The Christmas demon known as Krampus has origins in several different cultures and religions that are centuries old. As horror movies have continued to utilize the folkloric creature as a means of evoking fear during an otherwise joyous holiday, it is necessary to locate its exact origins, mythology, and powers. While some may know the demon as Santa Claus's mortal enemy, his true history unveils that he is so much more than that.
In 2015, Michael Dougherty released his holiday horror movie Krampus about the mythological demon who preys on naughty children during Christmas. The movie stars Toni Collette, Adam Scott, Emjay Anthony, David Koechner, and Allison Tolman as the Engel family who are tormented on the days following up to their yearly festivities. Krampus's origin story in Dougherty's movie are fairly accurate, as Omi (Krista Stadler) explains that he primarily punishes people who have completely lost the Christmas spirit by dragging them to hell for all eternity. He has appeared in several other horror movies including A Christmas Horror Story, Krampus Unleashed, and Krampus: The Christmas Devil. Each of them has their own rendition of his origins, mythology, and powers, some of which are far more gruesome and gory than others.
The folklore of Krampus is derived from European tradition, when parents would tell their children the tale of the beast in hopes of having them behave on the days leading up to Christmas. While most kids are threatened with coal as a gift, others are threatened with being kidnapped by a demon. Folklorists and scholars debate Krampus' true origins, but many have agreed that they go as far back as the 17th century, when he entered the Christian tradition as an oppositional force to jolly Saint Nicholas. With his recent rise in pop culture—particularly in horror movies—new theories have emerged online that have unnecessarily complicated the longstanding origins, mythology, and powers of Krampus.
Krampus appears as a half-goat, half-demon with cloven hooves and large horns. According to mythology, he shares a remarkable resemblance to the devil, as he has been proposed to be the Christian tradition's Christmas devil. While he can be known for dragging children to hell, his punishments tend to range based on how the story is told in different cultures and beliefs. The Christian Krampus tends to be rather ambiguous, whereas the Pagan concept of the demonic creature tells tales of him whipping children with a bundle of birch branches. Other variations include him carrying a large bag to drown naughty kids or transport them to hell while possibly carting around large chains with bells.
While his appearance tends to change, Krampus' general purpose and mythology remains somewhat the same across cultures. He is similar to Santa Claus in regard to knowing how naughty or nice children have been throughout the year. If they are naughty, Krampus arrives to punish them, but the concept of naughtiness and niceness are entirely different than common understanding. A child can be deemed naughty if they've lost the Christmas spirit. Today, it is normally defined as being deviant. Krampus doesn't necessarily care if the child has been good or bad, he decides their fate based on their holiday cheer. As the myth of the demon has aged, he has been used as a means to scare children into behaving.
His powers are rather simple, as they are closely related to the devil. He can open up the gates of hell and take children with him, where he tortures them day in and day out. While the 2015 movie featured servants for the demon, there is no evidence that he has helpers like Santa Claus does. It's likely this was taken from the Icelandic lore of Gryla, a giant who feeds on the flesh of mischievous children, and her Yule Lads who torment houses during the holiday. Ultimately, Krampus is really the demonic version of Santa Claus with devilish powers that allow him to drag children to hell or punish them in various ways. While his appearance may vary from place to place, his evil remains largely the same.