Raw Head and Bloody Bones

Cultists sacrifice an innocent to Ol' Bloody Bones

Rawhead and Bloody Bones, also known as "Rawhead", "Bloody Bones", "Ol' Bloody Bones", etc.

Origin: (earliest known story/scenario the creature appears in, indicate whether this is uncertain)

Description

"Rawhead and Bloody Bones
Steals Naughty Children from their Homes
Takes them to his dirty den
And they are never seen again!"
— English Nursery Rhyme

"Raw Head lived in a dark cupboard, usually under the stairs. If you were heroic enough to peep through a crack you would get a glimpse of the dreadful, crouching creature, with blood running down his face, seated waiting on a pile of raw bones that had belonged to children who told lies or said bad words...."
— Ruth Tongue, Somerset Folklore

Ol' Bloody Bones is an evil bogeyman said to haunt deep pits, abandoned coal mines and stone quarries, caves, the basements or cupboards of decaying rural shacks, sink holes, deep ponds, and the like, where it waits for disobedient children to ignore their parents' warnings and come near, where Bloody Bones grabs them and drags them into the depths. The legend originates in 16th Century England, but made its way to the Americas where it became part of the folklore of the Southern United States, including some African-American folklore; the original legend is regarded as lost except for the vague references to the name, and modern variants of the story describe Raw Head and Bloody Bones variously as one creature, two different creatures, or two parts of the same creature (i.e., a disembodied head peeled of its skin, and a headless bloody skeleton stripped of its flesh.)

The short story "Rawhead Rex" and the movie loosely based on it portray the monster as a sort of corrupt fertility god, a gruesome, bloody, skeletal giant with long sharp teeth, worshiped by mad cultists converted from a defiled church, and repelled by artifacts holy to a feminine creative force depicted in idols as a pregnant woman; in this version, the creature might be thought of loosely as an avatar of Shub-Niggurath.

Ol' Bloody Bones might otherwise be regarded as having a sort of rural cult that leaves sacrifices near the dark, abandoned places in the hills where the monster is believed to live, or to hang up talismans they hope will repel the creature, in the hopes that Ol' Bloody Bones might leave wandering children that get too near to his lair in peace.

References

• story: "Rawhead Rex" by Clive Barker
• film: Rawhead Rex (1986 film)
• film: Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974 franchise)