Take, for instance, the mythical Icelandic giantess (ogre) Grýla, who lives in the mountains of Iceland with her 13 (seven dwarf-esque) sons, the Yule Lads, her third husband and a large black cat named Jólakötturinn. Said to come to town with Grýla and the Yule Lads, the myth of the Jólakötturinn is worthy of a blog all to itself as it is stalks the snowy countryside to devour anyone who has not received new clothes on Christmas Eve. It is believed that farmers used this belief to maintain maximum productivity among the wool workers. The premise is simple: work hard for material gain or slack off and get eaten by a giant cat. Honestly, I’m surprised that Hollywood hasn’t snatched that story line right up. You can read through the English translation of the poem that is passed down in Icelandic heritage here: Björk – Jólakötturinn (english Translation) Lyrics | Golyr.de.

As the legend goes, Grýla, her sons and her evil cat would all go out on Christmas to each get into their own trouble. Grýla would hunt the naughty children then boil them in her cauldron and devour them. She could only capture the naughty children and if those captured repented and were truly sorry for their misdeeds then she was bound to release them. While their mother was boiling the neighborhood children, the Yule Lads were wreaking havoc and chaos throughout the town. Just like the seven dwarfs, the Yuleman each had very unique personalities and their name represented the havoc they created:

• Sheep-Cot Clod – who suckles the farmer’s yews
• Gully Gawk – who steals the foam from the buckets of cow milk
• Stubby – the short one who steals food from the frying pans
• Spoon Licker – this one is pretty self-explanatory
• Pot Scraper (Licker) – steals the unwashed pots and pans and licks them clean
• Bowl Licker – steals the bowls of food from under the Icelanders beds (not sure why they had bowls of food under their bed…)
• Door Slammer – again, pretty self-explanatory. He would keep everyone awake by stomping around and slamming doors
• Skyr Gobbler – would eat up all the yogurt or Skyr as it is called in Iceland
• Sausage Swiper – would..surprisingly enough..steal sausage
• Window Peeper – a peeping Tom that would sometimes steal the things he saw inside
• Door Sniffer – this guy had a huge nose and an insatiable appetite for stolen baked goods
• Meat Hook – would snatch up any meat that was left out and had a particular taste for smoked lamb
• Candle Beggar – would steal the highly sought after candles in town

Prior to 1746, the story of Grýla and her sons was used by parents to scare their children into behaving and the actions of the Yule Lads were a bit darker and more bloodthirsty than the version we have today. In 1746, due to the gruesomeness of the story, the Icelandic government prohibited parents from using it to terrify their children into submission so Grýla and her murderous family faded into the annals of history.

So this holiday season, while you’re snuggled in, enjoying the warmth and comfort this time of year can bring, just know that the Krampus isn’t the only monster lurking outside waiting to punish you for your transgressions. Happy Holidays!

The post Grýla, Jólakötturinn, & the Yule Lads appeared first on Association of Paranormal Study.

You better watch out, you better not cry, you better not pout….not because Santa Claus will put you on the naughty list, but because you’ll get a swat from a scary incubus with claws, known as Krampus, and possibly dragged into hell in a basket.  Depending on where you live, the holidays may not be all about holiday cheer and positivity, but instead, a rather terrifying one if you weren’t a good boy or girl this year!

If you’re from Germany or Bavaria, or any Alpine region, the legend of Krampus may be a familiar one.  In fact, December 6th marks a day known as Krampusnacht (Night of Krampus), also regarded as the “night before St. Nicholas”.  To celebrate, people will have parties featuring men dressed as the holiday devil himself.  Costumes include sheepskin, claws, horns, and switches so that they can swat unsuspecting children and maybe a few ladies.   Other costumes will also include witches, devils, wild-men, and other scary get-ups while bearing torches and copious amounts of alcohol and an event called Krampuslauf (Krampus Run).  In fact, these men are encouraged to terrorize the children.  Interestingly enough, the Pennsylvania Dutch culture has a figure very similar to Krampus called, Pelsnickel or Belznickel.  So some traditions stayed after the migration from Germany to North America.

Krampus means, “claw”, and he is the darker counterpart of Saint Nicholas.  While Santa Claus will reward nice children, Krampus will swat naughty children, terrify them with his cloven hooves and monstrous tongue that would make Gene Simmons blush, and tying them to baskets with chains and taken down to hell.  If that’s not motivation to behave, I don’t know what is!

The belief and lore of Krampus is actually older than Jesus.  Krampus was born from an Alpine Pagan tradition during winter solstice that dates back to pre-Christian times.  In fact, the origin of Krampus has a performance element to it due to villagers dressing up as mythic creatures, animals, wild-men, and devils and performing in parades and plays (known as mummery).  It is believed that this was one of the early inspirations for Halloween.  And here’s another fun fact, the common figures in these rituals was Old Man Winter and a horned Goat-Man.  Sound familiar?  Santa actually has more pagan roots associated with winter solstice than our traditional Christian-themed Christmas holiday.

It’s not only the men who get to have “fun” during this season, women can also have their share as well.  Many women will wear masks and dress up as the Nordic goddess Perchta, otherwise known as Frau Perchta.

It would have been a sin to deprive you of this image of Krampus and Santa riding it SOA style.

One of my favorite parts about the Krampus tradition is the Krampus cards, holiday greeting cards with a humorous and dark twist featuring our favorite holiday devil.  These booomed in the mid-1800’s as Christmas cards became popular in Europe.  Of course there needed to be balance between the good and evil, light and dark, grim and cheerful…right?

In the last 10 years, Krampus has been featured on the series, Supernatural, and has even paid a visit to The Colbert Report.  Monte Beauchamp has played a large role in resurrecting Krampus in American culture by reintroducing the figure in his books and shedding light on the vintage art.

Here’s a video of a Krampusleuf from 2010:

If you want to learn more about Krampus, take a gander at these websites:

Krampus.com

Krampus: Devil of Christmas

10 Fun Facts About Krampus

The post Krampus: The Holiday Devil appeared first on Association of Paranormal Study.