Krampusnaught

Description:

I saw Michael Dougherty's "Krampus" a few weeks ago and thought it was a ton of fun! It also prompted me to want to learn more about the legendary Krampus himself. Not only do I think the idea is pretty cool, but I also think a lot of bratty American kids need this in their life (no kid is afraid of coal in their stocking these days, if they actually believed that in the first place). This particular piece is heavily influenced by Dougherty's interpretation since I'm still riding off the high. I plan to maybe draw him again, but I want to make it more of my own design. For those who want more information than my little description, go check this out: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2013/12/131217-krampus-christmas-santa-devil/ P.S. This article is only wrong in that Krampus is not a demon or a devil. He's a nature spirit, similar to a faun (just bigger), first used most notably in ancient Pagan celebrations that welcomed the rebirth of nature. When Paganism was deemed evil by Christianity, Krampus turned into the anti-St. Nicholas, dishing out punishment to horrible children. On a side note, if anyone else loves the idea of Krampus, I found a good book called "Krampus, the Yule Lord" by an author and artist simply known as Brom. I just finished it and thought it was an even better story than the movie (I still like both for different reasons). The story involves a Virginian music man down on his luck who witnesses Santa's sleigh being attacked by "devil men". He discovers Santa's magical sack, which brings both Santa and the devil men, who are minions of an imprisoned Krampus, down on his head. Now he's caught between familial issues, a crazy crime ring, and an ancient battle between Krampus and Santa Claus. Fair warning: the book is quite violent and graphic. If that bothers you, you may not like it.