The Krampus and the Old, Dark Christmas: Roots and Rebirth of the Folkloric Devil

Synopsis

With The Appearance Of The Demonic Christmas Character Krampus In Contemporary Hollywood Movies, Television Shows, Advertisements, And Greeting Cards, Medieval Folklore Has Now Been Revisited In American Culture. Krampus-related Events And Parades Occur Both In North America And Europe, And They Are An Ever-growing Phenomenon. Though The Krampus Figure Has Once Again Become Iconic, Not Much Can Be Found About Its History And Meaning, Thus Calling For A Book Like Al Ridenour's The Krampus: Roots And Rebirth Of The Folkloric Devil. With Krampus's Wild, Graphic History, Feral House Has Hired The Awarded Designer Sean Tejaratchi To Take On Ridenour's Book About This Ever-so-curious Figure. Map Of Significant Towns & Landmarks -- Introduction : The Dead Of Winter -- 1. Gruss Vom Krampus, The Dark Companions -- From Alps To Internet -- The Krampus Arrives In America -- American Misconceptions -- Krampuskarten -- The Krampus By Any Other Name -- Knecht Ruprecht -- The Christkind And The Weihnachtsmann -- Père Fouettard, Hans Trapp, And Schmutzli -- Zwarte Piet -- Frightful Stories For Better Children -- Roots Of The Kinderschreckfigur -- 2. The Devil At The Door -- Meeting The Krampus -- The Rempler -- Gastein And The Krampus -- Where The Krampus Runs -- The Run Versus The House Visit -- Traditional Figures Of The Krampus Troupe -- The House Visit -- Troupe Life -- Suiting Up -- Masks -- That Furry Suit -- Switches, Bells, Basket, And Chain -- Modern Trends In Mask And Costume -- 3. The Beast Pursues His Game -- A Cruel Sport -- The Prey -- Injuries And Aggression -- Under The Influence -- Show And Spectacle -- True To The Good Old Ways -- Women And The Tradition -- Krampus Unchained -- Rite Of Passage -- Regional Variations -- 4. The Church Breeds A Monster -- A Not-so-jolly St. Nicholas -- Unseemly Holy Legends -- The Devil In Medieval Christmas Plays -- King Herod, Earthly Devil -- The Devil's Stagecraft -- Nicholas In Paradise Plays -- Jesuit Pedagogy And Nicholas -- Nicholas Meets The Perchten -- Nicholas Play Or Nicholas Parade? -- St Nicholas Gets Rowdy -- Strange Company For A Saint -- Carnival Influences -- Early Tyrolean Diffusion -- Scenes From A Nicholas Play -- Existing Nicholas Plays And Parades -- The Boy Bishops -- The Feast Of Fools -- The Old Ways : Kalends And Saturnalia -- 5. Frau Perchta, Witches, And Ghosts -- Witch And Goddess, Benevolent Monster -- Who Are The Perchten? -- Perchta And Epiphany -- Celtic Or Germanic Goddesses? -- From Perchta To Perchten -- Domestic Oversight And Female Perchten -- The Belly Slitter And Her Dreadful Way -- A Mother Goose Tale -- Foods For Perchta -- Perchta And The Heimchen -- Holda-holle -- Frau Holle Tales -- Frau Holle Country -- Enchantress In The Mountain -- Holda Becomes A Witch -- Herodias, Perchta, And A Hissing Head -- Loyal Eckhart, Ghosts, A Jug Of Beer -- The Inexhaustible Sacrifice -- Magic In The Venusberg -- Witchcraft Born In The Alps -- Witch Hunting And Hauntings In Tyrol -- Witch Fires -- La Befana -- Perchta By Any Other Name -- Ghostly Company -- 6. The Haunted Season -- Unholy Nights -- Companies Of Ghosts -- Wuotan And The Wild Hunt -- The Night Folk -- Wild Hunters -- The Wild Hunter Tü̈rst -- The Twelve Nights, The Rauhnächte -- Rauhnacht Superstitions -- Ausräuchern (censing) --^ Knocking Nights -- The Glöcklern -- Pelzmärtel, The St. Martin Monster -- Release The Wolves! -- Winter Comes Early -- Halloween Leans Toward Christmas -- The St. Barbara Creatures -- A Dark St. Lucy -- Bloody Thomas -- Bavarian Forest Rauhnacht Celebrations -- The World Of The Krampus -- 7. The Perchten -- A Parade In Gastein -- Finding A Pagan Percht -- The Habergeiss -- A Spirit Of The Fields -- Cave Of The Habergeiss -- Goats Everywhere -- A Scandinavian Connection -- Origins Of The Habergeiss -- Disciplined By A Goat -- Magic Rite Or Playful Celebration? -- The Wild Hunt Of Untersberg -- The Kirchseeon Perchtenlauf -- The Pinzgau Tresterer -- Perchten In The Tyrolean Unterland -- The Gastein Perchtenlauf -- Schiachperchten, Witches, And Perchta -- 8. Pagan Roots And Final Questions -- Too Bright To See -- A Devil's Cross -- The Beautiful Ones Arrive -- The Swiss Version -- How Perchta Grew A Second Face -- Influences From Venice -- Between Carnival Amusements And Folk Ritual --^ Where Perchta Lived On -- Healthy Skepticism -- Lucky Strikes -- Life Switches And Smacking Easter -- Battles In The Clouds -- A Swiss Connection? -- Flying Leaps -- The Monsters Between The Years -- Conclusion : Why The Krampus Must Come. By Al Ridenour. Includes Index.