Hello everybody!
We all heard about Santa Klaus and Saint Nicholas.
They are practically the icons of the winter holidays.
But in different cultures there are many more characters and creatures related to Christmas.
I will present to you 23 of them…
Enjoy!
The Nisser
A Nisser is a mythological creature from Nordic folklore today typically associated with the
winter solstice and the Christmas season.
They are generally described as being short, having a long white beard, and wearing a conical
or knit cap in grey, red or some other bright colour.
They often have an appearance somewhat similar to that of a garden gnome.
The most distinctive things about Nisser is their love of looking after animals, their
love of practical jokes and that they help the families they live with if treated with
love and respect, all they ask for is a bowl of porridge and a glass of glogg each night,
but they will become mischievous with the family if they are not treated well.
The Yule Goat
The Yule goat is a Scandinavian and Northern European Yule and Christmas symbol and tradition.
Its origin may be Germanic pagan and has existed in many variants during Scandinavian history.
Modern representations of the Yule goat are typically made of straw.
The Yule goat's origins go back to ancient Pagan festivals.
This event clearly marks the Sun's annual re-entry into the astrological sign of Capricornus,
and a kid goat sacrifice was made in honour of the Norse god Njord; the god of agriculture
and plenitude who rules this particular sign.
Zwarte Piet
Zwarte Piet, also known in English by the translated name Black Pete, is the companion
of Saint Nicholas.
The earliest known illustration of the character comes from an 1850 book by Amsterdam schoolteacher
Jan Schenkman in which he was depicted as a black Moor from Spain.
The Zwarte Piet character is part of the annual Feast of St. Nicholas that is celebrated on
the evening of 5 December.
This is when presents and sweets are traditionally distributed to children.
Frau Perchta
Frau Perchta was a gruesome old witch doles out brutal punishments to those who’ve misbehaved
in the lead-up to the 12 days of Christmas.
She has a particular penchant for children who don’t tell the truth.
So if you have a tendency towards the dishonest, you may need to buck your ideas up!
In fairness to Frau Perchta, she’s not all bad.
She does have a sense of justice and will hand out presents to those who are most-deserving.
Straggele
In many places Frau Perchta rides with a gang of demonic helpers known as Straggle . These
creatures feast on the offerings left out for them on Christmas by revellers hoping
for Frau Perchta’s blessings in the new year.
It is said that sometimes the Straggele get to dish out the punishments themselves, robbing
all bad children and tearing some of them to pieces.
Gryla
Grýla is originally mentioned as being a giantess, in the 13th century compilation
of Norse mythology, Prose Edda, but no specific connection to Christmas is mentioned until
the 17th century.
She is enormous and her appearance is repulsive.
The oldest poems about Grýla describe her as a parasitic beggar.
She walks around asking parents to give her their disobedient children.
Her plans can be thwarted by giving her food or chasing her away.
Originally, she lived in a small cottage, but in later poems, she appears to have been
forced out of town and into a remote cave.
Current-day Grýla can detect children who are misbehaving year-round.
She comes from the mountains during Christmas time to search nearby towns for her meal.
The Yule Lads The Yule Lads are the sons of Grýla.
They are a group of 13 mischievous pranksters who steal from or otherwise harass the population.
All have descriptive names that generally convey their favourite way of causing mischief.
They arrive one by one over the final 13 nights leading up to Christmas.
They leave small gifts in shoes that children place on window sills, but if the child has
been disobedient, they leave a rotten potato in the shoe instead.
The Yule Cat
The Yule Cat, known as Jólakötturinn, a huge and vicious cat who is described as lurking
about the snowy countryside during Christmas time and eating people who have not received
any new clothes to wear before Christmas Eve.
He is the house pet of Grýla.
The Grinch
The Grinch is a fictional character created by Dr. Seuss (an American children's author
and cartoonist).
He is best known as the main character of the 1957 children's book “How the Grinch
Stole Christmas!”
The Grinch is depicted as a green, pot-bellied, furry, pear-shaped, snub-nosed creature with
a cat-like face and cynical personality.
In full-color adaptations, he is typically colored yellow-green.
He has spent the past 53 years living in seclusion on a cliff, overlooking the town of Whoville.
Though always hateful, he especially hates the Christmas season, making particular note
of how disturbing the various noises of Christmas time are to him, including the singing of
Christmas carols.
Unable to stand the holiday any longer, he decides to destroy it once and for all.
Belsnickel
Belsnickel is related to other companions of Saint Nicholas in the folklore of German-speaking
Europe.
Unlike those figures, Belsnickel does not accompany Saint Nicholas but instead visits
alone and combines both the threatening and the benign aspects which in other traditions
are divided between the Saint Nicholas and the companion figure.
Belsnickel is a man wearing furs and sometimes a mask with a long tongue.
He is typically very ragged and dishevelled.
He wears torn, tattered, and dirty clothes, and he carries a switch in his hand with which
to beat naughty children, but also a pocketful of cakes, candies, and nuts for good children.
Olentzero
Olentzero is a character in Basque Christmas tradition.
According to Basque traditions, Olentzero comes to town late at night on the 24th of
December to drop off presents for children.
In some places he arrives later, for example on the 27th or on the 31st.
One common version has Olentzero being one of the Jentillak, a race of Basque giants
living in the Pyrenees.
Knecht Ruprecht
There are various origin stories for Knecht Ruprecht.
The word “Knecht” in German means “servant” or “farmhand”.
And in a sense, he does act as St Nicholas helper, since they travel together, and he
does all the heavy lifting.
Some say that Knecht Ruprecht was a wounded foundling that St Nicholas rescued and raised.
Others say he is a wild man (with HORNS) who comes out of the forest at Christmas time
as a dark elf to help St Nicholas.
Kallikantzaroi
Kallikantzaroi are malevolent goblins in Southeast European and Anatolian folklore.
Stories about the Kallikantzaroi or its equivalents can typically be found in Greece, Bulgaria,
Turkey, Serbia, Albania, Bosnia and Cyprus.
Kallikantzaroi are believed to dwell underground but come to the surface during the twelve
days of Christmas, from 25 December to 6 January (from the winter solstice for a fortnight,
during which time the sun ceases its seasonal movement).
However, according to folklore, when they are about to see the final part, Christmas
dawns and they are able to come to the surface.
Père Fouettard
Père Fouettard is Saint Nick's companion who accompanies him as he travels round France
giving out presents to the good children.
Père Fouettard, which literally translates as 'Father Whipper' hands out lumps of coal,
and according to tradition, a beating or whipping!
Fouettard’s appearance is described to be an older man with a sinister face.
He wears a dark robe, has an unkempt black beard, and carries a whip or a club.
His face is also usually darkened with soot.
When Nicholas gifts well-behaved children with candies and small gifts, Pere Fouettard
whips the naughty kids.
Krampus
Krampus is perhaps the most feared creature in all Christmas folklore.
Half-goat, half-demon, he’s Santa’s evil counterpart and punishes the naughty children,
while Santa leaves gifts for the nice ones.
But unlike Santa, he doesn’t just appear on the 25th of December.
He arrives in town on Krampusnacht, the 5th December and will hang around until Christmas
day.
If you’ve been badly behaved at all this year, watch out for he’s known to stuff
naughty children into his sack and take them to his lair!
Jack Frost
Jack Frost is a personification of frost, ice, snow, sleet, winter, and freezing cold.
He is a variant of Old Man Winter who is held responsible for frosty weather, nipping the
fingers and toes in such weather, coloring the foliage in autumn, and leaving fern-like
patterns on cold windows in winter.
Starting in late 19th century literature, more developed characterizations of Jack Frost
depict him as a sprite-like character, sometimes appearing as a sinister mischief-maker or
as a hero.
Ded Moroz
Ded Moroz is a legendary figure similar to Saint Nicholas, Father Christmas, and Santa
Claus who has his roots in Slavic mythology.The tradition of Ded Moroz is mostly spread in
East Slavic countries and is an important part of Russian culture.
The literal translation of Ded Moroz is Grandfather Frost.
He wears a heel-length fur coat, in red or blue, a semi-round fur hat, and “valenki”
(a traditional Russian winter footwear).
He has a long white beard.
He walks with a long magic stick and often rides a troika.
He is often depicted bringing presents to well-mannered children, often delivering them
in person in the days of December and secretly under the Christmas Tree over night on New
Year's Eve.
The Snow Maiden
Granddaughter to Ded Moroz, this princess-like Christmas character accompanies Ded Moroz
on New Year’s Eve.
You can spot her in silvery blue robes and a furry hat.
She is so widely loved that many fairytales and operas have been created about her life.
She has snow-white skin, deep blue eyes and beautiful fair hair.
Lussi Lussi, was a female being with evil traits,
like a female demon or witch, which rides through the air with her followers, called
“Lussiferda”.
This itself might be an echo of the myth of the Wild Hunt, called Oskoreia in Scandinavia,
found across Northern, Western and Central Europe.
It was believed to be particularly dangerous to be out during Lussi Night (the night between
the 12th and 13th of December).
According to tradition, children who had done mischief had to take special care, since Lussi
could come down through the chimney and take them away, and certain tasks of work in the
preparation for Yule had to be finished, or else the Lussi would come to punish the household.
The Lutins
A big part of French folklore, Lutins are believed to stem from Lapland.
Despite their mischievous behaviour and cheeky appearance, they’re actually rather helpful.
A type of festive hobgoblin, they spend their time helping Father Christmas.
Rudolph
One of the most well-recognized creatures of Christmas, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
is a fictional reindeer created by Robert L. May.
Rudolph is usually depicted as the ninth and youngest of Santa Claus's reindeer, using
his luminous red nose to lead the reindeer team and guide Santa's sleigh on Christmas
Eve.
Though he initially receives ridicule for his nose as a fawn, the brightness of his
nose is so powerful that it illuminates the team's path through harsh winter weather.
Hans Trapp
Hans Trapp is an anti-Santa figure from the French/German border region of Alsace Lorraine.
Legend tells how Trap began as a wealthy man- but greedy and evil to boot.
He was so rotten that he was excommunicated by the Catholic church and sold his soul to
Satan.
Now beyond redemption, Trapp was exiled to the forests.
But still, his evil was felt.
Disguising himself as a scarecrow by stuffing straw into his clothing, he began to prey
on children.
One day, or so the legend says, Hans Trapp was about to eat a small boy he had captured
when God, fed up with his evil-doing, killed him
with a bolt of lightning.However, this was not the end of Hans Trapp.
He continued to roam the earth, dressed as a scarecrow.
He teamed up with St Nicholas to earn redemption.
While St Nicholas awarded presents to the virtuous, Hans Trapp tries to persuade naughty
children to mend their ways and be virtuous- unlike him.
La Befana
In Italian folklore, the Befana is an old woman who delivers gifts to children throughout
Italy on Epiphany Eve (the night of January 5) in a similar way to Santa Claus or the
Three Magi Kings.
She is usually portrayed as a hag riding a broomstick through the air wearing a black
shawl and is covered in soot because she enters the children's houses through the chimney.
She is often smiling and carries a bag or hamper filled with candy, gifts, or both.
In popular folklore, the Befana visits all the children of Italy on the eve of the Feast
of the Epiphany to fill their socks with candy and presents if they are good,or a lump of
coal or dark candy if they are bad.
In many poorer parts of Italy and in particular rural Sicily, a stick in a stocking was placed
instead of coal.
Being a good housekeeper, many say she will sweep the floor before she leaves.
To some the sweeping meant the sweeping away of the problems of the year.
The child's family typically leaves a small glass of wine and a plate with a few morsels
of food, often regional or local, for the Befana.
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Till Next Time, Yours Truly,
Mythos, the Historian.