What is Krampus?

Krampus is a very scary figure straight out of Central European folklore. He's always been described as being an anthropomorphic figure with large horns who is half-goat, half-demon. He also has hooves, is quite hairy, and has a long and pointed tongue with fangs. Plain and simple, he looks incredibly scary to anyone who's unfortunate enough to cross him.

His terrifying appearance is just the beginning. Krampus is said to punish misbehaving children during Christmas. He may have a basket on him to help make kidnapping naughty children easier. Some iterations of Krampus have him putting children in a bag to take them away. Others have him drowning or eating children. Krampus may even drag children to Hell to burn for eternity. Then, Saint Nicholas (AKA Santa Claus) will reward good children with toys.

What are Krampus' origins?

Surprisingly, Karmpus' origins didn't begin with Christmas. Instead, they're rooted in "pre-Germanic paganism" across the country of Austria. However, he's also popular in Bavaria, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, northern Italy, and Slovakia. The name itself comes fromkrampen, which translates to "claw". He's also supposed to be the son of Hel, who's said to be the Norse God of the underworld.

Sometime during the 12th century, the Catholic Church in Austria tried to ban any and all Krampus-related celebrations within the country. This was due largely to Krampus' uncanny resemblance to the Devil. However, this move failed. The Christian Social Party- a conservative political party in Austria- tried again in 1934, but that didn't work either. In fact, in later years, Krampus has been used as a tool to welcome young immigrants and refugees alike into Austria by educating them on the scary folklore figure.

via Bloody Disgusting

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For a while, Krampus' presence in pop culture wasn't heavy. It only came up sporadically on different TV shows. In the adult cartoon showAmerican Dad, Krampus is responsible for kidnapping Steve, one of the show's more popular characters. The American version ofThe Office parodied Krampus with Dwight's Belsnickel. One ofSupernatural's Christmas-themed episodes as a potential culprit for suspicious Christmas-related deaths. Then there wasGrimm's adaptation of Krampus, which stuck to the folklore of him kidnapping naughty children and leaving coal in their place. There were other references in pop culture outside of television, but they weren't all that memorable.

That would change when the comedy-horror flickKrampus came out on December 4th, 2015. Despite mixed critical reviews, it was fairly successful at the box office. Starring recognizable talents such as Adam Scott and Toni Collette, it was the first time that Krampus showed up at the forefront of pop culture. It's a great horror movie that showed off Krampus for the very first time in all of his terrifying glory as he tries to capture a bickering family during the Christmas season- one by one.

How is Krampus celebrated today?

By the end of the 20th century, there was a large resurgence of Krampus celebrations. That has continued today, much to the enjoyment of those who still love Krampus to this day. This is due in part to some people wanting to celebrate the holiday season in a rather unorthodox manner. Krampus parties, Krampusnachts, and even Krampus-themed races are all trends in North America and Europe alike, as well as other places around the world.

Unsurprisingly, Krampus is still extremely popular in its homeland of Austria. The country has even gone so far as to commercialize this folklore figure. This includes selling collectible horns, chocolates, and figurines that capture the horrifying essence of Krampus. While some feel like that's ridiculous, others are loving it. All that matters is that the spirit of Krampus and its accompanying legend will carry on to help scare naughty children into being good. Otherwise, they could become Krampus' next victim this Christmas season!