Whats a mythical creature that lures children away??

Question

With and without killing them.

Answer 1

Most fairy folktales have stories about fairies luring away children. Many are cautionary, designed to scare children. For instance Peg Powler is a water hag, who hangs out near ponds to grab unwary little children, etc. Eat or kept is the question- if they are kept, then likely they will be used as playthings, playmates, or slaves. Or possible to be bred with. Eaten, well, most things that eat children won't just stop with that. Often times it may not be the physical body of the child, it may be their spirit, or a copy of the body is left while the real child is spirited away.  Lullabies are designed to keep away Lilith (a demon, or Adam's first wife, depending on whom you read) and the lullabies were designed to keep her away from children.

Answer 2

pedophiles. but those are real. very real.

Answer 3

in some aspects the kelpie - a demon water horse - lures children onto its back which grows to fit as many of them as will ride.  Once they get on, they're stuck and it will plunge into the nearest stream or pond and drag them to the bottom where it eats them.  (does seem to be a lot of water myths to keep little children away from places they might drown, don't there?)

there's also the wolf in Little Red Riding Hood and in the older tales there's no wood cutter that shows up to save her.

folklore also has fairies that snatch unbaptised babies away from unwatched cradles and leave changlings behind who then sicken and die - hence the proliferation of myths involving putting anything from rusty scissors over the cradle to a pin in the sheets to keep them away - mostly iron items.  The stolen children are raised in the twilight world of the elves either as slaves or pets or playthings though according to the Tam Lin story, they're also taken as substitutes since once every seven years an inhabitant of fairyland has to be given to h**l in tribute and the elves prefer to give a human pet over one of their own.  

Giants in some parts of the world seem to have a penchant for eating children in particular.  

and of course one musn't forget the Boogieman.

Answer 4

PENNYWISE THE CLOWN.........REMEMBER STEVEN KING?

Answer 5

The witch in Hansel and Gretel.

Baba Yaga - a Russian witch who lives in a house that moves around on chicken legs and eats children.  

Answer 6

A pied piper.

Answer 7

Boogyman