The dark heroes of a bright holiday: the worst Christmas legends
'16.12.2021'
Source: BigPicture.com
Traditionally, with Christmas and New Year we associate kind characters who bring happiness to people. However, there is a downside to the coin - BigPicture.com talks about creepy Christmas legends that will surprise (and possibly scare) you.
Belsnickel, La Befana, Grila - the "heroes" of today's material are not as well known as, for example, Santa Claus or Santa Claus, but their participation in the main winter holidays, according to some peoples of the world, is no less significant than their kind "colleagues in workshop ". Remember six legends about creepy Christmas characters that can darken the holiday.
Krampus
Krampus is one of the most famous dark heroes of Christmas that all children in Austria and Germany are afraid of. According to legend, the demon Krampus is the brother of Santa Claus, who, however, does not at all look like his closest relative.
Thick black fur, red face, horns and hooves - the appearance of the evil demon of Christmas is really frightening, but his main "trump card" is the power over naughty children.
Every year, on the night of December XNUMX-XNUMX, Krampus appears in those houses where there is a naughty child. Under the clang of chains, the demon sneaks into the room, takes out the rods and punishes the guilty one for his misdeeds, and he takes especially naughty children with him in a bag, and then throws them into the water.
Of course, this story is just an urban legend, but European parents love to scare negligent offspring with the appearance of Krampus, and the inhabitants of Germany and Austria on the eve of his appearance traditionally dress up in this creature and roam the streets to appease the demon.
Belsnickel
The legend of Belsnikel was born in German folklore - according to numerous stories that have been passed down from generation to generation, this creature came to naughty children some time after Christmas, dressed in animal skins, and, frightening with a huge whip, warned the little inhabitants of the house about responsibility for the committed dirty tricks.
It is noteworthy that, unlike Krampus, Belsnickel does not practice corporal punishment and does not kidnap delinquent children, but only gives a year to correct mistakes. Plus, this creature always carries a bag of candy with it to reward those whose behavior was perfect.
In the modern world, this legend is still popular in Germany and the United States, especially in the state of Pennsylvania, whose native inhabitants are the Dutch, who brought this story from their folklore.
On the subject: Bikini thieves and Christmas tree tracing: 10 most ridiculous Christmas crimes
Grila
Giantess Grila, born in Icelandic mythology, is the main Christmas anti-hero of Iceland and appears in a number of fairy tales, poems and songs.
According to legend, an evil creature, outwardly similar to a tall, thin old woman or, according to another version, a fox with fifteen tails, lives high in the mountains with its thirteen children (Yule boys) and her lazy husband Leppaludi, and on Christmas goes down to the people and goes hunting.
Grila is considered one of the most cruel mythological characters - she not only intimidates the naughty kids who ate poorly and were capricious in the last year, but kidnaps them and then eats them.
In the same years when all the children behave well, the giantess suffers from hunger and causes all kinds of natural disasters - for example, the eruption of the Eyjafjallajökull volcano in 2010 is associated with her name, and one of the geysers located in Iceland bears her name.
La Befana
The people of Italy also have their own Christmas dark hero, who does evil deeds after the main winter holiday. The witch La Befana comes to homes where there are children, and, depending on what their behavior was last year, gives gifts or presents unpleasant surprises.
It is believed that the sorceress appears in the form of a skinny old woman on a broomstick and leaves candy for obedient kids, and for those who behaved badly, La Befana hands over ash, and sometimes even scatters it around the house.
There is a belief that when the three wise men went to Bethlehem to give Jesus a gift, they invited an old single woman to join them, but she refused. Later she changed her mind and rushed after them, but got lost and could not find either the Magi or the way home.
After the death of La Befana, she was reborn into a spirit that wanders the world and looks for a child Jesus in everyone she meets, hoping to atone for his guilt and give him gifts.
Frau Perchta
An insidious creature from German mythology is a danger not only for children, but also for adults. Frau Perchta, who appears in the guise of a bony old woman in rags, comes into houses on Epiphany every year and checks how its inhabitants have spent the last twelve months.
Obedient children receive a silver coin from her, disobedient children receive corporal punishment, but the most terrible fate awaits adults whose actions were far from ideal.
According to legend, Frau Perkhta, having discovered those who were too lazy, angry, envious and sinned in every possible way in the past year, rips open their belly with a long sharp sword and removes internal organs, putting stones or straw in their place.
This creature is considered one of the most dangerous and cruel, and therefore the inhabitants of Western Europe always carefully prepare for its appearance and try not to anger Frau Perkhta with unworthy behavior.
On the subject: How American Christmas is Different from Our New Year: An Immigrant's Opinion
Yule cat
The Yule cat, according to Icelandic folklore, is the closest neighbor of the cruel giantess Grila - he lives in her cave and goes down to people only once a year.
Wandering the streets, a huge black cat with sharp claws and teeth is looking for passers-by who are not wearing a single new piece of wool. Finding a victim, the creature attacks it and eats it alive.
That is why the inhabitants of Iceland, on the eve of Yule, the holiday of the middle of winter among the Germanic peoples, take to the streets exclusively in woolen clothes, bought specifically for this purpose - it is believed that even a sock or other insignificant wardrobe detail can save a person from the attack of a terrible beast.
It is noteworthy that this legend is based on a noble goal - in the XNUMXth century, the peoples of the "Ice Country" invented the Yule Cat in order to encourage people to work harder.
And, oddly enough, this method worked - even today the inhabitants of Iceland are considered extremely hardworking and do not miss the opportunity to earn some money before the holidays, so as not to be considered lazy and not to become a victim of a cruel beast.
