Better watch out…
“Krampus? He’s the holiday devil. He threatens bad children by putting them in a sack and eating them,” the character Taco explains on the TV show “The League.”
This Christmas season, while visions of sugar plumbs dance through the heads of most, some know of a darker side to the season. Most Americans would be surprised to know that St. Nicholas, the European figure Santa Claus, has several dark companions that accompany him to punish naughty children.
And Krampus, widely recognized in the Alpine region of Europe, has become particularly popular as of late.
Krampus gets his unusual name from the German krampen, meaning claw.
In his most common incarnation, Krampus is depicted as a hairy, demonic figure with hooves, horns and a long tongue. Krampus is also often shown carrying birch branches to swat children and a sack to carry them away.
How exactly Krampus is said to punish bad children varies from region to region, but in some variations Krampus goes as far beating, kidnapping and eating children who misbehave. There are even accounts of Krampus dragging bad children to hell. Krampus really takes The Grinch to a whole other level.
However, Krampus is not the only mischievous companion of good old St. Nicholas.
“I grew up with a very similar tradition called Knecht Ruprecht,” German native and Utah State University Professor Claudia Schwabe said.
Knecht Ruprecht is described as wearing a brown or black robe with a pointed hood, having a dark beard and a bag of ashes or a switch. He is also known to punish children, but is often depicted rewarding them as well — acting as more of a sidekick to St. Nicholas. Different accounts also show St. Nicholas with other companions called Zwarte Piet and Belsnickel as well.
Aside from the obvious answer of not wanting to horrify children, many may wonder why Krampus and the other companions of St. Nicholas have not made the transition across the Atlantic.
“I think it kind of has to do with the fact that you don’t have St. Nick at all, you have Santa Claus,” Schwabe said.
While many believe Santa Claus and St. Nicholas to be one and the same, this isn’t necessarily the case. The Santa Claus we know and love is a meshing of St. Nicholas, the English Father Christmas and another German character called Christkindl.
In all of this mixing and matching, Krampus was probably just conveniently left out for being just to creepy to handle. Child abduction and murder don’t exactly fit the holiday narrative for some. But despite how sinister he is, or maybe because of it, Krampus can be seen around more and more.
“This Krampus thing is becoming more and more popular,” Schwabe said.
This frightening anti-Claus has experienced an upshot in popularity in the states in recent years, shown most clearly by the release last Friday of the movie “Krampus.” Before that, the creepy character made notable appearances in TV series “Grimm,” “The League,” “Scooby-Doo” and “American Dad.”
Krampus is even noted in Krampuslauf, a kind of Krampus parade, that takes place in cities from Philadelphia to Oregon. Instead of cookies and milk, its traditional to offer Krampus schnapps during the Krampuslauf.
Krampus’ increasing popularity could be traced to many different causes. Some see Krampus as a way to get a way from a holiday culture that has become too white-washed and commercialized. In a season that tastes distinctly sweet, some like a pinch of Krampus salt. Others, like Schwabe, speculate the interest Krampus is part of a growing interest in villains and anti-heroes in general.
“It’s craving the supernatural,” Schwabe said. “It’s like, ‘I want this monstrous aspect in my life because its not monstrous anymore its cool.’”
How long will it be before ugly Krampus sweaters can be seen all over campus? Only time will tell, but until then, remember to be good for goodness’ sake — because a lump of coal could be the least of one’s worries.
— colehammond95@gmail.com
@colehammondUSU