To me, there’s always been something a bit off about the concept of Santa Claus. Growing up Jewish, I found myself equal parts fascinated and afraid of the fat bearded man who could allegedly see kids when they’re sleeping. But apparently, this yuletide character was only the tip of the creepy iceberg. A few years ago, when watching a Christmas-themed episode of Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations, I learned about a mythical being far worse than that jolly old man in the red suit. His name is Krampus.
In recent years, Krampus has found his way into American pop culture. He’s appeared on TV shows like Supernatural and The Colbert Report.. More recently — Legendary Pictures released some creepy holiday cards in support of Mike Dougherty’s 2015 film about “The Christmas Devil.” What I’m trying to say is, it’s the perfect time to familiarize yourselves with the creature that has been celebrated in European mythology for centuries.
So who is Krampus? From National Geographic:
Krampus, whose name is derived from the German word krampen, meaning claw, is said to be the son of Hel in Norse mythology. The legendary beast also shares characteristics with other scary, demonic creatures in Greek mythology, including satyrs and fauns.
The legend is part of a centuries-old Christmas tradition in Germany, where Christmas celebrations begin in early December.
Krampus was created as a counterpart to kindly St. Nicholas, who rewarded children with sweets. Krampus, in contrast, would swat “wicked” children and take them away to his lair.
This half-man, half-goat demon monster is pretty old, too. Tales of the “Wild Man” are found throughout literature and folklore that date back before the birth of Jesus Christ. Yes, Krampus is St. Nicholas’ evil sidekick, if you will.
St. Nicholas Day happens every year on December 6th and on the night before the holiday, the beast is said to visit naughty children to beat them with a stick or chain before he throws them in his sack to take them off to his fiery lair. This event is called “Krampusnacht” and Christoph Waltz recently explained the tradition to Jimmy Fallon when he visited The Tonight Show.
As Mr. Waltz mentioned, people still celebrate the tradition of Krampusnacht. Each year, people across parts of Austria, Germany, and Italy get dressed up as various iterations of the goat-man-beast-demon and run rampant in the streets fueled by alcohol and the need to scare the crap out of children.
To further gain an idea of the types of punishment dished out by St. Nicholas’ evil counterpart, this series of vintage postcards shows Krampus doing insidious deeds including: putting children in shackles, ripping out a girl’s pigtails, leading children like punished lemmings off a cliff and drowning a child in ink before adorning his pitchfork with the lifeless corpse. That’s one way to get unruly kids to eat their vegetables!
Don’t fret, kiddies, we’re just cracking the surface with Krampus. In Icelandic folklore, there are actually 13 characters known as the Jolasveinar, or “The Yule Lads”.
According to legend, each troll is said to visit households throughout the 13 nights leading up to Christmas. Each one is worse than the last, holding Icelandic names that translate to ominous meanings like “The Door Slammer,” “The Sausage Snatcher,” “The Meat Hook,” and the ever daunting “Doorway Sniffer.”
And let us not forget Belsnickel, the other Christmas character from German Folklore. While Krampus’ motives are straight up malicious, at least this gift-giver grants you a chance in deciding who’s been impish and who’s been admirable.
Damn, I suppose Santa Claus doesn’t look so creepy after-all!
(Via: National Geographic / The Tonight Show / Topless Robot / Buzzfeed/ Nerdist)