Gruss vom Krampus! (Greetings from Krampus!)
Perhaps you’ve seen the old Krampus cards that were mailed or exchanged as a type of Christmas card. Many of them depict Krampus as a horned beast or devil-like character, either alone or with Saint Nick, often interacting with children or women.
People tend to consider Krampus to be a version of the Devil, while Santa is like a version of the old white-bearded God. It could be said that Krampus is the dark side of Santa, or Santa is the light side of Krampus. They are an expression of the duality of yin and yang, which are like two sides of one coin. In that sense, they are the same being, with the ability to appear as two separate beings.
The general idea is that Santa brings good things to good children and Krampus brings bad things to bad children. Besides Krampus, there are other versions of the dark creature that accompanies Santa or plays a similar role as Santa. Some of these are: Zwarte Piet (Black Peter), Knecht Ruprecht (Servant Rupert), Belsnickel (Whipping Nicholas), Pere Fouettard (Whipping Father), Pere Noel (Father Christmas), and animals like the Noel Donkey, Christmas Goat, and Santa’s Reindeer. These all represent the same thing. These variations of the dark beast that accompanies Santa, or act in place of Santa, will be discussed in more detail in other videos.
You may also notice a similarity between the name “Krampus” and words like cramp, grump, and grandpa, or gramps. They share a similar vibe with Saturn, who is the old grumpy gramp who teaches harsh lessons. Similarities can be seen with the Grinch, or grouch, who is green, shaggy, and grumpy. Whether the “Christmas devil” character is green, brown, or black, most of them have shaggy or raggedy fur or clothes with a grumpy dark side. These are common ancient attributes of devil-like characters.
Taking a closer look at Krampus, you may notice certain things, like the bundle of sticks that he carries, a basket or bag for children, and a chain attached to his wrists which may or may not be broken. Also, he is sometimes depicted with two different feet, so that one foot is a cloven hoof and the other may be a human foot. Krampus appears to be half goat and half human in many cases, which lends to his devilish beast-man appearance. These little details have symbolic importance that will be discussed further in other videos.
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