Greetings and happy holidays everyone! Apologies for being a day late on my blog post, didn’t have any internet yesterday. I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday season and enjoys every chilly moment of it. Without further ado, today’s blog post is about the infamous Christmas Devil known as Krampus!!!
(photo art from 1900s card that says, “Greetings from the Krampus”)
The Krampus is a horned, anthropomorphic figure in Austro-Bavarian Folklore who was paired alongside Saint Nicholas as a darker counterpart to our favorite jolly fellow. Where Saint Nicholas would reward children who behaved well with gifts or treats, Krampus would find the children who misbehaved and leave them coal or sticks and in some darker stories, even kidnap them and take the children to hell. Sounds very Puritan.
His appearance is that of a black satyr, with long curved horns, black fur, and cloven feet. Often depicted with a very long and pointed tongue and razor sharp teeth, with chains around his feet and neck and a bundle of birch branches to hit children with on his back.
These days, Krampus is a popular icon, with festivals such as Krampushnacht, when people dress as Krampus and run through the streets chasing children. Krampus has become less of a sinister icon and more of the bad cop to Santa’s good cop. Many similarities in character can be found in the Grinch, a famous children’s character in “How the Grinch Stole Christmas”.
That’s all for now, let me know what you think! Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all!
~Emrys
Wild Knights 