Child-Discipliners & Social Enforcement Div

The Function of Fear

Many div fragments don't hunt for sustenance—they enforce behavior. These entities materialize cultural anxieties about proper conduct, especially regarding children.

The Core Child-Discipliner Archetypes

Nane Har Dom (ننه هر دُم) - Discipline Through Choice

(Detailed in "Old Women of Iranian Folklore")

Summary: Offers disobedient children "choice" of which animal tail to be strangled with. Twisted judgment div.

Goje-Ferfer (گوجه فرفر) - Punishment for Laziness

(Detailed in "Child-Hunters" section)

Summary: Tomato-riding boy who boils lazy children. Bushyasta (Sloth Deev) fragment.

Omme Khazra va-Allif (ام خضره و اللیف) - Geographic Boundary Enforcement

(Detailed in "Old Women" section)

Summary: Kidnaps children from palm groves. Teaches: don't play in dangerous areas.

Additional Discipliners:

Āptār Jolī (آپتار جُلی) - The Night Thief

(Mentioned in initial creature list)

Region: Pahreh/Iranshahr, Sistan & Baluchestan

Method: Steals children at night from their homes

In Némand:

• Tier: 1-2
• Nocturnal Predator: Only active at night. Daylight disperses it.
• Teaching Function: Implicitly teaches children to stay inside after dark. Survival education through fear.

Palis (پالیس)

Region: Isfahan

Behavior: Unknown specific (name suggests guardian or military connection—"Polis" = police/city?)

Theory: Urban guardian entity or corrupted law-enforcement consciousness

Tier: 1-2

Keki / Cuckoo (کِکی)

Region: Fars, Gilan, Mazandaran (widespread)

Alternative Names: Kokeh, Kakaee, Kukutiti, Khaleh Kuku, Khaleh Zara, Kukumeh, Kukutiti, Kukunak, Kapukchi, Kukeh

Behavior: Makes cuckoo sounds. Frightens or helps children depending on regional variant.

In Némand:

• Tier: 0-1
• Nature: Bird-spirit or bird-mimicking jinn. Mostly harmless.
• Regional Variation: Some areas see Keki as friendly, others as threatening. Same entity, different cultural interpretation.

The Psychology of Enforcement Div

Why These Exist:

• Parental Anxiety: Parents fear children getting hurt. Fear creates div focused on "protecting" through terrorizing.
• Social Control: Communities need behavioral norms. Enforcement div manifest from collective will to punish deviation.
• Feedback Loop: Parents tell scary stories → children fear → fear creates div → div appears → stories proven true → more fear.

Are They Evil?: Philosophical question. They punish wrongdoing (Spenta goal) through terror (Angra method). Created by human fear (neither fully Spenta nor fully Angra). Exist in moral gray zone.

Bache Boruk (بچه بروک) - Child-Snatchers

Region: Chaharmahal & Bakhtiari, Fars, Sistan

Alternative Names: Bach Borook, Bacheh Kharuk, Dalu Bacheh, Chuk Borook, Chunavee, Bacheh Barak, Bacheh Dazdak, Bacheh Geerak

Name Meaning: Variations of "child-taker" or "child-snatcher"

Behavior: Kidnaps children (generic description—details vary)

Widespread Names: Many variants suggest common div-type with regional linguistic differences

Tier: 1-2

Sound-Based Discipliners

Mool / Mul (مول) - The Child-Eater

Region: Gilan, Hormozgan

Alternative Name: Bacheh Khoreh ("Child Eater"—unambiguous threat)

In Némand:

• Tier: 2
• Method: Lures children with sounds or sweet smells, then consumes them
• Alignment: Angra (no redemptive features—pure predator)

Vang Zan (ونگ‌زن) - The Caller

Region: Chaharmahal & Bakhtiari, Gilan, Hormozgan

Alternative Names: Vangeh-Zan, Ziq, Bangeh-Zanak

Behavior: Calls people's names in familiar voices (mother, friend, etc.). When victim responds and approaches, attacks.

In Némand:

• Tier: 2
• Voice Mimicry: Uses corrupted Peyvand—copies voice of loved one to create false connection.
• Wilderness Trap: Common in forests/mountains. Travelers hear companion calling from wrong direction. Follow voice, get separated from group, then attacked.
• Defense: Never respond to disembodied voice. Always verify visually before approaching call.
• Psychological: Preys on trust and social bonds. Makes people doubt whether they're actually hearing friends.

Story Hint: Protagonist's ally goes missing. Hears ally calling for help. Knows Vang Zan exists but call sounds genuine. Must decide: respond (might be real) or ignore (might be trap). Uses Didār technique to analyze voice-pattern before approaching. Discovers it IS Vang Zan—but real ally is also calling from different direction. Must distinguish true from false quickly.

Educational Horror

Notice pattern: many child-targeting div teach survival behaviors:

• Stay inside at night: Āptār Jolī, various child-snatchers
• Obey parents: Nane Har Dom, Nane Andar Ghoraba
• Work hard: Goje-Ferfer (anti-laziness)
• Avoid dangerous places: Omme Khazra (palm groves), Pa Kashak (wells), etc.

Folk Pedagogy: Persian culture uses supernatural threat to teach practical safety. In world where div are REAL, this isn't just scare tactic—it's accurate risk education.

Story Integration: Shows children raised with legitimate div-awareness. "Don't talk to strangers" becomes "Don't answer disembodied voices—it's Vang Zan." Folklore and survival training merge.