Haunting folklore from around the world
The most terrifying thing about being naughty before Christmas in Germany is not receiving a block of coal under the tree, but rather the visit of the Knecht Ruprecht, the evil sidekick of Saint Nick.
“You have a figure which is kind of like Santa Claus, but not quite,” said Claudia Schwabe, an assistant professor at Utah State University. “He is sort of a dark, sinister figure and he usually has a switch in his hand and he spanks naughty children.”
In vintage postcards, Knecht Ruprecht is portrayed as a devilish creature with horns and is often putting children inside a basket.
“When you look at these old postcards, you can see he’s pretty intense,” Schwabe said.
Knecht Ruprecht has changed dramatically since his first appearance in written sources in the 17th century.
“In the past, he has been even worse because he was said to kidnap naughty children, put them in a sack, and then who knows what he did with them,” Schwabe said.
Knecht Ruprecht is still part of German folklore, but Schwabe said he has lost most of his dangerousness.
The Lorelei, another prominent figure in German folklore, is a feminine, nixie-like creature whose beauty distracts sailors.
“She is said to be this maiden with this long golden hair and she sits on top of a rock,” Schwabe said. “She sings and she combs her hair so all the fishermen on the boat hear her song and look up see her. They don’t pay attention to the cliffs, the ships crash against the rocks and the sailors drown.”
In Colombian folklore, the Mohan is a supernatural creature who lives in the deepest parts of the river.
“This character appeared to women that used to wash clothes down by the river in order to steal them,” said Raúl Guevara, a Colombian student at USU.
The only way to avoid being kidnapped by the Mohan is to offer a tribute of aguardiente, made from anise and sugar cane, or tobacco.
The Dominican Republic has legends that date back as far as the 14th century, including the legend of the Ciguapa.
“(Ciguapa) are supposed to be beautiful women with long hair, black eyes, and backward feet,” said Coral Ventura, a Dominican USU student who has had legends like the la ciguapa told to her since she was young.
It is said they live in the shadows of deep forests and mountainous regions of the Dominican Republic.
“They don’t speak but chirp like the birds, live in caves, and only come out at night,” Venture said. “When they fall in love with a man, they steal him away and are never to be seen again.”
The story of la ciguapa has been passed on verbally, but it is also found in children’s books and school literature.
“These stories are prominent in my part of the country,” Ventura said. “Some people believe in them, my grandparents still do.”
—farlin.pz@gmail.com
@Farblaze