Krampus. Oh that damned Krampus! Rattling his chains, slurping his grotesque tongue, whipping all the bad boys and girls with his birch branch! AAAAGGHHH!
I actually never heard of Krampus until about a year ago, but once I looked into the tradition I was hooked! The lore of Krampus originates with the Germanic peoples of Europe and stretches back to pre-Christian times. However, as Christianity took over Europe, Krampus was incorporated as a kind of counter balance to St. Nicholas. While good ol' St. Nick was going around rewarding good little boys and girls with presents, Krampus was out there beating the hell out of the bad ones! Krampus would also rattle his rusty chains to scare bad children. If you were an especially rotten little boy or girl, Krampus would actually KIDNAP you and carry you away in his sack to his lair! Ohhhhhhhhh, that's Krampus for ya!
How horrifying! A lot more scary than getting coal in your stocking. That is for sure! Apparently, German fathers used to get drunk, dress up as Krampus, and scare the bejeezus out of their children! Quite a departure from the contemporary image of the father dressing up as Santa Claus. I can't help but laugh at this since the idea of scaring your beloved child half to death on a day that is associated with joy and happiness just seems extreme to the point of silliness.
Now a days, Krampus is a source of tongue in cheek humor, and since Celtic Hammer Club is a fan of both humor and ancient traditions, we have a line of items to celebrate Krampus, the Christmas demon!
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| Only at Celtic Hammer Club |
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| "Gruss Vom Krampus" translates to "Greetings from the Krampus" This saying adorns most of the Krampus postcards exchanged during the holiday season. |
This design is based on the tradition of exchanging post cards with different images of Krampus during the holidays. Traditionally, the cards are red with black lettering that says "Gruss Vom Krampus". This apparel is a reflection of that tradition.
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| An ominous looking "Keltic" style Krampus |
This is an original design done in a "Keltic" style. It is meant to look like an ancient Krampus artifact that was just dug up by an archaeologist somewhere. It has a kind of ominous look to it.
Merry Krampus to all! Be good!
-CHC-
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