| The Krampus | |
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Real Name |
The Krampus |
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First appearance |
Unknown |
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Original publisher |
Alpine folklore |
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Created by |
The World |
Origin[]
Krampus is a creature originating in Alpine folklore, who punishes naughty children during Christmas. He is considered one of Saint Nicolas's companions. Young men parade around dressed as him during the Christmas season, he's also featured on greeting cards. He may be of pagan origin.
Krampus is usually featured as a man with horns with one grotesque human foot and one foot of a goat. He is typically covered in black hair and has a very long snake or dragon-like tongue. These qualities have increasingly made Krampus a character for horror costumes and films.
Although Krampus appears in many variations, most share some common physical characteristics. He is hairy, usually brown or black, and has one foot that has the cloven hooves and horns of a goat. His long, pointed tongue drops out, and he has fangs.
Krampus carries chains, thought to symbolize the binding of the Devil by the Christian Church. He thrashes the chains for dramatic effect. The chains are sometimes accompanied with bells of various sizes. Krampus will carry a bundle of birch branches with which he occasionally swats children. The birch branches are replaced with a whip in some representations. On Christmas Eve, Krampus travels with a sack or a basket strapped to his back; this is to cart off evil children for drowning, eating, or transport to Hell. Some of the older versions make mention of naughty children being put in the bag and taken away. This quality can be found in other companions of Saint Nicholas such as Zwarte Piet.
Public Domain Literary Appearances[]
All Published appearances of Krampus from before January 1, 1930 are public domain in the US.