Christmas, it first began in Rome in the 4th century, but it wasn’t well celebrated by Christians across the world until around the 9th It’s thought the festivities initially marked the pagan tradition of the winter solstice, but when the Roman’s chose the 25th December as Jesus Christ’s birthday the festival began to evolve into what we now know as Christmas.

Many people celebrate with their families, singing carols and watching Christmas films.

A personal favourite of mine, is the film Rare Exports. Set in a small village in Finland, it follows the tale of a boy and his father who stumble across Father Christmas, but not the figure we know from the coca cola advert, this Santa sports a set of huge goat’s horns, and takes the naughty list a bit more seriously. If you’ve not seen it, I recommend making it adding it to your Christmas viewing. Inspired by Rare Exports, this Christmas special will explore a version of Santa Claus that many people have left in the past.

Both Sweden and Finland celebrate a holiday known as Saint Knut’s day. It was a celebration of the New Year and a night of feasting, but there was another being who came out to celebrate in Finland, and this creature was called Nuutipukki, which reportedly comes from the name the New Years Buck. He was a humanoid figure with a goat’s head and two enormous horns protruding from his skull. The Nuutipukki didn’t work alone and had a host of friends who travelled around with him.

Many Finnish people are especially connected to their dead around Christmas and often take candles to sit on the graves of loved ones both on Christmas Eve and Saint Knut’s day. The Nuutipukki was said to ward away the evil spirits who may be attempting to take root during this time, but he did not do it without a price.

When the Nuutipukki came knocking, he would demand the Christmas leftovers of food and alcohol. You would be wise to give him what he asks not for, not just for the protection against malevolent spirits but because the Nuutipukki didn’t take kindly to being refused. Your house would be plagued with bad luck, and he would go into a rage, scaring away livestock, destroying your garden and harassing you and your servants.

The Nuutipukki was not just a creature from Folklore, but a reality. Young men from nearby villages would dress up as Nuutipukki, donning unnerving masks from sheep’s hide, large horns and a sheep skin cape, the men would arrive at the door of strangers demanding the leftovers. As the group become more and more intoxicated, they would become destructive, causing chaos at the houses they descended upon. An old proverb from western Finland states, “Good Saint Thomas brings Christmas, evil Knut takes it away.”

As the legend and reality of the Nuutipukki grew, it changed over time and now the role of Nuutipukki is taken on by children, and has a far less sinister and destructive nature. Although the tradition is not continued everywhere in Finland, the Nuutipukki still lives on in regions such as Satakunta and South West Finland.

The Finnish version of Santa Claus it notably similar to Nuutipukki, he is known as Joulupukki. His name roughly translates at Yule-Goat and comes from the pagan midwinter celebration, Yule. The movement away from a Christmas figure demanding gifts to one who gave them out took a long time, up until the 1930s Joulupukki still mostly resembled the Nuutipukki with his goat like appearance. But then the Joulupukki’s image began to mould into the more modern version of Santa that we see today. These days he wears red robes and is pulled on a sleigh led by reindeers, a far cry from the goat headed creature of old. But despite his original unnerving appearance, Joulupukki is not the evil Santa stumbled upon in the 2010 Finnish film Rare Exports. The creature which punishes those who are naughty not nice, resembles a far more widespread demon of folklore. A demon known across the world, as Krampus.

Believed to have originated in Germany, Krampus has existed for many centuries and is the counter part of Saint Nick. Many sources have traced back the origins of Krampus to a priest named Knecht Ruprecht. Stories of Ruprecht go back to the 9th century, a priest dressed in dark robes, he was known for carrying out punishments on those who misbehaved or sinned.

In Christian teachings saints were people who rewarded good deeds and kindness, this meant in return they had attendants who carried out their punishments. According to folklore, Knecht Ruprecht was the attendant of Saint Nicholas. His presence can still be found in modern day Germany, during festivals and Christmas fairs Knecht will accompany Saint Nick. Often dressed in a dark robe with a hood, he will generally be carrying a rod or a cane.

In Alpine tradition, Ruprecht is a servant rather than a priest, and his name was often used to refer to the Devil. And it’s in the Alps that the tale of Krampus was born. During the 16th century, stories used to keep people in line were extremely popular, and the tales of the Brother’s Grimm spurred people’s want for horror and darkness. Ruprecht began to evolve into the humanoid demon we know today. The word Krampus translates as Claw, and it’s believed he was inspired by Norse Mythology. Legend claims he is the son of the Hel, the goddess of the realm of the dead, and the Grandson of the trickster Loki.

This tie to Norse Lore would explain the similarities between Krampus and figures such as Nuutipukki. The recurring image of the goat or goats’ horn has been linked to Thor, and is thought to represent strength and power. In the myths, Thor is said to own two goats with huge horns. They were named Tanngrisnir [ˈtɑnːˌɡrisnez̠] Tanngnjóstr ([ˈtɑnːˌɡnjoːstz̠], their names translating as "teeth-barer or snarler" and "teeth-grinder”. The goats pulled Thor’s chariot and were viewed throughout history as symbols of feasting and replenishing. They have also been linked to sacrifice and shamanic rituals. These could well be the reason for the creation of the Yule Goat. A pagan symbol and tradition observed throughout Scandinavia and Northern Europe, and perhaps another explanation for the creatures of Christmas to have their goatlike appearance.

Despite his links to various cultures and stories, the figure of Krampus stands strong on his own.

Krampus is said to be a terrifying sight. His long sharp horns protrude from his head. In his mouth are fangs and a forked tongue, his eyes were blood shot and his body covered in black fur. A deranged look on face, he was said to instil terror on any who saw him.

Krampus became intrinsically linked to Christmas and he was given his own day at the start of December, but instead of a day of giving, Krampus brought a day of reckoning.

On the 5th December he would travel up from Hell and carry out his judgement. To the children deemed naughty, he would leave a rod in their shoes, sometimes even taking out his own bundle of sticks and striking the misbehaving children. But those who had been very bad were destined to a terrible fate. After beating them, Krampus would stuff the children into sacks and take them back down with him to fiery pits of hell, never to return.

By the 12th century the Catholic Church had had enough of the demon and did their best to rid him from society. They banned the celebrations of Krampusnacht and forbade his tale from being told. For a long time, this worked, and Krampus was suppressed as a popular figure of Christmas, but they couldn’t get rid of him forever. In the early 19th century, he began to make a return. His image began appearing on postcards in Northern Europe and he was proving to be popular with tourists and locals alike. By the 20th and 21st century Krampusnacht was once again being celebrated in Europe. Those celebrating dress up in horns and robes and chase naughty children and parents through the streets. These festivals were banned during World War Two as Fascists believed Krampus was a symbol of the Social Democrats.

But no matter how much he is banned, Krampus keeps finding his way back. After being picked up by Hollywood, the tale of Krampus is more well-known than it has ever been. There are many cities in America who even hold their own Krampuslauf, or Krampus Runs on the 5th December.

Tales of the dark and sinister seem to persist no matter the time of year, and folk horror appears to be more popular than ever. And there seems no better time to share these tales than in the dark of midwinter.

So, a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, and may you only be visited by Saint Nick and celebrate Yule Tide cheer.

Thank you for listening to this episode of the Folklorist which was researched, written and recorded by Alannagh Cooke. Please rate and subscribe and you can find us on Instagram @thefolkloristpodcast and on Twitter @folkloristpod.

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Thank you for listening.