13. Krampus’s popularized story may not need introduction, but this demon’s actual roots are lesser-known.
While some demons appear as the opposite number of the gods, Krampus was a Germanic demon that acted as the antithesis of Father Christmas. Looking remarkably like the archetypical, goat-like Christian devil, with horns and a long tongue, Krampus was rumored to look up all the bad children on December 5th. While Santa Clause rewarded the virtuous, Krampus would use his day which was known as Krampusnacht to punish the naughty. Those who were lucky would be let off with a beating from Krampus’s switch. However, those who had been especially bad would disappear forever, carried away in the demon’s basket. Krampus would then drown them.
Krampus may seem somewhat satanic in looks and actions. However, the origin of Krampus was much more pagan. In some legends, this Christmas demon started off as the son of Hel, the Norse goddess of the underworld-which would certainly explain how he was stylized as a devil. However, Krampus was initially personified by wild-looking men dressed in furs who went from house to house at the time of the mid-winter festival. Householders appeased these wild-looking visitors with food and alcohol as a way of warding off the privations of the season. Likewise, Krampus’s switch was initially intended to purify rather than punish. So Krampus was a demon that personified the dangers of the winter season rather than any relation of the Christian devil.
Some demons associated explicitly with the Christan devil have their roots in pagan gods.