Dec - Ghosts and Demons of Christmas > Likes and Comments

Well, it’s December, and let’s face it, Ghosts and evil spirits abound. There’s Krampus. But there is also a popularity of ghost stories. Forgiveness and retribution. A little darkness to go with the light. Like what happens on a midnight service in some places.

Of course, like a great many dark things, the darker aspects of Christmas mythology, have gained a certain popularity. Whether this is because of the far, far overuse of Santa Claus or returning to what was , or a combination of things – I’m not sure.

Krampus is only one of the many entities that are the opposite of Santa and his date is Dec 5 There apparently is Claude Claus who was raised by abusive parents who worshipped demons. He seems very similar to the French Hans Trapp who was excommunicated, tried to eat children, and then was struck by lighting. There is another French character a butcher who supposedly kills children that St Nick brings back to life. His name is Fouettard. There is the Icelandic Cat who eats kids who don’t work hard and it knows who they are because they do not have new clothing. The Cat lives with an ogress named Gryla, who gave birth to 72 little trolls and such who spread mischief. There is Frau Perchta, a Germanic entity that will disembowel the sinful, using garbage to replace the organs she takes. (She might be connected to a nature goddess. She is not the Italian Christmas Witch who is a good witch. Perhaps the two of them are forerunners of Oz?). Belsnickel is a Pennsylvania German tradition who carries a switch to frighten children, but who will reward good children with candy.

So yeah, Krampus isn’t eating at the table alone.

Then are the mysteries and ghost tales that Dickens in part popularized. A Christmas Carol is the most well known, but Dickens wrote others, and there are several collections of Christmas ghost stories, some that are based on folklore and actual ghost stories. (This also seems to be true of mysteries). Perhaps the ghost stories offer redemption in a way.

That whole light and dark thing, again.

Note – there are some ghost stories out that focus on Hanukkah, which is good.

Christine wrote: "Well, it’s December, and let’s face it, Ghosts and evil spirits abound. There’s Krampus. But there is also a popularity of ghost stories. Forgiveness and retribution. A little darkness to go with t..."

Thanks for this post. I'd heard about only Krampus, and of course the Dickens Christmas stories.

Now I remember that a generation or two ago, Robertson Davies used to read a new ghost story at his university Christmas banquet, and these have been collected in the wonderful High Spirits. I don't know whether any of them actually have to do with the holiday itself--they are university hauntings, after all--but Davies had a most seductive authorial voice and these sly, witty stories are a delight to read.

Christine wrote: "Well, it’s December, and let’s face it, Ghosts and evil spirits abound. There’s Krampus. But there is also a popularity of ghost stories. Forgiveness and retribution. A little darkness to go with t..."

Thank you Chris! I love the Icelandic cat especially. I hadn't heard of that before!

I wanted to say how much I really liked reading your post. And I need a permanent link to where I discovered Fouettard. How wonderful!

Since this discussion is pretty old, and I'm sorry for disturbing you, I wrote a little Christmas limerick just for you.

Have you heard of the Bells of St. Kelis. that rang for a Christmas mass? When out of the mist, there came to a triste, a husband that not long had passed. His wife left the mass, they met on the grass, and spoke not one single word. Their joy, overzealous, was ruined when jealous the wife’s new lover became. He shot through the ghost, fate’s fatal riposte, her cold iron dart pierced through the wife’s heart, yet the husband remained just the same.

raising my glass to M.R. James for keeping the tradition of ghost stories at Christmas going. I do my part every December to bring this back and spread it as much as possible.

I am going to try this book:

The Fright Before Christmas: Surviving Krampus and Other Yuletide Monsters, Witches, and Ghosts by Jeff Belanger