54: Krampus the Christmas Devil

He's knows when you are sleeping.
He knows when you're awake.
He knows when you've been bad or good,
So be good, for YOUR LIFE'S AT STAKE!

Who's that hiding behind Santa's jolly mask? Episode 54 of the Ancient Art Podcast takes a holiday to the Austrian Alps to discover the true meaning of Christmas and meet Santa's various spooky, sooty sidekicks! We lift the lid on the mysterious, fur-clad, horned, Yuletide devil, Krampus, exploring his origin in pagan myths, history throughout the ages, and modern permutations. We'll cross the globe to root out the tongue-lashing demon, and risk his whip's wrath in the Krampuslauf. Also meet jolly ole Saint Nick's other companions, including the Nordic Yule Goat, Belgium and the Netherlands' Black Peter (Zwarte Piet), the German Knecht Ruprecht, and Belsnickel/Pelznikel. And we thought keeping Santa's reindeer straight was hard enough! So, dive in and enjoy this spectacular nightmare before Christmas! Discover more at http://ancientartpodcast.org/krampus. Connect at http://twitter.com/lucaslivingston and http://facebook.com/ancientartpodcast.