You Better Watch Out, Krampus is Also Coming to Town
If you thought getting coal in your stocking was rough, you’ve never been threatened with a Christmas time visit from Krampus.
When most of us think of Christmas, it’s mostly images of Santa, gifts, and big family meals that come to mind. But in parts of Europe there’s another piece of Christmas lore and tradition that borders on horror. We are of course talking about Krampus. And if you’ve been bad this year he just may pay you a visit, giving a whole other meaning to “you’d better watch out.”
What is Krampus?
Coming from central and eastern Alpine folklore, Krampus is both Saint Nicholas’ assistant and the Anti-Santa. They bring a real good-cop-bad-cop feeling to the holiday when jolly old Saint Nick brings the good kids toys and treats on December 25th and Krampus brings the kids who behaved badly punishments.
Specific descriptions of Krampus are known to have some variation, but he is usually portrayed with a humanoid body covered in dark fur, goat-like hooves, a horn, and tail, a long tongue, and fangs. He is often seen carrying chains, bells, a bundle of birch switches- all for beating children, and some sort of a basket or sack for carting off the especially naughty kids.
In parts of Europe December 6th is celebrated as the Feast of Saint Nicholas, and the 5th is Krampusnacht or Krampus Night. On this most magical- and horrifying night- Krampus appears on the streets to visit homes and businesses, terrorizing children everywhere.
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The Origins of Krampus
Krampus has a very long history in European folklore, possibly reaching back to pre-Christian traditions with traditions possibly dating back to the 6th or 7th century. Unfortunately, there aren’t terribly clear or reliable records going back that far, so the specifics of his history are lost to time. Over time traditions evolved and he was paired with Saint Nicholas as something of Santa’s foil.
While the idea of a Krampus fell out of favor for some time—the idea of a demon beating and kidnapping bad kids is objectively horrifying and was seen as having a damaging effect on children’s mental health- it has seen something of a resurgence in more recent years. Krampus has appeared in television, and movies, and even has groups dedicated to him worldwide.
Regional Variations
While the central lore of Krampus is pretty consistent, he shows up in a number of countries across the region, and each has its own little difference or variation. For example, Styrian families have special switches that are painted gold, displayed around their houses to remind kids of the Krampus, and will present their own stick to Krampus when he comes to visit.
Meanwhile, Austrian traditions are a little more commercial and tourist-friendly, making Krampus more humorous than horrifying.
In some traditions, Krampus is a companion of St. Nicholas and visits children with the more benevolent figure. And in others, Krampus will take gifts given by Saint Nicholas if he decides the child doesn’t deserve to keep them.
Appearance in Popular Culture
Krampus has managed to become a strangely popular Christmas-time figure, even outside of his home region. There are Krampus societies and celebrations all across North America where people will celebrate with toy drives, fundraisers, and bar crawls complete with costumes and props.
There are no fewer than eleven films about Krampus- many Christmas-themed horror, but others are documentaries- with at least two more in production. And his television appearances include The Venture Brothers, Scooby-Doo, Grimm, and The Aquabats! Super Show! just to name a few. A Doctor Who radio drama had the Krampus made real by a miss gone wrong.
In general, he shows up as a tongue-in-cheek monster, but sometimes his appearance will be more of an aesthetic choice, such as Overwatch where the character Junkrat had a Krampus-themed skin or outfit. Multiple indie one-shot modules for D&D are made every year, taking on Krampus. As well as comics, podcasts, and countless other smaller productions.
We have even written about Krampus before when we invited him to play some D&D and made him his own sheet.
What Does Krampus Do to Children?
A visit from Krampus isn’t one that any child wants. Targeting kids who have misbehaved and acted up throughout the year, Krampus visits these bad kids to hit them with a switch or bell chains. Sometimes he would even kidnap especially naughty kids in his basket to take them back to his lair. Good children are ignored and skipped over by Krampus.
Does Krampus Eat Kids?
Depending on the specific lore, sometimes. When a kid is taken by the Krampus in his anti-Santa-sack, they are taken back to his lair. Sometimes this is for additional punishment. In other versions of the story, he will go so far as to eat or drown the very worst kids or even transport them directly to Hell.
Is Krampus Santa’s Brother?
Probably not, they don’t have much family resemblance. Krampus is sometimes portrayed as Saint Nicholas’ helper or Christmas-time partner. While St. Nick will deliver treats and presents, Krampus will take back the gifts and instead dole out punishments to the bad kids. So while they work together and have roles that are two sides of the same coin so to speak, Santa and Krampus aren’t siblings as much as business associates.
Happy adventuring!
