Witches of Yule and Winter

Here are the witches, good and bad, who make a return during the season of Yule and winter, associated with the periods of Christmas and New Year. 

La Befana, from Italian folklore about a witch who delivers presents to children on the eve of the Feast of Epiphany. She goes to every child's home in Italy and fills socks with sweets, toys, gifts and other pleasant surprises only if they've been well behaved. If they've been bad, she'll live a lump of coal, a stick or rock candy instead. While there at the house, she may sweep the floor with her broomstick, which is itself magical and what she uses to travel around on. Some families leave out a glass of wine a plate of food for La Befana so that she'll be welcome to it when she arrives. Depicted as a smiling kind old woman covered in dark soot from the chimneys she uses to climb in and out, she also carries a large sack full of goodies. This pleasant Yule witch is featured in Winter Solstice Befana choirs during the Festival of Lights parade in Canada. In Russia there's a similar witch named Babushka. 

Frau Perchta is less friendly. She's a scary Christmas witch from the folklore beliefs in Alpine regions such as Switzerland, Germany and Austria. She's described as an old crone dressed in rags with a nose made of iron, but she's obsessed with cleanliness and spinning. Once the season of Christmas was over, women were expected to complete all of the spun flax, chores and prepared a bowl of porridge for her, by the twelfth night, or 6th January, otherwise she will become very cross. Everyone feared the anger of Frau Perchta as the punishment would be terrible. She would sneak into the house while they sleep, disembowel them and fill their empty guts with rubbish, stones and straw. She doesn't only check your house, but participates in a frightening Wild Hunt, accompanied by demons named Perchten, who are sinister and also nightmarish. She's not only considered a hideous evil witch but also a beautiful snow queen who shapeshifts into animals as there seems two different sides of her.  

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True Christmas time ghosts

There are legendary ghosts who haunt places around the festive season of Yule. Some of these have become well known Christmas spirits. Here are some of those spooks that manifest during the long winter nights of December.

A magazine named Country Life sent photographers to take pictures within a centuries old house. Raynham Hall was the site of interest because of its beauty and age located in Norfolk. It was in 1936 when the magazine's team of photographers took a picture showing an apparition on the staircase. It's believed that this is the resident ghost called The Brown Lady. She's been haunting the house every December, especially on Christmas Eve. Some say this is the ghost of Dorothy Walpole (1686-1726), the wife the former owner, Charles Townshend. She lived a sad oppressive life as her husband's prisoner until she died within the house. Her spirit still wanders the corridors frightening anyone who happens to see her. She's described as wearing a brown brocade dress, has glowing features and empty eye sockets. Wikipedia page of the Brown Lady of Raynham Hall. 

Roos Hall, or Rose Hall, in Suffolk on the outskirts of Beccles, is a centuries old house, and haunted by a headless horseman every Christmas Eve. At night on 24th December, the sounds of a spectral carriage at high speed then pulls into the driveway pulled by two headless horses, which some people have witnessed. It's possible some could mistake the noises for Santa's sleigh! This belongs to the headless horseman, who then appears and helps a ghostly woman step out of the carriage! Those who see her are driven to insanity. Also there is a white lady ghost wandering the grounds and drawn to an oak tree, a place where criminals were hung. Some claim she walks around this tree six times to summon demons. Another phantom of a misty girl looks out of a window of Roos Hall, and waves at passers by to scare them. This is one reason to avoid going to the house around Yule season. Spooky Isle page on Roos Hall.

Wawel Castle is haunted during Christmas Eve. Located in Poland, this castle was built during the Dark Ages, and was home to many kings. The site itself has often been associated with the paranormal. Nearby is Wawel Hill, full of secret caves and tunnels that were used as far back as prehistoric times. It's legend goes that there is a dragon statue inside, which was explored by a king when he was a child. He came across a glowing stone that gave off magical energy. It's believed that every Christmas Eve, the spirits of Polish kings gather together inside the caves. The hill itself is believed to have been the location of a real dragon, whose bones are now hung up in Wawel Cathedral, but when these bones fall to the ground, the world will end. The site itself is close to Krakow, said to be full of vampires and there was a vampire grave pit discovered. Ghostwatch.net page on Wawel Hill legends.

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Yuletide monsters

The season of Yule is filled with scary legendary creatures. I already mentioned Krampus, Belsnickel and Hans Trapp in the previous post "Three Scary Companions of Santa." Here are some more nightmares for the season of peace and joy. May all feel merry!

Mari Lwyd is a Christmas tradition in Wales that features a zombie horse. Full of greed, this entity wants to visit people's houses and eat everything. Some refuse to open the door, while others are tricked by the singing voice of Mari Lwyd who think it must be carol singers. The Mari Lwyd expects you to sing back to it, be let inside by the householder and given something to eat. However, if let inside, the Mari Lwyd can devour so much food that there won't be anything left.

Yule Cat is a giant black predatory feline of Icelandic folklore. It prowls the landscape on Christmas Eve, hunting for any person travelling in old clothes. This monster of a cat spares the lives of those who wear atleast one piece of new clothing that was given to them on Christmas. This Yule Cat is feared so much that people are desperate to get any new items of clothes including socks, gloves and scarves. Yule Cat is mainly believed to be the huge pet of a giantess named Grylla. By the way Grylla is also another Chrstmas monster. She lives in a cave inside a volcano, but leaves during Yuletide to seek out naughty kids. When she finds them, she pops them in a sack, takes them home and eats them. The story of this vile giantess traumatised children for so long. Grylla is the mother of thirteen mischievous sons named the Yule Lads, who steal things, spread germs and make loud noises during the night to wake everyone up. They visit the towns to create havoc throughout the entire season of Yule.

Frau Perchta is a strange one, from Bavarian and Austrian folklore. She either looks like an ancient hag or a snow queen. In some versions, she's a goddess, while in others, she's a terrible witch. Many people have been scared of her for generations. She expects homes to be completed of tasks especially done all its weaving and spinning by Christmas. She also wants you to eat fish and gruel on her feast day, otherwise she'll be angry. If people haven't done weaving by Christmas or eaten fish and gruel on her feast day, she'll be cross and punish those who failed her. This means she'll cut people open and stuff them with straw! Her bodyguards are known as the Straggele, who assist Frau Perchta. These are demons who go around during the twelve nights of Christmas, hoping to find left overs from dinner. If people don't leave them anything to eat, they turn violent and eat people, especially children. 

Enjoy the season!

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Three scary companions of Santa

 It seems that Halloween isn't the only spooky time of year. The season of Yule is upon us and always considered a merry time to spread love and happiness, joy and exchange gifts. There is an abundance of scary creatures associated with Christmas time. Here are three of the most awful Yule characters that have frightened children for generations because they accompany Santa Claus. 

1. Belsnickel is a fearsome figure from Palatine folklore, also understood in Pennsylvania because of German immigrants. Believed to be a grudging servant of Santa Claus, he appears as scruffy, dressed in thick furs, and wears a hat with deer antlers. Sometimes the entity has been cross dressing and given other names like "Christmas woman", and Pelsnichol, Kriskinkle, Beltznickel. His name references the "bells" he wears and accompanies Saint Nicholas. This creature travels alone two weeks before Christmas, visiting houses and carrying a bundle of gifts for good children and a slap from a switch for the naughty kids. He would tell kids to sing for him, and if he liked it, he would throw nuts, cakes and sweets to the floor. If he thinks the kids are being greedy, he whacks them on the back of the hand. 

2. Krampus is a horned monster of Alpine folklore. He's a Christmas devil, with sharp teeth, a long tongue, horns and legs like an animal with cloven hooves. He frightens children and punishes naughty ones. When Santa visits children bringing gifts to children who've been well behaved, he's with Krampus who's there to punish naughty children. He beats kids with sticks and branches. Some horrific tales have him eating them and putting them in a sack to take them down to Hell. It's believed Krampus originates from early pre-Christian beliefs linked to the Winter solstice. Some believe that he's the son of Hel, the goddess of the Underworld.

3. Hans Trapp is a Christmas Scarecrow is another companion to Santa Claus. While Santa delivers presents to children who've been good, Hans Trapp will punish the badly behaved kids. Some say that he's worse than Krampus. From French folklore, the scarecrow had once been human! He was a man in the Medieval period, who was wealthy and evil, and lived in Alsace. People heard that he dabbled in the occult and made pacts with the Devil, resulting in him being exiled from his home. He escaped to Germany and made a hovel in the hills of Bavaria. On the verge of starvation, he was dressed in straw, disguised as a scarecrow and hunted people for food. Then a lightning bolt struck the cannibal down dead. Afterwards, his scary looking ghost is believed to go after naughty children, as this is what parents say.

More on Yuletide monsters coming soon...

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Wildlife picture of the month

Each month will be a post with a picture of a wild animal from the British Isles and Europe, doing something cute and seasonal. It's a light hearted topic that will ease from the spooky and weird subject matters I talk about here.

A robin is perched on a tiny branch amidst the fresh snow. It's red and cute, resting from flight as it appears during the winter. Here are some nice quotes and proverbs about robins.

"The robin flew from his swinging spray of ivy on to the top of the wall and he opened his beak and sang a loud, lovely trill, merely to show off. Nothing in the world is quite as adorably lovely as a robin when he shows off and they are nearly always doing it." Frances Hodgson Burnett.

"Young robin do not fall out of the nest. They fly up to it." Chinese proverb.

"If a robin built its nest in a barn, it would be safe there from weather and wind. But it would be almost as unsafe as if it built its nest in a tree, because it would be likely to become the slave of the farmer." Charlotte Bronte.

"I hardly think, sir, there will be much robin in winter." Charles Dickens.

"A quaint and curious bird if the robin red breast. He's neither fit for town nor yet for country. Yet uncombed he protests, ^I'm the monarch of all I survey^!" Robert Frost.

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