The infamous Christmas demon, Krampus, is an incredibly fascinating character in Pagan, Austrian and German folklore.
 
His myth has evolved over centuries and is said to have originated in Germany in the 12th century. In this myth, the half-man, half-goat, hairy demon accompanies St Nicholas on December 5th (Krampus night) to punish naughty children by beating them with his birch rod, shaking his loud chains and stuffing coal in their stockings. In paganism, he is the son of Hel, the goddess of the underworld, and ventures out into the world at Yuletide. In Austria, there is a whole pagan festival dedicated to Krampus filled with people dressed up as multi-horned demons who parade and dance through the streets to scare away the dark spirits of winter! 
 
For my version of Krampus, I wanted to sprinkle elements from all three versions of Krampus. Upon his head are two sets of horns (goat horns and antlers of a Suffolk stag), he has a demonic, slithery long tongue, a sack full of coal and birch, with an added Anna Joan hare, chains on his hands and, finally, a traditional St. Nicholas green coat, along with jewels, a pagan band and bells, to match my traditional Father Christmas as his counterpart.