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Krampus

Rourke_Wality

Gone But Not Forgotten
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Dec 18, 2011
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Krampus the demon of Christmas. If you have been bad he might drown you in ink, pull out your hair by the roots or just drag you straight to hell.

Happy holidays children everywhere! :twisted:
 
Go, Krampus!!! :twisted:
 
Just the other day I was lamenting to my wife the lack of TV specials and songs extolling Krampus. Seems like kids these days could benefit with a little familiarity with K. (no, really, I was. And I wasn't talking about the band...)
 
Can't say I've heard of Krampus before, perhaps because he's an Alpine character:
Krampus is a mythical creature recognized in Alpine countries. According to legend, Krampus accompanies Saint Nicholas during the Christmas season, warning and punishing bad children, in contrast to St. Nicholas, who gives gifts to good children. When the Krampus finds a particularly naughty child, it stuffs the child in its sack and carries the frightened child away to its lair, presumably to devour for its Christmas dinner.

In the Alpine regions, Krampus is represented as a beast like creature, generally demonic in appearance. The creature has roots in Germanic folklore. Traditionally young men dress up as the Krampus in Austria, southern Bavaria, South Tyrol, and Hungary during the first week of December, particularly on the evening of 5 December, and roam the streets frightening children with rusty chains and bells. Krampus is featured on holiday greeting cards called Krampuskarten. There are many names for Krampus, as well as many regional variations in portrayal and celebration.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Krampus
 
A more recent appearance of Krampus can be found starting here.
 
The kiddies may be thinking that the season of Krampus is past.

Fear not, it is still the season for the Welsh tradition of the Marie Lwyd

Being chased down the street by a horse's skull on a blanket is character-building. They'll hardly have time to text anyone about it! 8)
 
JamesWhitehead said:
The kiddies may be thinking that the season of Krampus is past.

Fear not, it is still the season for the Welsh tradition of the Marie Lwyd

Is that Welsh for Marie Lloyd?
 
JamesWhitehead said:
It would have been an novel music hall act, if she had gone around biting people and pissing the fire out. :)

She'd probably get a six-part series on E4 doing that these days.
 
I'm interested in the history of 'Krampus' and I'm looking for images of 'him' which I think may be helpful as I'm trying to design my first ever knitting pattern to make a Krampus 'doll'
 
There was a Hollywood movie about Krampus released in 2015.
Other than that, your best bet might be pictutes of the parades.
 
There was a Hollywood movie about Krampus released in 2015.
Other than that, your best bet might be pictutes of the parades.

I'd recommend doing an image search (e.g., via Google) and concentrating on the vintage / antique portrayals of the Krampus figure. Here's a representative sample:

images.jpeg

These older portrayals aren't quite as over-the-top-blatantly-evil as more modern images, and they may be better suited to a doll (unless you want the doll to be terrifying at face value). Krampus was an enforcer, not a predator.

Suggestions: Don't forget the basket / sack, and make a point to give the doll the extended tongue.
 
Krampus looks like a cool dude. We've never had that as christmas tradition in Scandinavia.
 
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I'd recommend doing an image search (e.g., via Google) and concentrating on the vintage / antique portrayals of the Krampus figure. Here's a representative sample:


These older portrayals aren't quite as over-the-top-blatantly-evil as more modern images, and they may be better suited to a doll (unless you want the doll to be terrifying at face value). Krampus was an enforcer, not a predator.

Suggestions: Don't forget the basket / sack, and make a point to give the doll the extended tongue.
Many thanks for your help, the pictures you've added are great, I particularly like the one on the right... I shall indeed make a sack and an extended tongue. Not sure just how well my first attempt will be, but I need to try, any ideas on why Krampus has an extended tongue?
 
... any ideas on why Krampus has an extended tongue?

https://www.mentalfloss.com/section/holidays
9 Facts About Krampus, St. Nick's Demonic Companion

5. THE APPEARANCE OF KRAMPUS VARIES, BUT HE OFTEN HAS ONE HUMAN FOOT AND ONE CLOVEN HOOF.

gruss_vom_krampus.jpg


EARLY 1900S KRAMPUS GREETING CARD VIA WIKIMEDIA // PUBLIC DOMAIN
The Krampus costumes at Krampuslaufs are aesthetically varied—they may be reminiscent of devils, bats, goats, Abominable Snowmen, or something out of a Guillermo del Toro movie. There are usually some kind of horns and hides involved, but there’s also a lot of free rein.
Krampus has also been a fixture on Austrian holiday greeting cards since the 1800s, where he’s shown pursuing women or menacing children. On the cards, Krampus traditionally has a long tongue that sometimes lolls halfway down his chest, and sports one human foot and one cloven hoof—no one is entirely sure why.

SOURCE: https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/71999/9-facts-about-krampus-st-nicks-demonic-companion
 
Krampus looks like a cool dude. We've never had that as christmas tradition in Scandinavia.
Yes he does, I'm not sure where the tradition originates from but I don't recall it being traditional here in England either...
 
Yes he does, I'm not sure where the tradition originates from but I don't recall it being traditional here in England either...

The Krampus tradition is (AFAIK) indigenous to, and strongly associated with, the Alps region. It's especially prominent in what's now Austria, though I don't know if that's the tradition's birthplace.
 
Making a Krampus doll is not that difficult. You just need some yarn, some cotton wads for stuffing and the dried-up heart of a small boy. Blood from a goat is recommended, but it can be made without if needed.
 
Yes he does, I'm not sure where the tradition originates from but I don't recall it being traditional here in England either...

A GREAT shame. All our kids get is 'Father Christmas is watching you!'. Where's the fun in that? Children need a fright, it's good for them.
 
Making a Krampus doll is not that difficult. You just need some yarn, some cotton wads for stuffing and the dried-up heart of a small boy. Blood from a goat is recommended, but it can be made without if needed.

Eeeek! Seriously though, is there a traditional Scandinavian way to make a Krampus doll?
 
There's a really funny video of a Krampus visit to a nursery. The poor little kids are TERRIFIED. They all promise to be good and are then given gifts.
 
Yep, it's a Tyrol-thing.

There is however a swedish tradition for someone to dress up in a bad goat costume and scare people at christmas. It seems to have died out.
 
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