Last year here at Dangerous Minds we declared that Krampus had hit the American mainstream, and just a couple of weeks ago we told you “fuck the elf on the shelf, here’s Krampus in the corner.” As we begin to see the department stores trot out their Christmas wares, we are reminded that Krampustime will soon be upon us. If you’re looking for a Krampusnacht gift for someone special, we have a suggestion: Feral House has just published the definitive work on Krampus and assorted other dark pagan Yuletide terrors. The exhaustively-researched The Krampus and the Old, Dark Christmas: Roots and Rebirth of the Folkloric Devil by Al Ridenour explores the origins of the Krampus myth, its recent popularization in the United States, the various celebrations and traditions associated with the creature, as well as similar European Christmas beasts. Click here to order this title via Amazon. Krampus, for anyone out of the loop, is a horned, anthropomorphic, demon-like creature who, according to Alpine folklore, is a companion to Saint Nicholas. He acts as the yin to Santa’s yang—punishing the naughty children while Saint Nicholas rewards the good. Krampus provides the dark...

This horrifying creature appears each year ready to punish the naughty. Here is everything you need to know about him.

If you already know about Krampus, chances are you’ve been a good girl or boy this year. If you don’t, here are some important things you need to know:

This horrifying creature appears each year ready to punish the naughty. Here is everything you need to know about him.

Страшный Крампус и Рождество. Старинные картинки. У Святого Николая есть "помощник"- Крампус, который наказывает непослушных детишек, а также искушает женщин. Крампус – антипод Святого Николая (деда Мороза), и поэтому в различных представлениях эти персонажи участвуют вместе. Только…

Here’s a little Christmas cheer for y’all. Ever heard of Krampus? On the evening of December 5th, the eve of Saint Nicholas Day, young men in Eastern European countries dress up as Kram…

We know that Santa Claus rides in a sleigh pulled by reindeer, and Halloween witches ride brooms, but have you ever wondered how Krampus gets to work? He takes the U-Bahn! Redditor Kos_Kun snapped a picture on his morning commute today in Vienna, Austria. Krampus activity is expected to surge from now until it peaks on December 5th....

La Iglesia de Satán es un espacio de encuentro y referencia para satanistas de habla hispana de todo el mundo.

As we know, Santa Claus comes to good children, but what about the naughty ones? Krampus comes to those who have been naughty. This character comes from Bavarian-Austrian folklore and takes the form of a demon with goat horns, with a basket on his back into which he kidnaps naughty children, a rod and bells. My today's project is inspired by the character of Krampus. Were these children good? Well, Krampus will decide. But I’ve got a feeling… Santa isn’t coming this year.. Products I have used - all the images linked to Mixed Media Place or online store:

Vintage Krampus postcards

Van oudsher vermommen jonge mannen in de Alpen zich in de eerste twee weken van december als de Krampus. Op 5 december zwerven ze met roestige bellen en kettingen over straat om de kwade geesten die rond midwinter aanwezig zijn te verjagen. Het woord Krampus is afkomstig van het Middelhoogduitse 'Krampen' of Kralle' wat klauw betekent. De naam van dit duivelse wezen kent vele varianten. Klaubauf (Oostenrijk) Pelzebock of Pelznickel (Beieren) Gumphinckel (Silezië) Krampusz (Hongarije) Schmutzli (Zwitserland) De huidige Krampus-kostuums bestaan meestal uit rode houten maskers, de huid van een zwart schaap en hoorns.

Everything you wanted to know about Krampus the Christmas Devil but were afraid to ask.

You know what's a great holiday gift idea? Tickets to our events! Get your FaerieCon West or Faerieworlds 2013 tickets now, beat the rush, and become a Yuletide champion! Get tickets...

jedes Jahr am 5. und 6. Dezember wirds teuflisch bei uns.... hier gibts zwar auch den Nikolaus - aber die Perchten sind viel spannender... schon mal ein kleiner Einblick und dann ist ja heute noch der 2. Adventsonntag.... Advent, Advent ein Lichtlein brennt... erst eins dann zwei schönen Restsonntag 

I posted a little pic of the Krampus I was making a little while back and got lots of curious and excited people wanting to know more about Krampus and also wanting to know if I'll be making more. I made this guy as custom order for a very sweet gal and it has been sent off to it's new home. I will be making other versions...perhaps one or two large like this guy and few smaller and ornament sized. Stay tuned for those! And as far as Krampus goes...from what I know...Krampus is a colleague of Santa Claus according to the old Germany stories. Santa tells Krampus about the naughty children and then Krampus seeks them out for punishment. He snatches the children... And carries them off in a big basket he wears on his back. He carries a birch stick that he uses to punish the naughty children and also sometimes pulls their hair and shackles them in chains. Pretty gruesome if you ask me...but certainly an effective way to keep your children behaving properly, and probably also an effective way to give them nightmares and a lifelong fear of goats! Spun cotton Krampus is not recommended for children, but is able to delight adults with it's history. Nowadays children are merely threatened to get nothing but coal for Christmas. Just like the story of Cinderella and other Grimm fairy tales are much kinder to the children who listen to them. (Did you know that in the original story of Cinderella, one step sister cuts off her big toe, and the other her heel, to fit into the glass slipper and at the end, the step mother gets her eyes pecked out by the dove who watches over Cinderella's mother's grave? Yikes!)

Did I make you curious? Are you here to learn about the legend of Krampus? Let me start by telling you that the Krampus Festival is one of the yearly Christmas traditions in Austria. It is a horrifying one, but certainly a true + interesting Christmas horror story. When

This horrifying creature appears each year ready to punish the naughty. Here is everything you need to know about him.

Страшный Крампус и Рождество. Старинные картинки. У Святого Николая есть "помощник"- Крампус, который наказывает непослушных детишек, а также искушает женщин. Крампус – антипод Святого Николая (деда Мороза), и поэтому в различных представлениях эти персонажи участвуют вместе. Только…

Well, now we know why Austrians don't celebrate Halloween... they've got Krampus parades! Krampus is the satanic companion of St. Nicholas (yes, Santa Claus). You can read more about Krampus here. On December 5, Krampus-Spiele will be played out all over Austria. Actors playing St. Nicholas and Krampus will visit children in their homes, and ask them if they know how to pray. St. Nick will reward children who pray with a satsuma. If they can't demonstrate that they can pray, Krampus will pound their toes with a hammer. This used to happen at Krampus parades, but there were so many injuries that now they just whip bystanders with horsehair whips. Sounds like some sort of hold-over Roman ritual to me! At the Krampus parade this evening, there were over 400 people dressed in Krampus costumes (plus a few St. Nicks and angels). Somes "krewes" had floats like the one above, and it was pretty much like a Rammstein concert (or like I imagine a Rammstein concert would be!) with music, smoke, and pyrotechnic effects. The masks are amazing, and most of the costumes are embellished with giant bells on their back sides and chains. The basket is, I think, also for naughty boys and girls. At the end of the parade, there was a fireworks show (I LOVE fireworks), then Rob and I walked back to Irdning via the Gallows Path. Next week there's a Krampus parade in Schladming and we're getting a group of people together to go. As Rob said, "That's probably the coolest thing I've ever seen in my life!"

Find out more about Krampus and some other "bad boys" of Christmas...

Find out more about Krampus and some other "bad boys" of Christmas...

Have you heard of Krampus? This creepy Alpine legend comes to live every december during the Salzburg Krampus run. A must-experience event!

Wlassics Olga: Ellentétes érzelmek, 1950-es évek (*) (via Fotoművészet) Copyright WestLicht Wien Sammlung Peter Coeln