When I dug into his origin story
I didn’t know of Krampus growing up, but he seems to have grown in popularity in recent years. When I dug into his origin story , I was surprised to find out that he is actually an assistant to Saint Nicholas, and the two work together during the Christmas season. According to Alpine folklore, while Saint Nicholas provides well-behaved children with small gifts—such as oranges, chocolate, walnuts, and dried fruit—Krampus goes around with a birch rod or a pitchfork to punish the naughty ones. In other versions, Krampus carries around a sack to transport them to the underworld. Krampus’ name originates from the German word “krampen” which means “claw” and his roots stretch all the way back to pre-Christian pagan folklore. During the 12th century, the Catholic church tried to ban Krampus celebrations because they believed it was a form of devil worship, but to no avail. On the other hand, Saint Nicholas (the origin of modern Santa Claus) was a real person who lived from 270 to 343. He was...