I was so excited to watch the Christmas special of
Grimm last Friday! I always look forward to watching Grimm, but this episode had Krampus! For those who don't follow the show, it involves a lot of different creatures. Some are based on old Grimm's fairy tales, some are creatures designed especially for the show, and others are cultural legends. Grimm has recently been doing the cultural legend thing and I love it! A few weeks ago, I learned about
El Cucuy, a boogeyman type creature told of in some Hispanic countries. The Krampus episode had some similarities, because he is also a creature creating a form of justice.
Many of the people who read this blog are well familiar with Krampus, but I'll give a quick explanation for anyone who isn't. In some Alpine and Northern European countries, the Krampus follows St. Nicholas around to meet with the children. While St. Nicholas is the giver of gifts, Krampus is more the giver of swats with the sticks he carries around. If you've been really awful, he'll load you into his sack and carry you off as a snack for later. Krampus is a horrifying devil-like creature who is often depicted with hooves and a long, red tongue. Here's how he looked on Grimm:
Pretty cool, hey? I couldn't have been happier with how he was represented! Here's Krampus with his switch and bag for collecting naughty kids:
In this plot, Krampus takes the kids and hangs them from the tallest trees in baskets. I'd never heard that part of the legend.
This Krampus not only looked scary, but he also had a scary voice. It was used sparingly, which I thought was perfect. I found a video full of Krampus moments. You will definitely get the idea! (There's a short advertisement before you see Krampus.)
What do you think? I think it's amazing how far mask making has come. Today, Krampus can be ultra scary with the use of silicone masks and contact lenses. I saw some modern Krampus get-togethers on YouTube recently and it's really spine-tingling now. I'm sure it always was, but now Krampus is like something from a Horror movie. This 2012 Krampus parade video was taken in Austria:
I find this video fascinating but I don't know if I'd be up for attending one of these parades in person. There's always that potential for people to get extra aggressive when they're wearing masks, carrying sticks, and probably fueled with a little beer! Still, I liked the creativity of the costumes, that red fire, and the way that one Krampus got lifted up.
I found a series of postcards and a few photos to give you an idea of what Krampus looked like back in the day:
Krampus postcardsThe first two photos are of traditional Krampus costumes You've come a long way Krampus!
