Move over, Halloween. Christmas is a time of giving, a time for spreading joy, but it’s also a time to scare the heck out of your kids.
If you live in the western part of the world (whether you celebrate Christmas or not) you likely know who Santa Clause is. Santa, St. Nicholas, the Jolly Fat Man in red, whatever you call him, is the kindly old man who hangs out with a bunch of elves, gets your kids to sit on his lap and give him a list of all the stuff they want. He’s the guy that keeps a list of our good and naughty deeds, knows when we are asleep or awake, enters our homes on Dec 24th in the dead of the night through the chimney and drops off gifts in exchange for cookies and milk. Don’t even get me started on his slay, powered by flying reindeer!
Though some would call Santa’s actions ‘suspect’, maybe even ‘creepy’, Mr. Kris Kringle doesn’t hold a candle to some of the Christmas folklore born out of the traditions in some other parts of the world.
Welcome to Fright Night! Here is a countdown of the top 3 scariest Christmas characters that are actively celebrated in Europe.
Most Horrifying Character #3: Hans Trapp
In the Lorraine and Alsace regions of France, good children can sleep easy knowing they will be visited by Santa Clause, while naughty boys and girls quiver in their beds knowing that Hans Trapp is coming for them.
Local legend tells us that Mr. Trapp was a man that existed in real life. He was rich, horded his wealth, and engaged in such evil practices as black magic and devil worship. When the Catholic Church caught wind of this, he was arrested and brought to the Pope who banished him from his community. His home and his wealth were seized and people ran from him the way they would run from a wild animal.
Forced to take up residence in a nearby forest, he spent many years alone and is said to have gone insane. With his new, altered state of mind, it was deep within these woods where he discovered his true calling: disguising himself as a scarecrow and hunting down and eating children.
Years later, Hans Trapp died from a lightning strike (sent by God, who would no longer tolerate his wickedness) in forest, but death did not still the evil that plagued his soul. To this day, each and every Christmas, Hans Trapp visits the most mischievous children of France, still dressed as a scarecrow and frightening them into obedience.
Most Horrifying Character #2: Krampus (A.K.A. Perchten, Tuifl)
In Germany, Austria, Slovenia, Hungary and the Czech Republic, the evil demon, Krampus is celebrated the night of December 5th.
Folklore tells us that Krampus is the son of the Norse god of the underworld, Hel. A hulking beast, he has curved horns like a ram, bloodshot eyes, a long tongue, a body covered in fur, and hooved feet. Krampus visits mischievous children under the cover of darkness and beats them with birch branches; and those children should consider themselves lucky! If a child has been especially naughty, Krampus is likely to stuff them into his sack and take them to the underbelly of his lair for further torture. In a worst case scenario, these kids might find themselves the main course for this beast’s dinner.
Today, people observe the 1,500 year-old pagan tradition of parading in the streets, dressed as Krampus, chasing both children and adults alike and poking them with sticks. This ritual is said to cleanse the towns of winter ghosts.
Most Horrifying Character #1: Grýla
Deeply rooted in Iceland’s folklore, Grýla is a 13th century ogress who keeps some very nefarious company. This ‘lady’ comes with a terrifying family. Let’s talk about them first.
The Jólasveinar (A.K.A the Yule Lads)
The Jólasveinar (A.K.A the Yule Lads) answer to Grýla, their mother. There are 13 of these giant man-boys, each bringing their own brand of mischief to the Icelandic people. Some of them are trickster pests and are known to sneak into homes and slam doors, others are thieves and have been blamed for swiping pies set to cool on window sills. A couple of the Yule Lads have been accused of far worse things than silly pranks. These accusations include murder.
Jólakötturinn (A.K.A. the Yule cat)
More despicable than the Jólasveinar, Grýla has a cat named Jólakötturinn (A.K.A. the Yule cat). As Icelandic tradition goes, good children who work hard will be rewarded with new attire for Christmas. Lazy children; however, will get none. These kids will be easily spotted by the Yule cat since they will be wearing the same clothes they’ve had all year. Jólakötturinn accepts these ill-behaved children as a sacrifice to him and devours them all before Christmas Eve.
Grýla
Lastly, the ‘big bad’ of all Christmas horrors, is Grýla herself. Loosely translated, Grýla means “growler”. She is said to live in a cave in the Icelandic mountains and can control the weather conditions. Grýla has a horned tail and lumbers around the outer fields with a large sack in one hand and a sword in the other, looking for children to disembowel. This witch is so nasty that she ate one of her 3 husbands when she no longer desired his company.
Parents in Island warn their children of this wretched creature who will kidnap them, cook them in a stew, and eat them if they are not obedient. This is a meal that Grýla shares with her wretched family. If the ogress is especially hungry though, she may decide to “dine-in” and consume the child alive while he or she is still in bed.
A Creepy Christmas to all and, to all, a good fright!
Christmas is a special time of year and is celebrated in many parts of the world, but if you are struggling with trying to get your children to fall in line, maybe a December trip to Iceland is in order.
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