Krampus - The Yule Lord

So. This was my first piece of art created almost entirely in Manga Studio (as opposed to Photoshop, which is what I usually use). I was originally only going to line him in MS and then color him in Photoshop, but I love Manga Studio's Watercolor brushes, I can blend without switching tools and it doesn't lag as much as Photoshop does. It doesn't have the layer styles though, so the glow around his body and the letters, as well as the text were done in Photoshop. 

I first fell in love with the Krampus legend when I read Brom's "Krampus." He wrote his own twist on the legend and gave Krampus a personality. You're probably familiar with Brom's creepy paintings, but if you haven't read his stories, you really should. He's an excellent writer as well. 

So… if you're not familiar with Krampus, let me tell you about this awesome fucker right here. Krampus, sometimes called the Christmas Devil, is older than Jesus. That's right, he's a pre-Christian, Alpine Pagan tradition and has been described as a "boozy goat-horned menace that whips naughty children around Europe." He's typically got matted black hair, a tongue to make Gene Simmons (or your girlfriend) jealous, big devil horns, a cloven hoof or two…. and probably a corkscrew cock that's barbed like a housecat's. (After all, it's also said that he can (and will) sex your woman better than you can.) He has chains and sometimes bells that he rattles, and a big bundle of thorny birch sticks that he uses to beat those naughty kiddies with… and sometimes plump young ladies, making him possibly one of the oldest kinksters out there. He's also got a big ass sack or wicker basket he carries on his back and uses to take naughty children off to Hel… or to his lair to eat them, depending on which version of the legend you're reading. 

His name comes from the German word krampen, which means "claw," (or "giddy child murderer.") Europeans have been exchanging greeting cards featuring Krampus since the 1800s. Sometimes introduced with Gruß vom Krampus (Greetings from the Krampus), the cards usually have humorous rhymes and poems and sometimes feature Krampus looming menacingly over children or spanking buxom women. He's is Hel's son, and if you didn't know, the giantess Hel is Loki's daughter, the ruler of the underworld… which makes Krampus Loki's Grandson and Fenrir's nephew. He's actually buddies with St. Nicholas and they have this good cop, bad cop thing going on.  It's rather simple: If you're good, St. Nick will give you gifts. If you're bad, he doesn't leave you a lump of coal in your stocking, that's part of the typical American habit of making badass Eurpoean legends more palatable to us pussy ass Americans. (Seriously, have you read the original Little Mermaid?) In Austria and Germany, if you're a bad kid, Santa lets Krampus beat the shit out of you with his bundle of switches and carry you off in his basket. So I guess that kind of makes Krampus one of Santa's helpers. 

According to folklore, Krampus purportedly shows up in towns the night before December 6, known as Krampusnacht, or Krampus Night. December 6 also happens to be Nikolaustag, or St. Nicholas Day, when German children look outside their door to see if the shoe they left out the night before contains either presents (a reward for good behavior) or a rod (for bad behavior).

A more modern take on the tradition in Austria, Germany, Hungary, Slovenia, and the Czech Republic involves drunken men dressed as devils, who take over the streets for a Krampuslauf—a Krampus Run of sorts, when people are chased through the streets by the "devils."

Personally, I think Krampus sounds a lot more fun than Santa Claus. This year, I've been a very naughty girl and I'm waiting for Krampus to come spank me.