Thought christmas was all about cosy nights by the fire and presents from Old Saint Nic? Then you haven’t heard of Krampus, Santa’s demonic alter-ego, who takes the form of a goat-like creature who uses beatings as opposed to bribes to make sure people behave, and if that doesn’t work he will stuff you in a sack and take you to his lair (as seen in this creepy lithograph from around 1911). Krampus has had something of a revival in recent years, including his own movie and the establishment of a modern tradition called Krampuslauf, which has taken hold in Austria, Germany, Hungary, Slovenia and the Czech Republic. It involves groups of drunken merry-makers dressed as Krampus, chasing unsuspecting victims through the streets—now what could be more terrifying than that?
