Krampus: St. Nick’s Evil Side Kick

Like most folklore, Krampus has a long history and a mysterious origin story. It’s believed to have originated in Germany since its name derives from the German word “Krampen” which translates to claw. Krampus is thought to have been part of pagan rituals for the winter solstice and according to some lore, he is the son of Hel, the Norse God of the underworld. 

With the spread of Christianity, Krampus became associated with Christmas, although the Catholic church tried to ban celebrations in his honor during the 12th century. 

Krampus is a half-goat, half-demon monster. He’s described as a towering, seven-foot-tall, hairy creature depicted as having bulging eyes, a whip-like tongue, pointed ears, and horns. He has mismatched feet: one cloven hoof and the other a bear-like claw. Krampus is typically carrying chains which is thought to symbolize the binding of the devil by the Christian Church. It’s supposed to make him less powerful but he thrashes the chains for dramatic effect. In some variations of the story, there are also bells. He is very noisy. 

Despite efforts to ban the creature, Krampus is rumored to haunt countries like Germany, Austria, and Greece during December. And he wasn’t traveling alone. Krampus isn’t the star but the devil on the saint’s shoulders. 

Krampus is rumored to be the evil counterpart of St. Nicholas, the Bishop of Myra and the patron saint of children, sailors, students, teachers, and merchants. He is credited with several miracles and has evolved into St. Nick or Santa Claus. Except, in Germanic tradition, St. Nicholas comes in early December with an evil companion. 

In the Germanic tradition, St. Nick is the good guy who rewards the good kids with presents and sweets. Krampus is the bad guy who beats the bad kids. The two are partners rather than enemies, they work together to take care of children. Whether that be rewarding their good behavior with presents or beating the bad behavior out of them with Birch twigs. 

The duo would travel together on December 5th, known as Krampusnacht, which translates to Krampus night. They’d go door-to-door and determine the children who have been naughty or nice. The nice kids would get presents and the naughty kids were beaten with sticks, sometimes eaten or taken to the underworld. 

Once the two were done, the Germanic people would celebrate Nikolaustag or St. Nicholas Day on December 6th. The good kids and those who survived being beaten by Krampus would wake up on December 6th to presents from St. Nick.

Running from the Devil

The myth and influence of Krampus diminished heavily after World War II, but renewed interest in folk culture rose in the 1950s and 1960s. By the late 20th century, Krampuslauf or Krampus Runs became a staple part of tradition in Austria and Germany as a way to preserve cultural heritage. 

The event features drunk people dressed up as Krampus, running through the streets. This stems from a pagan tradition that goes back centuries where young men wore costumes and marched the streets in an attempt to get rid of the ghosts of winter. 

American celebrations of Krampus certainly derive from the drunken celebrations of Krampuslauf. Surprisingly, this is similar to how Christmas was originally celebrated before the 19th century. According to author Stephen Nissenbaum, Christmas originally began as a combination of Halloween, New Year's Eve, and Mardi Gras. Celebrations included mummers who would go door to door demanding alcohol. This later evolved into trick or treating. 

Media Frenzy 

After 1890, the Austrian postcard industry began to explode. This included Krampus Christmas cards. These cards often featured text like “Brav Sein” which translates to “Be good” and “Gruss vom Krampus” which translates to greetings from Krampus. Images on the cards often showed children being frightened or kidnapped by Krampus.

Cards for adults emerged around 1903 and 1904. Some depicted adults being punished by Krampus while others were designed to be funny and…sexy. For example, there were cards depicting baddie versions of Krampus. They also had Krampus taking women away or flirting with them on cards. 

There are also graphic novels starring the creature. The graphic novel Chickenhare had a Krampus named Banjo as one of the main characters. Klaus is a graphic novel written by Grant Morrison and Krampus: Shadow of Saint Nicholas, was a 2015 graphic novel released by Legendary Entertainment as a tie-in with the 2015 Krampus film. The novel Krampus: The Yule Lord was written by Gerald Brom in 2012. 

There are many, many movies featuring the Christmas creature. The most popular Krampus movie is the movie titled Krampus. Released in 2015, the Christmas comedy horror film has an insane cast including Adam Scott, Toni Collette, David Koechner, Allison Tolman, and Conchata Ferrell.

Before this Krampus film, there was Krampus: The Christmas Devil, a direct-to-video horror film released in 2013. The following direct-to-video movies came out after this was released: Krampus: The Devil Returns; Krampus Unleashed; Mother Krampus; Mother Krampus 2; and Krampus Origins. 

Krampus even guest stars in an episode of Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated titled, “Wrath of Krampus”. 

Various Versions 

There are various versions of this little devil in different regions of Europe and around the world. In post-reformation Germany a secular character known as Pelz-Nickel emerged to combine both the kind qualities of St. Nick and the scary qualities of Krampus. It’s believed that German immigrants brought the legend of Pelze-Nickel over with them to America in the 17 and 1800s. The name slowly morphed into Belsnickel. Today Belsnickel is a staple of Christmas in Pennsylvania Dutch communities.