31 Days of Monsters - Day 19: Père Fouettard

Père Fouettard is a cannibalistic child-killer of French legend. This beastly butcher once captured and abducted and ate three children. St. Nicholas discovered the crime and resurrected the children to bear witness against Père Fouettard. Repenting his sinful ways, Père Fouettard indentured himself to St. Nicholas. Père Fouettard is now used as a bogeyman figure to scare disobedient children into behaving themselves.

31 Days of Monsters 2014: Krampus

We end this year’s 31 Days of Monsters with a favorite of mine. Krampus is a devilish beast from Germany and Bavaria who accompanies St. Nicholas on his Christmastime travels. While St. Nicholas is benign and gives gifts and treats to good boys and girls, Krampus has something else planned for the bad children of the world. Carrying a switch and an enormous length of chain, Krampus tracks down children who have been particularly bad, and kidnaps them in the night before Christmas. With his switch be beats them for their ill manners, and then he wraps them in chains and carries them away never to be seen again. The mere mention of Krampus is enough to keep even the nastiest brat in line sometimes, so you’d better watch out, because the days are growing shorter and the temperatures are dropping. Christmastime is on its way, and so is Krampus kiddies. Be good, or else!

Happy Halloween