Above: A depiction of Krampus and St. Niklaus visiting a home in Vienna, 1896
It’s only fitting that Christmas has a demonic entity of its own. Most of the traditions we consider synonymous with the holiday – decorating trees, garlands of holly and pine, gathering around the hearth – are pagan in origin, borrowed from the Germanic festival of Yule. In fact, Christ’s birth is believed to have actually happened in May, but its celebration was moved to combat, and eventually assimilate, the lively pre-Christian festivals that threatened to keep pagans from converting to the church. The gods of these old religions, meanwhile – figures like Pan, Odin and Hecate – were recast as demons and monsters. One of those, the archaic forest spirit that Wiccans refer to as the Horned God, eventually evolved into the figure we now know as Krampus.
Krampus is basically central Europe's answer to a lump of coal in one’s stocking. While Saint Nicholas would bring good children gifts and treats, Krampus would come to whip them with a birch switch and deafen them with rattling chains (meant to symbolise the binding of Satan). Especially naughty children are stuffed in the demon's satchel so that later they can be drowned, eaten, or even taken back to Hell. Usually, Krampus is shown as a mischievous horned monster with goats’ hooves with his tongue lolling out, but sometimes he’s reimagined as a Faustian man with a moustache, or a full-on goat monster. While Saint Nick was a figure of stern kindness, Krampus was one of hilarious mayhem.