Top 10 Scary Christmas Myth Stories
Welcome back guys, my name is Danny Burke and when it comes to Christmas, I imagine
a lot of you have a similar idea of it to me: Santa and Rudolph - that sort of thing.
Its all very nice and happy but there are some Christmas stories around the world that
contain terrifying creatures.
They may be based in old folklore - but Id prefer they stay right there and don't become
a reality.
Youre about to find out why - this is the Top 10 Scary Christmas Monster Stories … also
if you like the look of my hat or my shirt or even both of them - then don't forget you
can grab your own over at mostamazingshop.com right after this video!
Coming in at number 10 now we have The Whipping Father.
In Belgium and France, there is an old legend around Pere Fouettard.
The story goes back to the 12th century.
This man spent his early years as an innkeeper, kidnapper and then a murderer.
One day at the inn, 3 rich boys visited on their way to a religious boarding school.
The man wanted their money and so he kidnapped them and took them away to slit their throats.
He then began to prepare them for a human stew but at the last moment - St Nicholas
himself shows up and resurrects the 3 boys.
Thats right - Santa himself.
Seeing his power, the man repented and became Santas partner - his job was to whip the bad
boys and girls on santas naughty list.
That makes the naughty list about a thousand times worse I think …
At number 9 now we have Krampus.
Some of you guys may have seen the 2015 horror movie this one is based on.
This story comes from South Eastern Europe and dates back hundreds of years aaand its
pretty terrifying.
The Krampus is a horned half goat half demon figure.
At Christmas, he punished children who have misbehaved.
He would take beat and torture children before kidnapping them and taking them to his secret
lair to continuing the beating and torturing.
In modern times, there has been a movement to stop telling kids the story of Krampus
because it scares them so much.
It probably scares some of the adults too …
At number 8 now we have the Yule Lads.
These figures come from Icelandic folklore - there are 13 Yule lads - theyre the sons
of mountain trolls who have a taste for the flesh of naughty children.
The 13 of them harass and pull devilish pranks on people, making their lives a misery.
Each of them has a different job - one of them steals your food, another waits for you
under your bed, another slams doors while another simply watches you through windows.
Perhaps the scariest one though is the Candle Stealer, he follows children around so he
can steal their candles, leaving them in the dark … I imagine hes figured out light switches
by now …
At the number 7 spot now we have Belsnickel.
This story comes from southwestern Germany.
Belsnickel is said to be a man who wears ragged furs and a mask.
He has a longue tongue and carries around a switch in his hand to beat naughty children
with at Christmas.
A switch is a piece of wood or some sticks used in beating punishments.
He would have treats for the good children but even then he would often beat them as
they reached to grab the treats off the floor.
I think Ill pass on the treats …
Next up at number 6 we have Frau Perchata.
This is the German and Austrian story of a witch who visits peoples homes during the
12 days after Christmas.
Shes known for being particularly hideous and also what she does when she visits.
If a child has been good all year, they may receive a small gift.
If they had been bad, she would slit open the childrens bellies, remove their stomach
and guts, and stuff the hole with straw and pebbles.
She would also do the same if anyone ate something on her feast day other than fish and gruel.
I don't even know where Id get my hands on some gruel so I might be screwed.
But Im also not a kid so.
Yeah.
At the number 5 spot now we have Hanns Trap.
Hans is essentially the Christmas boogeyman in one part of France.
He is said to be the anti santa although he started out life as a normal man.
He was rich, greedy and all round evil.
He worshipped Satan and was expelled from the Catholic Church for it.
Eventually, he was exiled to the forests and used to catch and eat children by posing as
a scarecrow.
One day, he was about to eat a boy he had captured but was struck by lightning and killed
as a punishment from God.
That didnt stop him though and he is still said to visit young Children at Christmas,
dressed as a scarecrow, to see how theyve behaved …
At the number 4 spot now we have La Befana.
La Befana is an old Italian Christmas witch.
Her story comes from Italian folkore that some say dates right back to Roman times.
There are many origin stories for her but one of the stranger ones says she wasnt always
a witch, she used to just be an ordinary woman with a child who she loved with all her heart.
Tragically, her child died and the grief sent Befana crazy.
She heard the news that Jesus had been born and she set out to look for him, thinking
that he was her son.
She found him and gave him gits - in return, Jesus gave her the gift of being mother to
every child in Italy and to give them gifts at Christmas.
So, if youre ever in Italy on Christmas Eve and catch sight of a broom, say hi to the
witch …
Next up at number 3 we have Mari Lwyd.
This tradition originates from South Wales in the UK and involves a zombie horse.
Yes.
Mari is a zombie horse.
Mari would rise from the dead at Christmas and wander the streets with human zombies
to remind the living of their existence.
Mari wants to get into peoples houses and the only way to keep her our would be to engage
in a battle of wits through rhyming.
Thats right - to stop this skeletal zombie horse from entering your home at Christmas,
you basically have to rap battle it.
If that doesnt sound like a terrifying nightmare I don't know what does.
At the number 2 spot now we have Straggele.
Straggle is the sort of demonic looking helper to Perchta the witch, someone we talked about
earlier on the list.
You might wonder how Perchta manages to slice open all those naughty kids, well, Straggele
helps.
He will go around and eat the offerings left out by people in the hope of Perchtas blessing.
If he comes across any naughty kids before Perchta does, he will rob them of everything
they own, thrown them into the air and then tear them into pieces.
That makes Perchas belly slitting almost seem normal.
Actually not really.
And finally at number 1 we have the Yule Cat.
If you guys remember the Yule Lads earlier - well this is their cat that they bring along
to terrorize people at Christmas.
The Yule Cat is big and fearsome, exactly what youd expect when its owners are child
eating mountain trolls.
Unlike many of the other ones on our list, you cant reason with the Yule cat - there
is only one thing a child can do at Christmas to not be visited by the Yule Cat.
The cat is said to eat children who do not receive any clothes at Christmas.
So, just be thankful next time you get some socks from your relative, they may have just
saved your life …
Alright, I think Im gonna stick with Santa and Rudolph.
Although now that Ive heard all these stories, Im a bit worried that those 2 have a dark
side to them - lets hope not … thanks for watching guys, have Merry Christmas if I havent
said so already and Ill see you in the next video!
-You may also like our top 10 times santa was caught on camera and our top 10 worst
christmas gift ideas - check them out!-