He knows when you’ve been bad or good. He knows where you sleep. He’ll drag you kicking and screaming so be good for Krampus’ sake. The darker side of the holidays has made a resurgence in pop culture in the last few years and you know that means he’s made comic book appearances. So what does a demon have to do with all this Christmas stuff and what kind of hi-jinx does he get into in comics? Let’s find out!
Krampus is the counterpart to Saint Nicholas, which means if one is a holy man then the other must be a demon. The two represent the dichotomy of the spirit of giving, whereas Nicholas would give the good child presents of toys and sweets, Krampus was their to deal with the bad children. Now depending on the version, he either punished by beating or sometimes even death. Sometimes he merely had to threaten children with his parents to keep them in line. He’s meant to be the boogeyman to Santa’s heroic altruistic gift-giving.
In comics, he’s has his origins retold and remade several times. He’s been an anti-hero, a monster to be defeated or endured, and even a likable guy just doing his job. Sometimes he’s a goat that was transformed my ancient mages to deal with wicked children who forgets his ways and becomes a terror in the woods who eats children and must be put down by Hellboy. Others, he’s just a guy following the rules of messing with the naughty children until they can’t recognize him anymore due to growing up and he moves on but still ends up fighting a naughty kid all grown up like Ash Williams.
He’s been a movie monster multiple times, to try and survive his onslaught of monstrous helpers while he watches on ominously for those who have been naughty and need to be taught a lesson through horrific death and mayhem. He may make all the horrors of the night disappear by the daylight, leaving his victims with a new lease on life, hopefully with a lesson learned or maybe he just imprisons you in a snow globe to live out the rest of your days in a mock life. He’s a wild card.
There are times though, when the gift-givers of the world need help and know that the best person for the job may be the worst. Krampus could be a demon summoned by Sinterklaas, one of the earliest, if not the earliest version of Santa Claus, who needed the bad children dealt with. Though, as time went on and attitudes changed, Krampus’ style of torment and terror was outdated and he was locked away until he was needed to save not just Christmas but the whole world.
No matter the role of hero or villain he may fulfill, he’s still the guy who is the darker half to a holiday about the light in a season often tied to cold and darkness. He’s there to remind people that there are consequences for their actions. You get what you give and then some because this guy will beat you and drag you to hell in a sack if he must. Hopefully, just his mere existence will dissuade folks into being good, a nuclear deterrent in a time before such items existed. Folklore is filled with creatures that will mess you up if you act like a jerk to others, a living embodiment of every jerk manifested into one being ready to wreck you, Krampus is making a comeback to the world stage.
There you have it! Krampus has been on the big screen, the small screen, the comics page, and probably more as time goes on. Do you have another favorite type of counterpart to a holiday gift-giver, like Belsnickel or the Yule Lads? Do you have a favorite form of the gift-giver character? I always enjoyed Befana, an Italian Christmas witch is so my jam. Hope you have a great holiday this winter. Winter holidays are amazing and varied with all sorts of meanings and traditions, what’s your favorite? Also, the best depictions of Krampus are the creepiest because they give him one cloven foot and one humanoid one, so much more disturbing than a matching pair of either. See you next time!
Suggested Reading
Krampus (Image Comics)
Evil Dead 2: Revenge of Krampus
Krampus: Shadow of Saint Nicholas
Hellboy: Krampusnacht
Dr. Bustos
drbustos@comicattack.net
