Have Yourself a Scary Little Krampus
The imagery of Christmas in most Western countries is of pure wholesomeness with Santa Claus or St. Nicholas, presents, candy, lights, etc. But in central Europe, there is another figure in the mix, the horned devilish-looking character called Krampus, who doles out punishment if you\u2019re naughty instead of nice. I talk with Jules Linner and Christina Albert about why it was important for them as children to believe in St Nick\u2019s dark companion. Krampus event organizer and author Al Ridenour, along with cultural anthropologist Matth\xe4us Rest, explain the history of Krampus, and why he\u2019s still an important part of German and Austrian culture today.\nHere's the link to Al\u2019s book \u201cThe Krampus and the Old, Dark Christmas: Roots and Rebirth of the Folkloric Devil,\u201d and Al\u2019s podcast Bone and Sickle episode on Krampus.\nThis episode is sponsored by Walker Books and BetterHelp. Our ad partner is Multitude. If you\u2019re interested in advertising on Imaginary Worlds, you can contact them here.\nLearn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices