Krampus and Friends: Tales of Terrifying Christmas Monsters From Around the World

By Gerald Cole

Christmas is seen through the eyes of thirteen different people in these stories from around the world.
1. A mean village boy calls upon St. Nicholas to help him get rid of the monster Krampus.
2. Rejected by his one true love, Teeter disguises himself as the Belsnickle to get his revenge.
3. La Befana has a surprise visit from three wise men that changes her life forever.
4. Hans Trapp makes a deal with the devil, but it doesn't work out exactly as he planned.
5. An American girl learns that there are consequences to telling lies at Christmas time in France.
6. Mr. Fox has his eye on a rich woman's wealth. But when he finds out she actually has no money, he resorts to murder, only to discover some crimes can never be forgiven.
7. A childless couple create a snowchild, but there is magic in the air.
8. Young Joseph encounters the witch Baba Yaga.
9. Conrad's grandmother is living with Alzheimer and he refuses to let her mind drift away without a fight. But characters from her past might have a different plan.
10. Johnny travels to Iceland to escape Death, but his wicked deeds seem to pale when he encounters thirteen trolls.
11. Lucy is chosen to play Sankta Lucia this Christmas and her gift comes with a magical journey.
12. The holidays are fast approaching in Greece, but evil imps might destroy the world before Christmas Day.
13. A performer discovers that people can appreciate humor in a wild variety of ways.

• Language: English
• Publisher: BookBaby
• Release date: Oct 16, 2020
• ISBN: 9781098330903

Book preview

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© 2020 by Gerald Cole. All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

ISBN (Print): 978-1-09833-089-7

ISBN (eBook): 978-1-09833-090-

Contents

Introduction

Chapter 1: Krampus

Austria and Northern Germany

Chapter 2: Belsnickel

Pennsylvania Dutch, USA

Chapter 3: La Befana

Italy

Chapter 4: Hans Trapp

Alsace and Lorraine Regions of France

Chapter 5: Le Père Fouettard and Père Noël

France

Chapter 6: Elves

America

Chapter 7: Ded Moroz and Snegurochka

Russia

Chapter 8: Ded Moroz and Baba Yaga

Russia

Chapter 9: Perchta and the Perchten

Bavaria

Chapter 10: Jolasveinar, the 13 Christmas Boys

Iceland

Chapter 11: Lussi

Sweden

Chapter 12: Kallikantzaroi

Greece

Chapter 13: The Tió de Nadal

Catalonia

Introduction

Each December 24, children across the United States attempt the impossible: going to sleep. For weeks they’ve listened to Christmas songs, commercials for exciting new toys, a myriad of cartoons, movies, and TV shows celebrating the holidays, and stories about a jolly fat man in a red suit who promises the miracles of flying through the air, climbing gracefully down a chimney, and scattering toys and presents for an eager household.

This is Santa Claus, that jolly old elf with a twinkle in his eye and a round cherry nose. Thanks to a story by Clement Clarke Moore, a series of paintings by Thomas Nash, and an advertisement blitz from the Coca-Cola Company, there is nothing frightening about this stranger who sees you when you sleep and invades your house annually. In fact, children reward his invasion with cookies and milk, and maybe an apple for his reindeer. His helpers are a troupe of elves working all year for this one magical night, just so children can wake up excited and happy with new material gifts gracing their lives.

But children from around the world haven’t always been blessed with this man of infinite patience and joy. For many, the holiday season comes with monsters whose task is to punish, sometimes with a beating, sometimes with the reward of stuffing a child in a sack and taking him or her (girls can be naughty, too) into their hidden lair to be enjoyed later as dinner. And Saint Nicholas, far from being the all-knowing protector of children, usually travels with these monsters like blood brothers.

American children grow up generally unaware of these alternate Christmas tales. I was introduced to Krampus from a friend of mine who told the tale of a demon who travels with Saint Nick, who beats and eats naughty children. I was enthralled and made it my mission to read, watch, and experience anything related to Krampus. And this research led me to other discoveries, like a Christmas witch who delivers toys to good children and coal or beatings with her broom to wicked ones. To a country where thirteen trolls terrorize the inhabitants while they bring books as a reward for being good. And to the land of Father Frost, who battles a witch who lives in a house that stands on chicken legs and who flies in the air not on a broom but in a pestle and mortar. Christmas is truly a livelier experience than I ever knew growing up.

Where did all of these beings come from? And why are they all centered around Christmas?

Christmas is a celebration of the birth of Christ, traditionally a mass was held in his honor. Christ mass. Christmas. During the life of Jesus and for several centuries after his crucifixion, nobody wanted to remember his birthday with any sort of festival. In fact, celebrating birthdays was frowned upon by the early Christians. Romans loved the pomp and circumstance of a person’s day of birth, and the early Christians refused to do anything the heathen Romans did. No Christmas celebrations were to be had, even as Christianity spread around the globe. But with the conquest of many lands and peoples, certain problems traveled along as well. Winter was a particularly distressing time. Starting in mid-June, the days grew shorter and shorter, reaching a peak in mid-December. The world grew colder and darker and imaginations ran wild. What if the days just kept getting shorter until there was no sun at all? We would all die. As evidence of this impending doom, the plants were dead and dying. The animals were disappearing. And frost overtook the land. Something must be done!

The obvious answer was to drink and party! The Romans held a feast for Saturn, the god of agriculture, in the hopes that he would return the sun and the plants needed for survival. The carnival-like atmosphere included gift-giving, gambling, a large public banquet, and excessive drinking. There was a ritual of role reversal, where the slaves were treated like masters and their masters acted like slaves. And a Lord of the Saturnalia was elected, who would make silly orders that must all be obeyed. It was a fun time and hard to give up.

The followers of Mithra, a rival religion to the newborn Christianity, celebrated Yalda during the month of December. It marked the victory of light over darkness as the sun made its return and the days would grow longer. The festivities would include feasts, gift-giving, acts of charity, and prayers to the sun for protection of the winter crops. The masters and servants performed role reversals and a mock king would be elected.

The Norse people celebrated Yule during December, in honor of Odin, their chief god. The festivities included a Yule log, a Yule goat, Yule singing, huge banquets, and lots of drinking. The Celts, the Greeks, the inhabitants of a land that would one day be discovered accidently by the Europeans and called America, all of these peoples found fear in the shrinking days and celebrations to combat the problem. And who would say no to a good party?

The year 336 A.D. is the first time the calendar would mark December 25 as the birthday of Jesus. Why? By now it seems common knowledge that it is impossible for this to be the actual date on which Jesus was born. For one thing, shepherds would not watch their sheep in the cold days of winter. But the growing religion was competing against some powerhouses of theology, and most of them had a fun celebration each winter, usually on or around the 25th of December. The church leaders had a problem. How do you tell people to stop having parties, where gift-giving, drinking, and feasting were accepted rituals? How do you tell your followers to pray instead of drink? The task was daunting but the solution was obvious. Usurp the parties with one of your own. As Jesus became the person to be celebrated, the festivities could go on but the meaning changed.

A lot of the customs stayed as well. Parties. Gift-giving. A man to be in charge of good and bad. Jesus, of course, was not the right being to take charge of this holiday. For one thing, it was his birthday. You can’t expect the birthday boy to be in charge of his own party. For another thing, gift-giving and ruling over a drunken mob of banqueters seemed below His station. Two beings merged to take command. Saint Nicholas, the patron saint of children and sailors, led the field with stories of his generosity and kindness, while Odin, the Norse god, offered some of his characteristics and attitudes to the mythology. Thus was born the gift-giving Santa Claus.

But other beings also commanded this season. The Wild Man of the Woods seemed to haunt the dreams of societies from the earliest days of humanity. A being who lived as one with nature, the Wild Man had a mystical power over the trees and waters. He roamed the hills and dales, hidden from man, but always present. Even today we have legends of the Yeti, the Abominable Snowman, Bigfoot, Sasquatch, and others. These giant beings seemed monstrous and terrifying, but they also protected the land and the people.

From here we get Krampus. A monster covered in fur with terrifying teeth, sharp claws, and devilish horns, he also walked about like a man, able to comprehend human language and living a very human sort of lifestyle. In nearby lands, he might be called Starggele. Or he might be less of a shaggy beast and more human-like, such as Belsnickle, Père Foutard, or Hans Trapp.

Women were included in the list of winter beasties. There are witches like Perchta, La Befana, and Baba Yaga. And more mysterious beings like Lussi and Gryla.

The season wasn’t limited to human-like entities. Prowling about Iceland is the Yule cat with a ravenous appetite along with his friends the thirteen Christmas trolls, the Kallikantzaroi imps of Greece, and even the lovable elves residing in the North Pole.

Fortunately, most of these creatures seem interested only in the most wicked of us. Saint Nicholas, Father Frost, and Santa Claus all seem to balance out the season for the good. But for naughty children, this holiday is indeed a scary time of year.

The American Santa Claus seems to be invading many of these lands, and some of these Christmas icons are fading from us, though many households still honor the traditions. This book is an attempt to hold on to the legends and bring them to the life. Each story is based on the mythology of various regions of the world and attempts to explore and explain the creatures who have taken root in the winter lives of its people. Some of the stories are origins. Some of the stories are in honor of the traditions.

These are scary monsters, for the most part, and the stories hold on to the traditions of terror. But some of the local rituals are less frightening and more entertaining, even humorous. The Tio de Nadal, for example, has no scary monster at all, but instead offers a peek at what I think is the most unusual and interesting of all the Christmas traditions. The chapter on Lussi tries to merge two Christmas women who share the day and honor both their stories.

Hopefully, some readers may recognize local folk tales. The story of Ded Moroz incorporates several legends from Russian lands. The Elves story is based in America, but its roots are Germanic, and the legend of the Robber Bridegroom is hinted at to tell the tale of how elves came to become part of our Christmas lore. And there are several versions of how Saint Nicholas came to rescue three children who had the misfortune of being chopped into pieces and stored in a pickle barrel.

As is typical of ancient folk tales, there are a lot of variations. I took the liberty of selecting the variation that either made the most sense or worked best for my tales. La Befana, for example, has several explanations as to why the Wise Men stopped at the house of a solitary old woman. The version I tell is based on what seems to me the most compelling of the tales.

What I hope is that each of the thirteen tales written for this book will entertain and possibly frighten the reader in ways that will make you happy to have read them in the first place.

Chapter 1:

Krampus

Austria and Northern Germany

Resting on the red cloth-covered table were several dozen figurines, each carved tenderly out of salt blocks. Heinrick, an elderly man whose frail fingers trembled, betraying the artistic grace reflected in each of his carved animals and figures, lifted a statuette of the Virgin Mary cradling her young child in her arms. His favorite piece, it took many hours to complete, and he doted over it like a loving father, wishing only that whoever bought it would treat it with care and love.

A couple walked up, the scent of love wafting around them both. He was dressed in leather knee-breaches, sitting a size too large on his thin twenty-something frame, his hair ruffled with the unkempt abandonment of youth. In his arms was a girl of a similar age, wearing a blue coverlet over a ruffled white blouse, a green apron tied perfectly about her waste. She looked at Heinrick’s display, pointing to a carved wolf cradling her young cubs. The man kissed her and she blushed, dipping her head even as she smiled. They paid for the gift and went on their way. Heinrick had seen them wandering about town, both looking as if something was missing, and he was happy they had finally found each other.

This was life in the town of Hallstatt, Austria, in the year of 1619. The mountains poured down from the heavens, depositing Hallstatt on the shore of the sky blue lake that shared the town’s name. As the winter tugged and pulled the winds and land, the water would freeze over, allowing sleds and skaters joyous mobility. But winter was still months away and today was simply murky, with mud drying in the chill air from the recent sleet storm of the night before.

The salt Madonna flew from his hands and crashed onto the ground as the red blur bounded into the old man and rushed away in oblivion. The table rolled over and half the statues were lost in the ruckus. Heinrick was unsurprised to recognize Konrad, small and dirty in his faded carmine shirt as the source of this destruction, his boyish frame disappearing down the street. He was less surprised when a bevy of girls raced past chasing the boy.

Konrad yelled as he raced along the cobblestone streets of Hallstatt, unconcerned about the consequences his actions had on others. Konrad only cared about himself.

A mere ten years old, he took pride in his reputation as Hallstatt’s greatest trouble-maker. His sweet blue eyes and wild blond hair masked the plotting brain that found ways to torment the girls in the village daily. And not just the girls. Every adult had some sort of run-in with this mischievous lad. The ruination of Heinrick was accidental, as was the chamber pot spilled on Gunter’s head and the fright of Stefan late one summer night, which Stefan claims to this day caused his hair to turn white. But those who chased him today were the tragic product of his twisted sense of humor combined with a serendipitous encounter with mud and manure, thanks to the night’s wet storm.

Konrad found a cluster of evergreen bushes and ducked behind them just as the flock of ten girls, each one red with anger and clenched fists, rounded the corner after him. They had the misfortune to be walking past when Konrad decided to pull a prank requiring a slippery path and a quickly scuttled together pile of brown goop prepared by the expert prankster. Mud and horse manure dripped from their dresses as they passed the bush where their tormenter hid.

The tallest of the girls, Elsa, stopped. Looking suspiciously at the bush she yelled,

I can’t wait until Krampus gets you!

The other girls froze, shocked at the boldness of their friend. She said the word. Krampus. Still, it didn’t take long before all the girls were giddy with the horror of it. No one will miss you at all, Konrad, when they find your chewed-up bones, one girl taunted to a