Krampus: The Christmas Demon of Germanic Folklore

Krampus greeting card from the 1900s, public domain

Funnily enough, when I received Krampus as a suggestion for Myth of the Month December 2023, I hadn't realized that I'd already talked about him in Myth of the Month December 2021. It was only after I went back into my old newsletters earlier today that I realized it.

And guess what? Back in December 2021, the newsletter went out to only sixteen people. Not only that, but I think the message was sorely lacking in detail - in short, I have more to say now than I did then about this Christmas demon.

Since War on the Gods Army has grown exponentially since December 2021, and since I have more to say about Krampus, I figured it wouldn't hurt to revisit him for Myth of the Month December 2023.

Krampus greeting card from the 1900s, public domain

According to my research, stories about Krampus started cropping up long ago among people living in the Alps. He's usually depicted as a horned half-goat demon covered with dark hair, his long tongue hanging from his mouth.

It's speculated that he predates Christianity - that he was originally a figure associated with pagan winter solstice celebrations - but that as Christianity spread, he became associated with many peoples' Christmas celebrations.

There isn't a whole lot of information regarding his pagan origins (that I managed to find, at least). However, he's allegedly a child of the Norse goddess Hel, which makes him pretty much the coolest guy ever in my book.

(For reference, Hel is my favorite goddess. I love her so much that she's playing an integral role in The Gods Are Rotting, book one of my dark fantasy series inspired by world mythologies and the apocalypse.)

Anyway, a majority of the lore on Krampus has to do with his involvement in Christmas. Let's take a look at what I found.

"Saint Nicholas and Krampus" by an unknown artist, public domain

As far as Christmas goes, Krampus's role is fairly straightforward. He's essentially the "evil" counterpart to Saint Nicholas.

On the night of December fifth - Krampus Night - Krampus is said to beat, eat, or kidnap misbehaved children. Some even say that the children he takes are dragged to the underworld - oh my!

Then on December sixth - Saint Nicholas Day - St. Nick is said to leave well-behaved children gifts in their shoes.

Of course, the legend of Krampus didn't stay in the Alps. It spread throughout Europe and many other places, and it remains relevant today. A tradition called "Krampus Run" is still held every year in various parts of the world, and Krampus has been featured in tons of horror movies.

Krampus is also the star of a novel written by my favorite author. This holiday season, I recommend you read Krampus: The Yule Lord by Gerald Brom. Thank me later, as Brom writes masterpiece after masterpiece after masterpiece. There's almost always an element of mythology or folklore in his stories as well!

I hope you enjoyed December 2021 and December 2023's Myth of the Month!