#alpine folklore

Across European folklore we find that there are varying companions for jolly old St. Nicholas. They typically travel around with St. Nicholas, doling out punishments to the naughty whilst St. Nicholas delivers gifts to the good. In French folklore (particularly within northern and eastern regions of France), as well as in some regions of Switzerland and southern Belgium, St. Nicholas is accompanied by none other than Père Fouettard.

His name means 'Father Whipper,' which fits him especially well, as some tales warn that he beats or whips badly behaved children and even that he brings a whip with him wherever he goes. Later versions of the tale, though, claim he merely delivers lumps of coal, parsnips, or potatoes.

[Bonhomme Noël/Père Noël/Father Christmas/St. Nicholas/Santa Claus with Père Fouettard; public domain]

Most often, Père Fouettard is described as a large man who was once a butcher. He is clad in dark, disheveled and tattered clothes or robes, and he has long, unkempt hair, and an equally neglected beard. Père Fouettard is said to be armed with a whip, chain, switch, or even a staff, walking stick, or club to be used on badly behaved children. Some depictions feature a whicker basket upon his back, similar to that which Krampus is often described as carrying. The basket is sometimes said to hold his switches, chains, or whips, though some tales say it's used to haul off the naughtiest of children.

The best known of Père Fouettard's origin stories can be found in a mid-13th century tale, in which a butcher commits a particularly gruesome crime — he nabs up three children and takes their young lives from them. Some versions involve his wife as an accomplice, and there are many tales claiming that he stored their bodies in a barrel. St. Nicholas discovers and resurrects the children, forcing Père Fouettard to travel with him for eternity, working as St. Nicholas' assistant as a punishment. Some narratives instead see Père Fouettard as willingly becoming St. Nicholas' helper as a means of atonement for the grave sins he's committed.

This origin story for Père Fouettard overlaps with a popular late-medieval tale of one of St. Nicholas' miracles, so popular a tale in the Middle Ages that it was featured in songs, such as in the 16th-century French folk song Légende de Saint Nicolas [1][2].

In this tale, a butcher kills three children and hides their bodies in a pickling barrel, intending to pickle the children and either sale them as pork or eat them himself. The tale alleges that this happened during a period of famine, and St. Nicholas had travelled to the region to administer aid and care to the hungry. In the story, St. Nicholas passes by the butcher's home and knows what the butcher has done. He makes the sign of the cross over the barrel and doing so resurrects the children.

In the words of the song,

[...] Ils n'étaient pas sitôt entrés Que le boucher les a tués, Les a coupés en p'tits morceaux, Mis au saloir comme pourceaux. Saint Nicolas, au bout d'sept ans, Vint à passer dedans ce champ, Alla frapper chez le boucher: "Boucher, voudrais-tu me loger?" Entrez, entrez, saint Nicolas, Il y'a d'la place, il n'en manq'pas." Il n'était pas sitôt entré Qu'il a demandé à souper. "Du p'tit salé je veux avoir Qu'il y a sept ans qu'est dans l'saloir." Quand le boucher entendit ça, Hors de la porte il s'enfuya. "Boucher, boucher, ne t'enfuis pas; Repens-toi, Dieu t'pardonnera." Saint Nicolas alla s'asseoir Dessus le bord de ce saloir. "Petits enfants qui dormez là, Je suis le grand saint Nicolas." Et le saint étendit trois doigts. Les p'tits se lèvent tous les trois.

The verses featured above — I've only included verses telling what happened with the children and butcher after the children entered his home, as well as what happened when St. Nicholas later came calling — are translated [3] as,

The butcher seized a knife straitway, And did the little creatures slay. He put them in a tub of brine, In pieces small as they were swine. St. Nicholas, at seven years end, His way did to the forest wend. He sought the butcher's cottage drear: "Butcher! I would rest me here!" "Enter! enter, St. Nicholas! You are welcome, St. Nicholas! Enter! enter, St. Nicholas! There's place for you the night to pass." Scarce had the Saint his entrance made, He would the supper board was laid. "Will you have of ham a slice?" "I will not, for it is not nice!" "Of this veal you'll take a bit?" "No! I do not relish it." "Give me of the little swine, For seven long years have laid in brine!" The butcher caught the words he said, And forthwith from the portal fled. "Butcher! Butcher! Do not flee, Repent and [G-d] will pardon thee!" St. Nicholas the tub drew near, And lo! He placed three fingers there. The fist one said, "I sweetly rest!" The second said, "I, too, am blest!" The third replied, "'Tis well with me, In Paradise I seem to be!"

Another possible origin story of Père Fouettard comes from mid-16th century war-torn France. In 1552, King Charles V of Spain invaded and overtook Metz [4]. In protest against what was happening, some locals in Lorraine crafted an effigy of Charles V. This effigy, which had been created by an association of local tanners, was paraded through the streets. The tanners, who, it's said, were armed with whips and chains, then publicly burned the effigy.

This effigy is believed to be part of Père Fouettard's origin story, as it seems that that the effigy and the tanners with their whips were, over the course of many, many years, blended together with the tale of a butcher, the three children, and St. Nicholas, becoming the story of Père Fouettard that we know today. This tale is still told in songs and reenactments in some regions in France. The Nancy St. Nicholas Day Parade, for example, features players reenacting the tale of Père Fouettard and St. Nicholas every year, with Père Fouettard cracking his whip and handing out turnips, potatoes, or lumps of coal to the crowd. [5]

Turoń

(Polish folklore)

Wales has the Mari Lwyd, but Poland has Turoń, the blessing-bestowing bull. Turoń takes its name from 'tur,' the Poilsh word for the aurochs, which is a long-extinct species of bovine. Much like with the Mari Lwyd, a part-puppet, part-costume of Turoń is made, worn, and included in mumming traditions, though with a different purpose than that of the Mari Lwyd.

[Туронь. Этнографический музей в Кракове, Польша. 1926. // Turonie (Turońs). From the Ethnographic Museums in Krakow, Poland. 1926.]

Turoń was once a common feature in many Polish mumming parades, which often took place starting from Christmas and running on through Lent.

"The tradition of Turoń coming to your door around Christmas more or less died out in the 20th century, though mummers dressed as aurochs were sometimes spotted in the days leading up to Ash Wednesday and other times of year." -Emma Cieslik (2023) [6]

The Turoń costume features a sheet, cloth, leather, or pelt to conceal the mummer's body. The head of the costume is that of a bull's. Some costumes would feature a real skull or real horns, while others were simply fashioned to look as such. Some costumes also featured a bell around Turoń's neck, like that which cattle would wear [7].

In mumming parades, Turoń dances through the streets, going from home-to-home. When he enters the home, he will dance as carolers sing or musicians play, jump around wildly, chase and play with the children, chase and tease or play tricks upon the women, and playfully snap his jaws and gnash his teeth. After much dancing and playing, he would faint, falling to the floor. The household would attempt to revive him in a variety of ways, such as massaging him or attempting to undo hexes or curses that may have caused his weakness and depletion of energy; but his strength could always be restored by the gift of vodka from the homeowners. He is believed to bring blessings of fertility, particularly blessings of virility and male sexual prowess.

Turoń's association with virility comes from the tur, or the aurochs, which featured in pre-Christian Polish fertility rituals. Men would wear the horns of the aurochs or don costumes fashioned after the aurochs. The ritual involved dancing in these costumes to invoke the virility and strength of the animal. In the later mumming tradition, Turoń could bestow the blessings of fertility upon someone by poking them with his horns.

Perchten

(Alpine, Austrian, Bavarian folklore)

While I wrote about Perchta in last year's part one of the Winter Ones: Folkloric Figures of Winter, Yule, & Christmas, I only briefly touched upon Perchta's entourage of spirits and demons, known as Perchten. Perchten is also the name of the masks worn at Midwinter festivals or parades (or Perchtenlauf) honoring Perchta.

Perchten is the plural form of Perchta, and is used to refer to those who travel with and serve Perchta. There are many tales in which Perchta leads the Wild Hunt during Midwinter, and the Perchten travel with her in those stories. In most tales featuring these figures, Perchta's party of spirits and demons would cause a ruckus, tearing through the night, bringing noise and howling winds with them, as well as the clattering of hooves (sometimes their own hooves, as many depictions of Perchten are bestial, featuring fur, horns, tusks, and hooves; and sometimes the hooves of the great spirit steeds they ride).

Perchten, thus, bear a strong association with Midwinter and the twelve days between Christmas and Epiphany, as well as January 5th and January 6th — Perchtentag Eve and Perchentag, respectively. Even now, there are parades and processions in some areas of Austria and Bavaria during these times, involving participants donning full-body costumes of Perchten [8][9], of which there are two types — Schiachperchten, or "ugly Perchten;" and Schönperchten, or "pretty Perchten."

Come the 1600s, Schiachperchten were used to scare away harmful spirits or demons. Their fearsome appearance, with great horns, fangs, and tusks, are, similarly to gargoyles, believed to have warding and protective capabilities, as are the bells that many Perchten costumes feature. A procession of Schiachperchten through the streets could rid the area of malevolent beings, and some traditional processions involve going from house-to-house to cast evil spirts from each home. Schönperchten, on the other hand, were believed to bring blessings in their wake, specifically blessings of fortune, abundance, and good luck.

"During Krampus processions, participants will whip spectators with switches and sometimes grab them. In contrast, the Perchten are more restrained, even though some of the Schiachperchten, or ugly Perchten, may appear intimidating. The Schönperchten, the beautiful Perchten who follow behind Perchta, tend to be either comical or orderly." -Joy Anderson (2024) [9]

With the Schiachperchten dispelling evil spirits and the Schönperchten bringing blessings of good luck and bounty (likely an important tradition especially for farming communities), Perchta's company certainly became a unique winter tradition with a distinct Alpine character, and a tradition that is gradually making a comeback.

With the rise in popularity in Krampuslauf events, interest in reviving "alternative" winter traditions has been on the rise, and this has led to many communities and organizations bringing back and taking part in Perchten processions, Père Fouettard parades, mumming, and similar customs, perhaps proving that there is something in these "forgotten" or long-neglected communal events and traditions that we feel in want of. It may be the active partaking in community that we crave; or we may crave the connection to historic customs and to our ancestors that may have kept them; it may be that more and more of us are seeking traditions outside of mainstream, organized religious customs or secular lifestyles; it may be a great many reasons. Whatever it is, the traditions and figures featured in this piece are all making their comeback, and that is something, in my opinion at least, to celebrate.

CITATIONS, SOURCES, & FURTHER READING:

Citations:

[1] [www.stnicholascenter.org/how-to-celebrate/resources/music/songs/french/saint-nicolas]

[2] [www.stnicholascenter.org/for-kids/poems/childrens-lament]

[3] Translation by James Henry Dixon (1803–1876)

[4] Savez-vous que le père Fouettard est né à Metz? (2020) [www.republicain-lorrain.fr/insolite/2020/12/06/savez-vous-que-le-pere-fouettard-est-ne-a-metz]

[5] Beware the Christmas Cannibal of France: How a Whip-Wielding Butcher Because St. Nick's Sidekick (2023); Richards, Anna

[6] Meet Turoń, Poland’s Dancing Bull-Beast of Winter (2023); Cieslik, Emma

[7] Dzieła Wszystkie, Tom 5, Krakowskie; Cz.1 (1871; Kraków: Drukarnia Uniwersytetu Jagiellońskiego; pg. 67); Kolberg, Oskar

[8] [www.alpbachtal.at/en/discover-the-alpbachtal/culture/advent/perchten]

[9] Krampus Has Come and Gone. Next Up, the Perchten. (2024) - Anderson, Joy

Sources & Further Reading:

Christmas: Theological Anticipations (2016) - English, Adam C.

Dzieła Wszystkie, Tom 5, Krakowskie; Cz.1 (1871; Kraków: Drukarnia Uniwersytetu Jagiellońskiego) - Kolberg, Oskar

Fearsome Frau Perchta Is an Ancient Alpine Winter Goddess (2023) - Linchong, Victoria

The Golden Bough. A Study in Magic and Religion (1920) - Frazer, (Sir) James George

Nicholas of Myra (2006) - Lendering, Jona

Percht und Krampus, Kramperl und Schiach-Perchten (1999) - Müller, Felix; Müller, Ulrich

Perchta the Belly-Slitter and Her Kin: A View of Some Traditional Threatening Figures, Threats and Punishments in Folklore: Vol. 115, No. 2 (2004) - Smith, John B.

Salt: Grain of Life (2001; Columbia University Press) - Laszlo, (Prof.) Pierre

[wikipedia.org/wiki/Père_Fouettard]

The Winter Goddess: Percht, Holda, and Related Figures in Folklore: Vol. 95, No. 2 (1984) - Motz, Lotte

Scene 1: Frau Perchta getting ready to go out on the first of 12 nights. This will allow you to describe the basics like her physical appearance, what she is wearing, getting her sled ready, her protection. (If you want) You can also establish her mood/attitude toward her work: How many years has she been doing this, what is she anticipating, is she afraid, how does she feel?

Scene 2: First visit: a good household. What is she checking for? What does she notice? How does she decide to give them silver? How do they react to her? Does she say anything when she leaves? You can build suspense as she leaves by mentioning that not every house would go so well.

Scene 3: A "bad" household. What does Frau Pechta see, what happens, what is she feeling as she removes the organs and stuffs them with straw. Does she regret her duty or enjoy it? Are they still alive? How do they react? You can end this scene with her receiving a call for help.

Scene 4: Helping as a surgeon or midwife. This scene helps you show her complex dual nature and her relationship with the community. While she is assisting, the patient can reveal they are close to Krampus. Maybe they work for him or were injured when he came there. Maybe he didn't mean to hurt them or didn't know that he hurt them. Is the patient grateful?

Scene 5: Introducing Krampus. You can briefly leave Frau Perchta's story and introduce Krampus in his own life. Maybe after the patient from Scene 4 is healed, krampus interacts with the patient and learns about how Frau Perchta helped them. You can show Krampus's traits or struggles like if it is tiresome for him to always be feared. If he doesn't like to hurt people. You can do this in a way where the reader can see a thread of similarity between him and Frau Perchta. As this scene ends, Krampus could be preparing to host a Christmas feast.

Scene 6: Christmas. Maybe Frau Perchta plans to give gifts, but she expects to be rejected and is prepared to spend Christmas alone. Maybe people are too afraid of having their organs replaced with straw. Maybe she does get rejected, but then when she leaves on her sled, she encounters Krampus. How can she encounter Krampus? Maybe her sled gets stuck when he is nearby, and he can help. Then he can accept her gift and even invite her to his Christmas feast.

Scene 7: Christmas Feast: This is where you can further develop whatever dynamic or connection you want to establish between her and Krampus. And you can take the story anywhere you want from here.