23 Creatures and Characters Related with Christmas and Winter Holidays

Hello everybody. We've all heard about Santa Claus and Saint Nicholas, they're practically the icons of the winter holidays. But in different cultures there are many more characters and creatures related to Christmas. Today I will present to you 23 of them. Enjoy! The Nisse A Nisse is a mythical creature from Nordic folklore, today typically associated with the winter solstice and the Christmas season. They are generally described as being short, having a long white beard, and wearing a conical or knit cap in grey, red or some other bright colour. They often have an appearance somewhat similar to that of a garden gnome. The most distinctive things about Nisse is their love of looking after animals, their love of practical jokes, and that they help the families they live with if treated with love and respect. All they ask for is a bowl of porridge and a glass of glog each night, but they will become mischievous with the family if they are not treated well. The Yule Goat The Yule Goat is a Scandinavian and Northern European Yule and Christmas symbol and tradition. Its origin may be Germanic pagan and has existed in many variants during Scandinavian history. Modern representations of the Yule Goat are typically made of straw. The Yule Goat's origins go back to ancient pagan festivals. This event clearly marks the sun's annual re-entry into the astrological sign of Capricornus, and a kid goat sacrifice was made in honour of the Norse god Njord, the god of agriculture and plentitude who rules this particular sign. Zwaard Piet Zwaard Piet, also known in English by the translated name Black Pete, is the companion of Saint Nicholas. The earliest known illustration of the character comes from an 1850 book by Amsterdam school teacher Jan Schenkman in which he was depicted as a black moor from Spain. The Zwaard Piet character is part of the annual feast of Saint Nicholas that is celebrated on This is when presents and sweets are traditionally distributed to children. Frau Perchter was a gruesome old witch who doles out brutal punishments to those who've misbehaved in the lead up to the 12 days of Christmas. She has a particular penchant for children who don't tell the truth, so if you have a tendency towards the dishonest, you may need to buck your ideas up. In fairness to Frau Perchter, she's not all bad. She does have a sense of justice and will hand out presents to those who are most deserving. In many places, Frau Perchter rides with a gang of demonic helpers known as Straggel. These creatures feast on the offerings left out for them on Christmas by revellers hoping for Frau Perchter's blessings in the new year. It is said that sometimes the Straggel get to dish out the punishments themselves, robbing all bad children and tearing some of them to pieces. Grila is originally mentioned as being a giantess in the 13th century compilation of Norse mythology, Prose Edda, but no specific connection to Christmas is mentioned until the 17th century. She is enormous and her appearance is repulsive. The oldest poems about Grila describe her as a parasitic beggar. She walks around asking parents to give her their disobedient children. Her plans can be thwarted by giving her food or chasing her away. Originally, she lived in a small cottage, but in later poems she appeared to have been forced out of town and into a remote cave. Current day Grila can detect children who are misbehaving year round. She comes from the mountains during Christmas time to search nearby towns for her meal. The Yule Lads are the sons of Grila. They are a group of 13 mischievous pranksters who steal from or otherwise harass the population. All have descriptive names that generally convey their favourite way of causing mischief. They arrive one by one over the final 13 nights leading up to Christmas. They leave small gifts in shoes that children place on windowsills, but if the child has been disobedient, they leave a rotten potato in the shoe instead. The Yule Cat, known as Jolokaturin, a huge and vicious cat who is described as lurking about the snowy countryside during Christmas time and eating people who have not received any new clothes to wear before Christmas Eve. He is the house pet of Grila. The Grinch is a fictional character created by Dr. Seuss, an American children's author and cartoonist. He is best known as the main character of the 1957 children's book, How the Grinch Stole Christmas. The Grinch is depicted as a green, pot-bellied, furry, pear-shaped, snub-nosed creature with a cat-like face and cynical personality. In full-colour adaptations, he is typically coloured yellow-green. He has spent the past 53 years living in seclusion on a cliff, overlooking the town of Whoville. Though always hateful, he especially hates the Christmas season, making particular note of how disturbing the various noises of Christmas time are to him, including the singing of Christmas carols. Unable to stand the holiday any longer, he decides to destroy it once and for all. Belsnickel is related to other companions of St. Nicholas in the folklore of German-speaking Europe. Unlike those figures, Belsnickel does not accompany St. Nicholas, but instead visits alone and combines both the threatening and the benign aspects which in other traditions are divided between the St. Nicholas and the companion figure. Belsnickel is a man wearing furs and sometimes a mask with a long tongue. He is typically very ragged and dishevelled. He wears torn, tattered and dirty clothes, and he carries a switch in his hand with which to beat naughty children. But also a pocket full of cakes, candies and nuts for the good children. Olentzero is a character in Basque Christmas tradition. According to Basque traditions, Olentzero comes to town late at night on the 24th of December to drop off presents for children. In some places, he arrives later, for example on the 27th or on the 31st. One common version has Olentzero being one of the gentilac, a race of Basque giants living in the Pyrenees. There are various origin stories for Nektuprecht. The word Nekt in German means servant or farmhand, and in a sense, he does act as St. Nicholas' helper, since they travel together and he does all the heavy lifting. Some say that Nektuprecht was a wounded foundling that St. Nicholas rescued and raised. Others say he is a wild man with horns who comes out of the forest at Christmas time as a dark elf to help St. Nicholas. Kallikantzeri are malevolent goblins in Southeast European and Anatolian folklore. Stories about the Kallikantzeri or its equivalents can typically be found in Greece, Bulgaria, Turkey, Serbia, Albania, Bosnia and Cyprus. Kallikantzeri are believed to dwell underground, but come to the surface during the 12 days of Christmas, from the 25th of December to the 6th of January, or from the winter solstice for a fortnight, during which time the sun ceases its seasonal movement. However, according to folklore, when they are about to see the final part, Christmas dawns and they are able to come to the surface. Pierre Fouettard is St. Nick's companion who accompanies him as he travels around France giving out presents to the good children. Pierre Fouettard, which literally translates as Father Whipper, hands out lumps of coal and according to tradition, a beating or whipping. Fouettard's appearance is described to be an older man with a sinister face. He wears a dark robe and has an unkempt black beard and carries a whip or a club. His face is also usually darkened with soot. When Nicholas gifts well-behaved children with candies and small gifts, Pierre Fouettard whips the naughty kids. Krampus is perhaps the most feared creature in all Christmas folklore. Half-goat, half-demon, he's Santa's evil counterpart and punishes the naughty children, while Santa leaves gifts for the nice ones. But unlike Santa, he doesn't just appear on the 25th of December. He arrives in town on Krampusnacht, the 5th of December, and will hang around until Christmas Day. If you've been badly behaved at all this year, watch out, for he's known to stuff naughty children into his sack and take them into his lair. Jack Frost Jack Frost is a personification of frost, ice, snow, sleet, winter and freezing cold. He is a variant of Old Man Winter who is responsible for frosty weather, nipping the fingers and toes in such weather, colouring the foliage in autumn and leaving fern-like patterns on cold windows in winter. Starting in late 19th century literature, more developed characterisations of Jack Frost depict him as a sprite-like character, sometimes appearing as a sinister mischief-maker or as a hero. Dead Moroz Dead Moroz is a legendary figure similar to Saint Nicholas, Father Christmas and Santa Claus who has his roots in Slavic mythology. The tradition of Dead Moroz is mostly spread in East Slavic countries and is an important part of Russian culture. The literal translation of Dead Moroz is Grandfather Frost. He wears a heel-length fur coat, in red or blue, a semi-round fur hat and a valenki, a traditional Russian winter footwear. He has a long white beard. He walks with a long magic stick and often rides a troika. He is often depicted bringing presents to well-mannered children, delivering them in person in the days of December and secretly under the Christmas tree overnight on New Year's Eve. The Snow Maiden Granddaughter to Dead Moroz, this princess-like Christmas character accompanies Dead Moroz on New Year's Eve. You can spot her in silvery blue robes and a furry hat. She is so widely loved that many fairy tales and operas have been created about her life. She has snow-white skin, deep blue eyes and beautiful fair hair. Lussie Lussie was a female being with evil traits, like a female demon or witch, who rides through the air with her followers called Lussieferda. This itself might be an echo of the myth of the Wild Hunt, called Oskarea in Scandinavia, found across northern, western and central Europe. It was believed to be particularly dangerous to be out during Lussie Night, the night between the 12th and 13th of December. According to tradition, children who had done mischief had to take special care, since Lussie could come down through the chimney and take them away, and certain tasks of work in the preparation for Yule had to be finished, or else the Lussie would come to punish the household. The Lutins A big part of French folklore, Lutins are believed to stem from Lapland. Despite their mischievous behaviour and cheeky appearance, they're actually rather helpful. A type of festive hobgoblin, they spend their time helping Father Christmas. Rudolph One of the most well-recognised creatures of Christmas, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer is a fictional reindeer created by Robert L. May. Rudolph is usually depicted as the ninth and youngest of Santa Claus's reindeer, using his luminous red nose to lead the reindeer team and guide Santa's sleigh on Christmas Eve. Though he initially receives ridicule for his nose as a fawn, the brightness of his nose is so powerful that it illuminates the team's path through harsh winter weather. Hans Trapp Hans Trapp is an anti-Santa figure from the French-German border region of Alsace-Lorraine. Legend tells how Trapp began as a wealthy man, but greedy and evil to boot. He was so rotten that he was excommunicated by the Catholic Church and sold his soul to Satan. Now, beyond redemption, Trapp was exiled to the forests. But still, his evil was felt. Disguising himself as a scarecrow by stuffing straw into his clothing, he began to prey on children. One day, or so the legend says, Hans Trapp was about to eat a small boy he'd captured when God, fed up with his evil doing, killed him with a bolt of lightning. However, this was not the end for Hans Trapp. He continued to roam the earth, dressed as a scarecrow. He teamed up with Saint Nicholas to earn redemption. While Saint Nicholas awarded presents to the virtuous, Hans Trapp tries to persuade naughty children to mend their ways and be virtuous, unlike him. La Befana In Italian folklore, the Befana is an old woman who delivers gifts to children throughout Italy on Epiphany Eve, the night of January 5th. In a similar way to Santa Claus or the Three Magi Kings. She is usually portrayed as a hag riding a broomstick through the air, wearing a black shawl and is covered in soot because she enters the children's houses through the chimney. She is often smiling and carries a bag or hamper filled with candy, gifts or both. In popular folklore, the Befana visits all the children of Italy on the eve of the Feast of the Epiphany to fill their socks with candy and presents if they are good, or a lump of coal or dark candy if they are bad. In many poorer parts of Italy, and in particular rural Sicily, a stick in a stocking was placed instead of coal. Being a good housekeeper, many say she will sweep the floor before she leaves. To some, the sweeping meant the sweeping away of the problems of the year. The child's family typically leaves a small glass of wine and a plate with a few morsels of food, often regional or local, for the Befana. Thanks for watching everyone. I hope you like the video and if you really enjoy it, please support the channel through the Super Thanks button found under the video. Till next time, yours truly, Mythos the Historian.