Krampus

The Krampus is commonly depicted as a half-goat, half-demon monster which punishes children who misbehave. The creature is considered to be a companion and opposite to St. Nicholas; the man who 'Santa Claus' is based on. While St. Nicholas rewards good behaviour by providing gifts to children, the Krampus will dole out punishment through scaring children and in some cases even by kidnapping them in a little basket. The Krampus legends are most commonly found in Alpine regions, especially around southern Germany; and it's thought the Krampus legends first originated in Germany. The Krampus is not considered to be a real creature, but they are entangled in Christian depictions of the demonic; and so they have a relevance when it comes to analysing the Christian depictions of demons and hell. A good example of this influence is that the Krampus has been referred to as the 'Christmas Devil'.

History

The name 'Krampus' is thought to possibly derive from the Old High German word 'Krampf', meaning 'cramp' or 'claw'. However, the etymology around the name is disputed and so this may not be correct. I have also found sources spell 'Krampf' as 'Krampe' and say this means 'hook' or 'claw'. I have also found that the name may come from the Bahamian dialect word 'Krampn', meaning 'dried out', 'shrivelled', or 'dead'. Although the Krampus is thought to have originated in Germany, it's thought to have been part of pagan rituals for the winter solstice in the German-speaking regions of Europe; particularly Austria where it's celebrated in both Styria and Salzburg.

As the winter solstice marks the longest night of the year, it's believed figures like Krampus originated in early Alpine community traditions to dispel evil spirits which were believed to gather during this season. Variants of the Krampus tradition appear in southern Germany, especially Bavaria, along with the border reasons of Slovenia, Northern Italy, Hungary, and Romania. It is also believed that the Krampus may symbolise the harshness of winter. It isn't clear where the Krampus legends came from, but Alpine people, including the Rhaetians who lived in the region during the Roman conquests, celebrated midwinter festivals featuring Krampus-like figures as a way of confronting the cold, dark nights and invoking blessings for survival.

With the spread of Christianity, the church sought to absorb and suppress pagan practices. It's even said that the Roman Catholic Church tried to ban Krampus, but failed. Due to this, Krampus became intertwined with Christian customs; particularly St. Nicholas day, also known as Nikolaustag, which occurs on the 6th of December. The night of the 5th of December became known as Krampusnacht, meaning 'Krampus night'. By the middle ages, this night had become a staple of Alpine celebrations. St. Nicholas was a 4th century, also known as 300s, Greek Bishop who was known for his generosity. He became the model for Santa Claus, and the duality of Krampus and St. Nicholas symbolises the consequences and rewards of human behaviour. It's said that the Krampus is not one individual creature, but is instead a type or category of creature akin to how werewolves and vampires are. This means you can have many Krampuses in one place, and in some areas St. Nicholas is accompanied by a whole group of Krampuses.

Smithsonian Magazine's Jennifer Billock has said: "Krampus's roots have nothing to do with Christmas. Instead, they date back to pre-Germanic paganism in the region... tradition has it that he is the son of the Norse God of the underworld, Hel". I have seen a source heavily dispute the claims of this quote, with it pointing out one innaccuracy being that Hel was a goddess, not a god. However, it seems an incredibly widespread belief that Krampus does pre-date Christian origins. Very few sources have connected Krampus to Norse mythology though, and from what I've read it seems there could have been a creature or figure in this mythology which shares similarities to Krampus; but they are not the same. A fairly common piece of information is that Krampus originated as a German tradition during the 12th century, also known as the 1100s. It's from this time period that some of the first recorded reports of Krampus originate; so it could be older.

It's said that plays depicting elements from the St. Nicholas legend survive in German manuscripts from the 11th and 12th centuries, also known as the 1000s and 1100s. In these plays, frightening devils emerge from hell to drag evildoers away and challenge those who spread the gospel. From the 17th and 20th centuries, also known as the 1600s and 1900s, enactments which featured Krampuses took the form of folk plays. Many of these are said to have ended with the Krampuses running wild through the audience and pretending to attack the audience members. During the 18th and 19th centuries, also known as the 1700s and 1800s, people portraying St. Nicholas and Krampus visited houses and schools to quiz children on their schoolwork. Then, during the 19th century, also known as the 1800s, Krampus made appearences at Christmas markets which were very popular within the German-speaking places in Europe.

The Krampus is frequently portrayed as an 8ft or 9ft tall devil-like creature which is covered in dark fur, plus has twisted horns, cloven hoofed feet, wild eyes, fangs, and a long tongue which is pointed. They are often equipped with bells, swinging chains, a bundle of Birch twigs, and a sack or basket. The twigs would be used to swat at, or beat, misbehaving children, and the basket would be used to carry these children. Some legends say that the Krampus would even, in some cases, either eat the misbehaving children or take them to hell. Tamer legends say that the Krampus would give lumps of coal and bundles of Birch, known as 'Ruten', to bad children. On the night of the 5th of December, Krampusnacht, St. Nicholas and the Krampus would visit. Then, on the 6th of December, children would wake up to either find their gifts from St. Nicholas, or nurse either their injuries or their disappointment left by Krampus. Due to the common pairing of St. Nicholas and Krampus, some people have mistaken them as brothers. However, they are not brothers and Krampus has even been referred to as 'Santa's shadow'.

The Krampus tradition can be seen through the Krampuslauf, meaning 'Krampus run'. This event is a public procession held in towns across Austria's Alpine regions, Southern Germany, Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol (South Tyrol) in Italy, and parts of Slovenia, Hungary, and Croatia. These events see hundreds of Krampuses run rampant through the streets, chasing both children and adults with Birch branches and chains. These events also take place within towns such as Salzburg and Bad Goisern in Austria, and Toblach in Italy. In certain parts of Austria, such as Bad Gastein, there are house visits where Krampuses knock over furniture and wrestle with older members of the household to terrify the children before handing out bags of sweets.

These events typically occur from mid-November through early December, reaching their peak on the evening of the 5th of December; the Krampusnacht, and eve of St. Nicholas day. The Krampus run often includes alcohol fuelled revelry and it blends fear with festivity. The participants of this event wear handmade costumes consisting of shaggy fur suits, carved wooden masks, and horns. Some costumes also feature cowbells, chains, and accessories such as whips, Birch branches, and fangs. 'The Young Folk's Cyclopædia of Games and Sports' has said: "In many parts of Europe it is customary for a man with a mask over his face, dressed in outlandish fashion, to go the rounds of the houses in a village, pretending that he is going to punish bad children. This character is called Ruprecht in Germany, Krampus in lower Austria, Hans Trapped in Alsace, and has other names in other places".

Other German regions have 'Belsnickle' and 'Knecht Ruprecht'; black bearded men who carry switches to beat children with. France and Luxembourg's versions of Krampus are 'Hans Trapp' and 'Père Fouettard', meaning 'Father whipper'. Plus, the Netherlands has 'Zwarte Piet' and Slovenia has 'Parkelj'. It's only during the 20th century, also known as the 1900s, that Krampus started to gain traction in Austria, Germany, and the United States. Although, the American depiction of Krampus has been said to date from the 21st Century, also known as the 2000s, because during the year of 2000 the Library of Congress didn't have a single book about Krampus which was written in English.

A large factor to Krampus's original growth in fame is the creation of Krampus postcards. During the late 19th century, also known as the late 1800s, the popularity of chromolithographic printing led to the mass production of Krampus postcards. Chromolithographic printing was a chemical based method of producing colour prints using stone or metal plates and grease-based inks, and the Krampus postcards were known in German as Krampuskarten. These cards were popular from the 1800s until World War One, which broke out during the year of 1914. The cards typically depicted Krampus in humorous or risqué scenes, such as dragging away misbehaving children, trying to court women, or appearing as a female figure.

Phrases such as 'Gruss Von Krampus', meaning 'Greetings from Krampus', and 'Brav Sein', meaning 'Be good', would also appear on these Krampus cards. Popular interest in these cards resurfaced during the early 2000s when an American graphic designer, called Monte Beauchamp, published a selection in his comic art anthology 'BLAB!'. He later expanded it into two books titled 'The Devil in Design: The Krampus Postcards', which was published during 2004, and 'Krampus: The Devil of Christmas', which was published during 2010. Krampus has also gained a prominent place in contemporary horror from the mid-2010s onwards. The most widely known adaptation is 'Krampus', released during 2015, and this adaptation is a horror comedy starring Adam Scott and Toni Collette.

Krampus has also appeared in the films 'Krampus: The Christmas Devil', released during 2013, 'Krampus Unleashed', released during 2016, and 'Krampus: The Devil Returns', released during 2016. Krampus also appeared as a character in the Christmas action comedy 'Red One', released during 2024, which starred Dwayne Johnson and Chris Evans. Krampus has also been adapted into written fiction by the American author and illustrator 'Gerald Brown' in 'Krampus: The Yule Lord', a horror fantast published during 2012. Other works including Krampus include 'Christmas Curiousities: Odd, Dark, and Forgotten Christmas', published during 2008 by John Grossman, and 'The Fright Before Christmas: Surviving Krampus and Other Yuletide Monsters, Witches, and Ghosts', which was published during 2023 by Jeff Belanger and the illustrator Terry Reed.

Krampus's resurgence is also often seen as a reaction to the commercialisation of Christmas. Due to how different Krampus is from what is typically promoted during the Christmas period, Krampus offers a return to the holiday's roots as a morally charged holiday and not the profiteering scheme it can be seen as today. These pre-christian roots are what links the Krampus with the paranormal, and to a depiction of life after death, because the Krampus was possibly seen to watch over and protect humans, along with scaring away bad spirits and helping people to overcome fear. This interpretation is very similar to the Austrian 'Perchta' which is a female figure in Alpine paganism; a duel faced goddess which is both dark and light.

It's said that the Krampus figures in the Krampus run are sometimes accompanied by Perchten; evil figures which accompany the goddess Perchta. The men dressed as Perchten also roam from house to house, wearing fur suits and masks to scare away evil spirit. It's thought that the Perchten have blended over time with the Krampus, and so now they're both viewed as very similar if not the same. It's also believed by some that Krampus may have been inspired by Satan imagery and so isn't anything to do with paganism. As mentioned earlier, this view seems to be false; however, it's important to acknowledge that just because the majority are saying one thing, this doesn't make that one thing true. Most seem to say that the Christian Church tried to ban Krampus, and this is a similar thing to what has happened in more recent times. During World War Two, fascists found Krampus despicable because it was considered to be a creation of the Social Democrats. Also, there have been more modern concerns about the psychological impact of Krampus runs on the children who bear witness and are potentially traumatised by the legend.

My Thoughts

I don't think that anyone genuinely believes that the Krampus is real, just as adults don't believe that Santa Claus is real. I do acknowledge though that you may have a few people, possibly in remote regions, who could believe in such a creature as the likeness, behaviours, and characteristics of Krampus. I feel good examples of such a creature are Bigfoot and the Wendigo. I don't believe either of those creatures exist either, but I feel Krampus and the Wendigo both serve the same purpose: to teach lessons about morality. While the legend of the Wendigo generally teaches about the wrongdoings of greed, the Krampus teaches about punishment for wrongdoings and misbehaviour.

Regarding the paranormal factors to the Krampus, the connections it has to the demon side of Christianity, and the whole reason for me feeling the need to document it in this database; I think it highlights something incredibly important. Krampus, to mean at least, highlights that nothing is certain or original. By this, I mean that we have all of these stories, myths, legends, and scriptures; but no matter how widely spoken a story or experience is, and no matter how well documented it is, this does not mean it is true. A perfect example of this is the debate as to whether or not Krampus pre-dates Christianity. Either it does, and Christianity changed to adopt Krampus; or it didn't and Christianity changed to invent Krampus. Either way, it shows how the demon side of Christianity is likely to be vastly inaccurate due to all of these changed which have occured over the centuries.

I do intend on doing a number of articles covering specific demons in folklore, along with certain angels, and all sorts of creatures relating to a possible life after death. So, I felt it incredibly important to cover Krampus in order to make the point about how much things may have changed first. It's also important because it shows how a story about something viewed as a 'demon' actually has it's origins not in truth, but instead as a story to teach morality. I suspect that this could have been the same origins as when people first discussed angels and demons, except instead of purely celebrating these stories they instead took them as literal and feared them; passing down this fear through generations in a way where people daren't question if demons are actually made up figures.

Thank You!

Thank you for reading this article! As usual, I know I could be very wrong with all of this speculation; but that's my current stance based on what I've researched and written about so far. I know demons are quite the buzz topic at the moment in pop culture and popular 'paranormal investigations', and so I do feel its incredibly important for us to look through history at their origins in the same way as I've done with the Krampus. It's only through this research that we can truly understand if they exist, and what they'd be like if they do. The next article will hopefully be published on Monday the 29th of December and will document a haunted location in Nottinghamshire. The following article will be published on Fridah the 1st of January and will document a paranormal influencer.

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