Krampus and Windigo.
I studied this tradition of the winter monster from many cultural views: a common mythological creature, symbolic of death taking life, and an ancient reminder of fear for children to not wander off from their homes or you risk winter's death. In native American views, this was called Windigo or Wendego..... This creature was common myth of cold climates of the extreme areas of frozen north and southern hemispheres (indigenous Argentina, perhaps other world areas that were warm but had high altitude cold areas). The monster had to have fearful features to get attention....fear is at a gut level. Wendego was a warning to all Native Americans: be like the ant and prepare for winter at all times.....or it was likely you'll die. These fears were common, and life saving as well as fear of knives or sharp objects (humans lived before antibiotics where a cut could kill), fear of heights, fear of dark where there were monsters or the bogeyman. Other mythic fears included the fear of other humans that would take from you: vampires who were cons, evil dictators and pirates, sirens and mermaids who were similar to cons and would eat you, and werewolves (likely these were relatives who would take or kill from other relatives: they'd have one nice character and one evil character, and they were in history, and in our own times a real threat to family members.
video: making the Krampus mask, Europe
http://www.bbc.com/travel/story/20181206-the-man-behind-the-krampus-mask
and, some pix of Wendego on Pinterest:
https://www.pinterest.com/tornronim/windigo-reference/
see also in our books on monsters, vampires, and other creatures:
The myth of the clown is rooted in "jack frost", a mythical winter creature with frost bitten rotting nose, what was also a Krampus winter creature out to kill and eat you!
I studied this tradition of the winter monster from many cultural views: a common mythological creature, symbolic of death taking life, and an ancient reminder of fear for children to not wander off from their homes or you risk winter's death. In native American views, this was called Windigo or Wendego..... This creature was common myth of cold climates of the extreme areas of frozen north and southern hemispheres (indigenous Argentina, perhaps other world areas that were warm but had high altitude cold areas). The monster had to have fearful features to get attention....fear is at a gut level. Wendego was a warning to all Native Americans: be like the ant and prepare for winter at all times.....or it was likely you'll die. These fears were common, and life saving as well as fear of knives or sharp objects (humans lived before antibiotics where a cut could kill), fear of heights, fear of dark where there were monsters or the bogeyman. Other mythic fears included the fear of other humans that would take from you: vampires who were cons, evil dictators and pirates, sirens and mermaids who were similar to cons and would eat you, and werewolves (likely these were relatives who would take or kill from other relatives: they'd have one nice character and one evil character, and they were in history, and in our own times a real threat to family members.
video: making the Krampus mask, Europe
http://www.bbc.com/travel/story/20181206-the-man-behind-the-krampus-mask
and, some pix of Wendego on Pinterest:
https://www.pinterest.com/tornronim/windigo-reference/
see also in our books on monsters, vampires, and other creatures:
The myth of the clown is rooted in "jack frost", a mythical winter creature with frost bitten rotting nose, what was also a Krampus winter creature out to kill and eat you!
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