WEBVTT - Who Is Krampus?

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to brain Stuff from How Stuff Works, Hey, brain Stuff,

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<v Speaker 1>Lauren Vogelbaum. Here, as the holidays close in, parents inevitably

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<v Speaker 1>remind unruly children that Santa Claus is watching them. But

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<v Speaker 1>there's another lurker out there in the long dark night,

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<v Speaker 1>and he's watching too, a thing of fur and horns

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<v Speaker 1>and cloven hoof. Yes, Virginia, there is a Crampus. And

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<v Speaker 1>for naughty kids, this demonic beast man brings chains and

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<v Speaker 1>switches instead of toys. Every December five, the Crumpus knocked

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<v Speaker 1>eve of the Feast of St. Nicholas. Legend has it

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<v Speaker 1>that he descends from the mountain wilds to terrorize children

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<v Speaker 1>and drag the worst of their lot away in a

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<v Speaker 1>foul wicker basket. While he's not the only Yule Tide

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<v Speaker 1>boogeyman in Western tradition, Crampus has clawed his way to

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<v Speaker 1>the front of that frightening pack, not only surviving within

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<v Speaker 1>his native dramatic alpine traditions, but also managing to achieve

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<v Speaker 1>international notoriety. Before we explore the history and psychology of Crampus,

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<v Speaker 1>you're probably wondering why Yule tide boogeymen even exist. Surely,

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<v Speaker 1>holidays are a time of light and childlike wonder, not monsters, kidnappers. Ah.

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<v Speaker 1>But the holidays, at least in northern latitudes, have always

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<v Speaker 1>been a time of darkness. As sure, we light trees,

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<v Speaker 1>sing carols, and feast upon the spoils of hunt and harvest,

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<v Speaker 1>But the wintertime future is uncertain. Well, spring thar our

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<v Speaker 1>frozen world, while our crops grow again, will our larder

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<v Speaker 1>be enough to make it through the winter. That's one

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<v Speaker 1>reason why if you venture through world mythology, you'll pass

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<v Speaker 1>countless devils, satyrs, and horned spirits who all resemble good

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<v Speaker 1>old Crampus. In Greek mythology, for instance, you'll find Hades

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<v Speaker 1>abduction of Persephone, the daughter of the harvest goddess Demeter.

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<v Speaker 1>It's a tense piece of drama that explains the Earth's seasons.

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<v Speaker 1>Winter arrives when Persephone must enter captivity in Hades, and

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<v Speaker 1>spring returns when she emerges again. Each year. The tale

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<v Speaker 1>serves as an iconic reminder that winter is an inherently

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<v Speaker 1>apocalyptic time, pitting the forces of light and life against

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<v Speaker 1>darkness and death. These motifs permeate many early religions, and

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<v Speaker 1>when Christianity spread throughout Europe. These old gods and spirits

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<v Speaker 1>never quite died out. Rather, people wove them into the

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<v Speaker 1>new religious tapestry. Early Christians transplanted the birth of their savior,

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<v Speaker 1>Jesus Christ to December twenty five, as this was a

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<v Speaker 1>date associated with older celebrations of the new Sun, that

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<v Speaker 1>resurgent celestial force destined to defeat the long winter, and

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<v Speaker 1>so Crampus ties into a rich legacy of winter darkness,

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<v Speaker 1>seasonal fear, and pre Christian traditions involving harvest, spirits and

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<v Speaker 1>wild men. But Crampus's exact origins are just as uncharted

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<v Speaker 1>as the uncivilized wilds from which he emerges every December five.

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<v Speaker 1>Saint Nicholas, that solemn Catholic precursor to Jolly Santa Claus,

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<v Speaker 1>first gained popularity among German speaking people during the eleventh century.

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<v Speaker 1>Crampus became part of the festivities over the centuries to follow,

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<v Speaker 1>but he undoubtedly dated back to pre Christian customs surrounding

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<v Speaker 1>the pagan goddess Prictha and her consort of frightening and

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<v Speaker 1>unruly shall perchten. These customs never vanished and eventually rebounded

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<v Speaker 1>by the sixteenth century. Pagan schell Brichton processions became a

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<v Speaker 1>frequent part of winter festivities in Salzburg, Austria, despite centuries

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<v Speaker 1>of Christian traditions. Catholic attempts to ban these festivals in

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<v Speaker 1>the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries proved feudal, so a demonic

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<v Speaker 1>key goat earned his tenure in Alpine holiday traditions. In

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<v Speaker 1>Alpine celebrations, Crampus and st Nick come to life through

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<v Speaker 1>the use of costumes and wooden masks. But maybe you

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<v Speaker 1>can guess which role is more popular for clad goatmen

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<v Speaker 1>tend to parade through the streets unmass every Crumpus knocked

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<v Speaker 1>yes to this day. They rattle their chains, brandished torches,

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<v Speaker 1>and leap about with wild and indiscriminate energy. As with

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<v Speaker 1>many masked rituals and celebrations around the world, the rights

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<v Speaker 1>of Crumpus knocked are transformative. They allow participants to abandon

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<v Speaker 1>the conventions of daily life and indulge in a wilder

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<v Speaker 1>and perhaps darker aspect of their personality. As such, it's

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<v Speaker 1>easy for things to get a little out of hand.

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<v Speaker 1>Many processions limit the costume participants to keep everyone from

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<v Speaker 1>crossing that thin line between good natured holiday horror and

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<v Speaker 1>emotional abuse. Back in two thousand six, concerned parents, along

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<v Speaker 1>with Austrian child psychologist Max Friedrich, spoke out against the

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<v Speaker 1>demon's violent influence, as well as what Friedrick called childhood

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<v Speaker 1>Crampus trauma. Somewhere along the line, Santa had been banned

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<v Speaker 1>from visiting kindergartens in Vienna, but Crampus apparently still had

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<v Speaker 1>access in Tift. Amid the massive influx of Syrian and

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<v Speaker 1>Iraqi refugees into rural Austria, community representatives made special efforts

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<v Speaker 1>to prepare newcomers, especially children, for their frighteningly fun holiday festivities.

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<v Speaker 1>In the past, Crampus detractors have even outlawed the demon outright.

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<v Speaker 1>Before Nazi Germany's ninety eight invasion of Austria, Catholic austrofascists

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<v Speaker 1>briefly held power, and, as reported in a nineteen forty

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<v Speaker 1>five New York Times article, they saw Crampus as a demonic,

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<v Speaker 1>unruly and potentially communist usurper of Christian tradition. Crampus postcards

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<v Speaker 1>and candies have always been popular, but around that time

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<v Speaker 1>Crampus had virtually usurped the role of prime gift giver.

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<v Speaker 1>It was this demon, not St Nick who made rounds

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<v Speaker 1>with sweets and gifts. The Austro fascists ordered anyone in

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<v Speaker 1>a Crampus costume arrested on site. They also required that

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<v Speaker 1>all St. Nick's be licensed by the state and monitored.

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<v Speaker 1>Despite the continuing war on Crampus and any misgivings we

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<v Speaker 1>might have about scaring good behavior into children with a

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<v Speaker 1>threat of inhuman kidnapping, the tradition not only indoors but flourishes.

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<v Speaker 1>Internet culture and the rejection of homogenized holiday traditions have

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<v Speaker 1>led to a full blown international Crampus revolution. If you're

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<v Speaker 1>listening to this episode as it comes out, you've missed

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<v Speaker 1>this year's Crumpus Knocked, but it's never too early to

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<v Speaker 1>start planning for next year. Today's episode was written by

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<v Speaker 1>Robert Lamb and produced by Tyler Clang. If you're looking

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<v Speaker 1>for gifts for those on either your naughty or nice list,

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<v Speaker 1>check out our online shop at t public dot com

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<v Speaker 1>slash brain Stuff. Every purchase supports us, and of course,

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<v Speaker 1>for more on this and lots of other festive topics,

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<v Speaker 1>visit our home planet, how Stuff Works dot com. M