Christmas in America has long been about receiving presents from Santa for being nice, or at worst, getting a lump of coal for being naughty. Though jolly St. Nicholas has long been a staple, the holiday season has historically hada sinister side across Europe.
In pagan and other pre-Christian traditions, legends arose of mythical beings who emerged during the long nights around the solstice to dole out more extreme punishments to those who weren't on their best behavior.
Here are seven stories of characters that have haunted Europeans for longer than America has been a country.
Belsnickel
Origin:Palatinate region, southwestern Germany
Belsnickel is a German monster who visits children to whip them into shape as a foil to jolly St. Nicholas.Belsnickel’s name comes from "belz,"an older German word for fur, and "nickel" as a nod to St. Nicholas. He wears a mask and dresses in all fursand is said to visit alone and quiz children before deciding to either reward them with a gift orpunish them with a wooden rod.
Belsnickel may have originated around the Middle Agesand is now well known across Pennsylvania, thanks to German immigrants who moved to the area, known as the Pennsylvania Dutch.
Krampus
Origin:Eastern Alpine Europe, particularly Germany and Austria
Krampus, whose name derives from the German word "krampen," meaning "claw," is a half-goat, half-man monster hailing from the Eastern Alpine region of Europe. Krampus is rumored to punish children who havebeen naughty on the evening of Dec. 5,also known as Krampusnacht, by whipping them, eating them or dragging them to hell. His benevolent counterpart, St. Nicholas, will then gift children who havebeen good on the following day, known as the Feast of St. Nicholas.
Celebrations involving the two began in pre-Christian times as far back as the sixth century. Today,many European towns host Krampuslauf, or Krampus run, events where men dress as Krampus and run amok, causing chaos. People also send holiday cards featuring Krampus, called Krampuskarten.
The Yule Lads, their parents andtheir cat
Origin:Iceland
The Yule Lads are 13 mischievous boys,each with a distinct name and description, who cause mayhem in the 13 days leading up to Christmas. They dwell in a mountainous cave with their parents and cat. Leppaluoi, their dad, is lazy and stays in the cave, andtheir mom, Gryla, is a giantess who seeks out naughty children to add to her stew.
Their cat’s name is Jolakotturinnand is also known as the Yule Cat. The Yule Cat is a giant black cat who lurks the countryside to devour anyone who isn’t wearing new clothes.
The Yule Lads’ first written mention was in a 17th-century poem, and in 1746 the Icelandic governmentbanned parents from telling scary storiesabout them to their kids. Today, they have a merrier connotation and are said to come down from the mountains to celebrate and entertain.
Frau Perchta
Origin:Alpine Austria and Germany
Frau Perchta, also known by Berchta and other variations, isa goddess from Alpine paganism in the early Middle Ages. She’s associated with Berchtentag, or the Fest of the Epiphany, which takes place on the twelfth night after Christmas on Jan. 6.
Her name means “bright one” because, depending on your behavior, she could either appear as a bright, youthful woman, or as a scary older witch with a long-beaked nose, one large foot, tattered clothes and a knife under her skirt.
Perchta is known to torment people who didn’t properly celebrate the 12 days of Christmas. If you spun yarn on a holiday or didn’t feast properly, Perchta was said to come to your house while you slept,slit your belly, rip out your guts and replace them with straw and pebbles.
Nisse
Origin:Norway
A nisse, known as a tomte in Sweden, is what we’d think of as a gnome – a tiny, bearded man wearing a red, cone-shaped hat. In the year 1200, a Swedish manfound a 6-inch-tall wooden statue depicting onein a fisherman’s house in Norway with the words“Nisse, Riktig Storrelse,” which translates to“Nisse, correct size.” They like to stay around farms and help with chores. In return, they request a bowl of porridge with butter on top. If they don’t get that, they will wreak havoc.
"When the Nisse Got No Butter on His Christmas Porridge" is a tale about a girl putting butter on the bottom of a nisse’s porridge instead of the top. When the nisse first saw the porridge, he got upset and killed the farm’s best cow, then came back to eat the porridge. Upon discovering the butter at the bottom, he felt remorse and stole the neighbor’s best cow to replace the one he killed.
Hans Trapp
Origin:Alsace-Lorraine region of France
Hans Trapp,also known as the Christmas Scarecrow, was derived from thereal story of a knight named Hans von Trotha. Von Trotha lived in the 1400s and got in arguments with the Catholic Church over property, which eventually led to him being excommunicated after he destroyed a dam that flooded a village.
The legend of Hans Trapp says he was a greedy man who was exiled for working with the devil to get more wealthy. While exiled, he disguised himself as a scarecrow and snatched up children to eat. He then got struck by a lightning bolt and died, but he is said to reappear in his scarecrow attire at Christmastime, preying on naughty children for food.
The Kallikantzaroi
Origin:Greece and southeastern Europe
The kallikantzaroi are a group of blind, black goblins who live underground during most of the yearsawing at the world tree– a motif throughout various folklores that connects the heavens to the Earth.They emerge during the 12 days of Christmasto wreak havoc and turn children born during that time into fellow kallikantzaroi.
If you want to protect your child, bind them in straw and garlic. And if you want to protect your house, keep a fire burning and place a colander outside the door. The kallikantzaroi will get distracted trying to count the holesbut will get lost at three because it’s a holy number.
This story originally published in December 2022.
