The Krampus and the Old, Dark Christmas: Roots and Rebirth of the Folkloric Devil

Review "Feral House has just published the definitive work on Krampus and assorted other dark pagan Yuletide terrors.... I really can't recommend this highly enough. If you have any interest in the subject, this book is simply a must-have." - Dangerous Minds "Ridenour (Offbeat Food) serves up an immensely accessible, well-researched history mixed in with his own personal journey..." - Publishers Weekly "Gleefully erudite...." "Well-researched and sumptuously illustrated... Ridenour's book deserves to become a classic in its own right." -- LA Times "A wonderful book documenting the larger world of the Krampus, the tradition's historical development, and its religious and folkloric roots." -- Reading Religion, A Publication of the American Academy of Religion Product Description With the appearance of the demonic Christmas character Krampus in contemporary Hollywood movies, television shows, advertisements, and greeting cards, medieval folklore has now been revisited in American culture. Krampus-related events and parades occur both in North America and Europe, and they are an ever-growing phenomenon. Though the Krampus figure has once again become iconic, not much can be found about its history and meaning, thus calling for a book like Al Ridenour's The Krampus: Roots and Rebirth of the Folkloric Devil. With Krampus's wild, graphic history, Feral House has hired the awarded designer Sean Tejaratchi to take on Ridenour's book about this ever-so-curious figure. Al Ridenour has lectured on Krampus at the Goethe Institutes in Los Angeles. He became somewhat of an internet phenomenon himself due to the hilarious hijinks he coordinated with the controversial Cacophony Societies. From the Back Cover The Krampus, a folkloric devil associated with St. Nicholas in Alpine Austria and Germany is now becoming part of the American Christmas. But the old world from which he comes knew a very different holiday, one haunted by ghosts, witches, devilish horsemen, murderous incarnations of Catholic saints, the demonic Perchten, and witch-like Frau Perchta, known for disemboweling naughty children. Even the church once celebrated this holiday with plays depicting the Devil, Antichrist, and Herod's gory Massacre of the aInnocents. Together, these strange winter traditions gave birth to a monster now more popular than ever, the Krampus. About the Author Al Ridenour: A native of Pasadena, California, Al Ridenour holds BA’s in German and English literature, has worked as an author, journalist, animator, and artist, and has been a fixture in the West Coast underground art community since the mid-1990s. His Krampus research has taken him to the Austrian Alps and Munich, and brought him in contact with cultural anthropologists working in Salzburg and Vienna as well as dozens of members of contemporary European Krampus groups. In 2013, Ridenour co-founded Krampus Los Angeles, an organization that’s made the city ground zero for American Krampusmania. Ridenour has translated and produced the only English-language version of 19th-century Krampus play, written articles, and lectured on the topic at the international Goethe-Institut and elsewhere, and exhibited his Krampus suits at the University of Southern California’s Doheny Museum