Category
page 1Companions of Saint Nicholas
Krampus
thumb|upright|1900s illustration of Saint Nicholas and Krampus visiting a child
The Krampus () is a horned anthropomorphic figure who, in the Central and Eastern Alpine folkloric tradition, is said to accompany Saint Nicholas on visits to children during the night of 5 December (Krampusnacht; "Krampus Night"), immediately before the Feast of St. Nicholas on 6 December. In this tradition, Saint Nicholas rewards well-behaved children with small gifts, while Krampus punishes badly behaved ones with birch rods.
Zwarte Piet
companion of Saint Nicholas in the folklore of the Netherlands and Belgium
Knecht Ruprecht
companion of Saint Nicholas in the folklore of Germany
Père Fouettard
Companion of St. Nicholas in folklore
Belsnickel
Belsnickel (also known as Belschnickel, Belznickle, Belznickel, Pelznikel, Pelznickel, Bell Sniggle) is a crotchety, fur-clad Christmas gift-bringer figure in the folklore of the Palatinate region of southwestern Germany along the Rhine, the Saarland, and the Odenwald area of Baden-Württemberg. The figure is also preserved in Pennsylvania Dutch communities and Brazilian-German communities.
Companions of Saint Nicholas
folkloric figures who accompany the gift-bringer