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Meaning & History
In Algonquin legends (mainly Wampanoag and Narragansett) Hobomock is the manito the spirit of death: a destructive, often evil, being. He is subject of many Wampanoag 'bogeyman' stories, warning children away from dangerous or naughty behavior. In other legends, Hobomock plays macabre tricks on adults such as stealing their eyelids so that they can never sleep again or twisting their feet to make them lame. After the introduction of Christianity, Wampanoag and Narragansett people began to identify Hobbomock with the Devil.