Early Versions of Santa

Early Versions of Santa

It was Black Peter's job: keeping kids in line. If any modern kids doubt you, explain that you know he actually existed because versions of him showed up in many places in ancient Europe, especially Austria.

The Austrian version of Black Peter, who goes by the name of Klaubauf, is furry, and has fiery eyes, horns, and a long, red tongue.

Another member of the sinister Austrian holiday entourage is known as Krampus, or Grampus. (Make sure the kids don't confuse him with Grandpa.) Also, despite how his name sounds, Krampus's specialty wasn't giving stomachaches. Rather, he administered whippings to bad children, that is unless Saint Nicholas kindly intervened.

Austrian and German legends featured the character Knecht Ruprecht. His job was to make sure kids knew their prayers. If they didn't, it was punishment time.

A note to all children who may whine about not getting Chicken Dance Elmo in their stockings despite their fervent prayers for it: These are not the sort of prayers Knecht Ruprecht had in mind.

The Pennsylvania Dutch version of Santa's nasty sidekick was called Pelznickle, which translates to "furry Nicholas." Anyone who's encountered a tough brush with Daddy's whiskers knows not to cross Pelznickle. With a name like that, he could probably sand a small child's head down to a nub with just a few rubbings.

This isn't to say that the ancient European Christmases were nothing but traumatic. On the positive side, Saint Nicholas used to deliver presents on December 6, sparing kids 19 agonizing days of waiting. Later, though, after the Reformation, Protestants in Germany moved the gift-giving holiday to December 25, when the Christ child's birth was celebrated. His name in German is Christkindl, which morphed to Kriss Kringle, which is another one of Santa's aliases--and also Santa's means of retaining much of the holiday spotlight.