Sunday, December 15, 2013

Krampus goes Grimm

I was so excited to watch the Christmas special of Grimm last Friday! I always look forward to watching Grimm, but this episode had Krampus! For those who don't follow the show, it involves a lot of different creatures. Some are based on old Grimm's fairy tales, some are creatures designed especially for the show, and others are cultural legends. Grimm has recently been doing the cultural legend thing and I love it! A few weeks ago, I learned about El Cucuy, a boogeyman type creature told of in some Hispanic countries. The Krampus episode had some similarities, because he is also a creature creating a form of justice.

Many of the people who read this blog are well familiar with Krampus, but I'll give a quick explanation for anyone who isn't. In some Alpine and Northern European countries, the Krampus follows St. Nicholas around to meet with the children. While St. Nicholas is the giver of gifts, Krampus is more the giver of swats with the sticks he carries around. If you've been really awful, he'll load you into his sack and carry you off as a snack for later. Krampus is a horrifying devil-like creature who is often depicted with hooves and a long, red tongue. Here's how he looked on Grimm:



Pretty cool, hey? I couldn't have been happier with how he was represented! Here's Krampus with his switch and bag for collecting naughty kids:

Grimm tidings for the holidays. Krampus is coming!

In this plot, Krampus takes the kids and hangs them from the tallest trees in baskets. I'd never heard that part of the legend.



This Krampus not only looked scary, but he also had a scary voice. It was used sparingly, which I thought was perfect. I found a video full of Krampus moments. You will definitely get the idea! (There's a short advertisement before you see Krampus.)



What do you think? I think it's amazing how far mask making has come. Today, Krampus can be ultra scary with the use of silicone masks and contact lenses. I saw some modern Krampus get-togethers on YouTube recently and it's really spine-tingling now. I'm sure it always was, but now Krampus is like something from a Horror movie. This 2012 Krampus parade video was taken in Austria:



I find this video fascinating but I don't know if I'd be up for attending one of these parades in person. There's always that potential for people to get extra aggressive when they're wearing masks, carrying sticks, and probably fueled with a little beer! Still, I liked the creativity of the costumes, that red fire, and the way that one Krampus got lifted up.

I found a series of postcards and a few photos to give you an idea of what Krampus looked like back in the day:

Krampus postcards

The first two photos are of traditional Krampus costumes

You've come a long way Krampus!

8 comments:

  1. Thanks for the explanation of a Krampus. I have that episode recorded and have not watched it yet. It will be nice to have the history of the creature.

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    1. Julie ~ Is Krampus new to you? I think you're going to like that episode! There's another creature involved since it's a two hour special. I've enjoyed all of season 3 so far. Are you all caught up with Grimm up until this last episode?

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    2. Yep, I am all caught up but have not watched this episode as of today. I have been so busy and can't find the time. This weekend is looking good for me to finally watch it.

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    3. Julie ~ I know what you mean. This holiday season has been more busy for me than usual! It's amazing that I've had the time to watch all the Grimm episodes. Luckily, you can catch up on the last few episodes on the Grimm web site. There are lots of Krampus extras on there too. Let me know what you think of the Krampus episode!

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  2. Saw the night of the Krampus in Bavaria (Berchtesgaden) when I was a young guy. It was just a small town then and maybe 50 or so people in the streets when he and some of his minions and their version of St. Nichols came through. One of the coolest things that I ever saw but was completely unprepared with no idea what I was watching at the time. Made it a very surreal experience! That's one of the better videos with costuming I've seen.

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    1. Mark ~ That is so cool! I can't imagine what that was like to witness a Krampus get-together without knowing what was going on. I'm sure it was scary and mystifying! Did you manage to get any photos of the goings-on? Every town seems to have slightly different looking Krampus outfits from what I've seen on YouTube. I got spooked just watching the video I posted! I'm sure it's a real experience in person. Hopefully they weren't this confrontational with you!

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  3. There are some wonderful videos on YouTube that give you a look behind the scenes of Krampus, including the artists who carve the masks.

    Ali

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    1. Alison ~ I'd like to see some of those videos! I wonder if many Krampus masks are being carved nowadays. It seems like a lot of the new Krampus looks are made with latex masks or prosthetics. If you remember any specific videos about the mask making, please send them my way! I'll do a little searching on my own too.

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