug only after they committed terrible crimes. In fact, it was they who killed the members of their families, and then left the demon in the service. After that, the task of these little black souls was to recruit new minions of Bagul. Dead children came into contact with living ones, those who themselves were soon to kill their relatives, and convinced them that it was simply necessary to do this. Bagul himself remained in the shadows for the time being. Perhaps he was afraid to scare his future victim.
Children from the retinue were afraid of Bagul.“He will come, he will be displeased,” they sometimes said, before disappearing in horror into the dark corners of the house. Why the demon frightened the already dead children to death, unfortunately, is not clear, since this moment was left behind the scenes in the film.
Why is Bagul scary?
This Scandinavian demon (again, as stated in the film) was forgotten by people for many centuries. Perhaps he was hunting somewhere in the wilderness, and then something led him to the United States of America. As a Hollywood horror movie monster, he can hardly be called the scariest. He actually does not appear in public, remains on the sidelines and almost does not participate in what is happening. Moreover, he does not even jump out unexpectedly from around the corner with a cry of “Boo!” and does not make scary faces.
But as an archetype Bagul symbolizes an inevitable heavy loss. He takes first the mind of a loved one, a small child, and then the soul, and for a snack he is left with a few more human lives.
Bagul is a child-eating demon that didn't really exist. But that doesn't make this creature any less frightening.
