Welcome to brain Stuff from How Stuff Works, Hey, brain Stuff, Lauren Vogelbaum. Here, as the holidays close in, parents inevitably remind unruly children that Santa Claus is watching them. But there's another lurker out there in the long dark night, and he's watching too, a thing of fur and horns and cloven hoof. Yes, Virginia, there is a Crampus. And for naughty kids, this demonic beast man brings chains and switches instead of toys. Every December five, the Crumpus knocked
eve of the Feast of St. Nicholas. Legend has it that he descends from the mountain wilds to terrorize children and drag the worst of their lot away in a foul wicker basket. While he's not the only Yule Tide boogeyman in Western tradition, Crampus has clawed his way to the front of that frightening pack, not only surviving within his native dramatic alpine traditions, but also managing to achieve international notoriety. Before we explore the history and psychology of Crampus,
you're probably wondering why Yule tide boogeymen even exist. Surely, holidays are a time of light and childlike wonder, not monsters, kidnappers. Ah. But the holidays, at least in northern latitudes, have always been a time of darkness. As sure, we light trees, sing carols, and feast upon the spoils of hunt and harvest, But the wintertime future is uncertain. Well, spring thar our frozen world, while our crops grow again, will our larder
be enough to make it through the winter. That's one reason why if you venture through world mythology, you'll pass countless devils, satyrs, and horned spirits who all resemble good old Crampus. In Greek mythology, for instance, you'll find Hades abduction of Persephone, the daughter of the harvest goddess Demeter. It's a tense piece of drama that explains the Earth's seasons. Winter arrives when Persephone must enter captivity in Hades, and
spring returns when she emerges again. Each year. The tale serves as an iconic reminder that winter is an inherently apocalyptic time, pitting the forces of light and life against darkness and death. These motifs permeate many early religions, and when Christianity spread throughout Europe. These old gods and spirits never quite died out. Rather, people wove them into the
new religious tapestry. Early Christians transplanted the birth of their savior, Jesus Christ to December twenty five, as this was a date associated with older celebrations of the new Sun, that resurgent celestial force destined to defeat the long winter, and so Crampus ties into a rich legacy of winter darkness, seasonal fear, and pre Christian traditions involving harvest, spirits and
wild men. But Crampus's exact origins are just as uncharted as the uncivilized wilds from which he emerges every December five. Saint Nicholas, that solemn Catholic precursor to Jolly Santa Claus, first gained popularity among German speaking people during the eleventh century. Crampus became part of the festivities over the centuries to follow, but he undoubtedly dated back to pre Christian customs surrounding the pagan goddess Prictha and her consort of frightening and
unruly shall perchten. These customs never vanished and eventually rebounded by the sixteenth century. Pagan schell Brichton processions became a frequent part of winter festivities in Salzburg, Austria, despite centuries of Christian traditions. Catholic attempts to ban these festivals in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries proved feudal, so a demonic key goat earned his tenure in Alpine holiday traditions. In Alpine celebrations, Crampus and st Nick come to life through
the use of costumes and wooden masks. But maybe you can guess which role is more popular for clad goatmen tend to parade through the streets unmass every Crumpus knocked yes to this day. They rattle their chains, brandished torches, and leap about with wild and indiscriminate energy. As with many masked rituals and celebrations around the world, the rights of Crumpus knocked are transformative. They allow participants to abandon the conventions of daily life and indulge in a wilder
and perhaps darker aspect of their personality. As such, it's easy for things to get a little out of hand. Many processions limit the costume participants to keep everyone from crossing that thin line between good natured holiday horror and emotional abuse. Back in two thousand six, concerned parents, along with Austrian child psychologist Max Friedrich, spoke out against the demon's violent influence, as well as what Friedrick called childhood
Crampus trauma. Somewhere along the line, Santa had been banned from visiting kindergartens in Vienna, but Crampus apparently still had access in Tift. Amid the massive influx of Syrian and Iraqi refugees into rural Austria, community representatives made special efforts to prepare newcomers, especially children, for their frighteningly fun holiday festivities. In the past, Crampus detractors have even outlawed the demon outright.
Before Nazi Germany's ninety eight invasion of Austria, Catholic austrofascists briefly held power, and, as reported in a nineteen forty five New York Times article, they saw Crampus as a demonic, unruly and potentially communist usurper of Christian tradition. Crampus postcards and candies have always been popular, but around that time Crampus had virtually usurped the role of prime gift giver. It was this demon, not St Nick who made rounds
with sweets and gifts. The Austro fascists ordered anyone in a Crampus costume arrested on site. They also required that all St. Nick's be licensed by the state and monitored. Despite the continuing war on Crampus and any misgivings we might have about scaring good behavior into children with a threat of inhuman kidnapping, the tradition not only indoors but flourishes. Internet culture and the rejection of homogenized holiday traditions have
led to a full blown international Crampus revolution. If you're listening to this episode as it comes out, you've missed this year's Crumpus Knocked, but it's never too early to start planning for next year. Today's episode was written by Robert Lamb and produced by Tyler Clang. If you're looking for gifts for those on either your naughty or nice list, check out our online shop at t public dot com
slash brain Stuff. Every purchase supports us, and of course, for more on this and lots of other festive topics, visit our home planet, how Stuff Works dot com. M