聖誕節的黑知識•聖誕節有哪些專屬鬼怪？

The customs of the holiday season, which include St. Nicholas Day, New Years Day, and Epiphany, as well as Christmas, often incorporate earlier pagan traditions that have been appropriated and adapted for contemporary use.
又到了各種節日紛至沓來的時節，聖尼古拉斯節，新年，洗禮節，還有聖誕節。這些節日的風俗習慣和早期異教徒的傳統相結合，它們的正確打開方式變得越來越現代化。
Customs that encourage little children to be good so as to deserve their Christmas gifts often come with a dark side: the punishment you'll receive from a monster or evil being of some sort if you aren't good! These nefarious characters vary from place to place, and they go by many different names and images.

因爲它們變成了鼓勵孩子好好表現才能得到聖誕禮物，有表現好的自然也有表現不好的，如果孩子表現不好，就會受到來自一個怪獸的懲罰。這些兇惡怪獸因各個地方的不同而有着不同的名字和形象。（下面我們就一起來看看~）

1. KRAMPUS
聖誕惡老人
As a tool to encourage good behavior in children, Santa serves as the carrot, and Krampus is the stick. Krampus is the evil demon anti-Santa, or maybe his evil twin. Krampus Night is celebrated on December 5, the eve of St. Nicholas Day. Public celebrations that night have many Krampuses walking the streets, looking for people to beat. Alcohol is also involved. Injuries in recent years have led to some reforms, such as requiring all Krampuses to wear numbers so they may identified in case of overly violent behavior.
Krampus是讓孩子變乖的利器，如果說聖誕老人是糖衣，那它就是炮彈。Krampus是惡魔版的反聖誕老人，或者也許是聖誕老人的邪惡雙胞胎。而Krampus之夜的慶祝活動是12月5日，也就是聖尼古拉斯節的前夜。在公衆慶祝該節的當天晚上，會有許多喬裝的Krampus走在大街上，來找人開打。喝酒的問題是少不了的。由於近年來各類傷害事件的發生，現在橋裝的Krampus都會被編上號碼方便辨認，以防過激暴力事件的發生。

2. JÓLAKÖTTURINN
冰島貓怪
Jólakötturinn is the Icelandic Yule Cat or Christmas Cat. He is not a nice cat. In fact, he might eat you. This character is tied to an Icelandic tradition in which those who finished all their work on time received new clothes for Christmas, while those who were lazy did not (although this is mainly a threat). To encourage children to work hard, parents told the tale of the Yule Cat, saying that Jólakötturinn could tell who the lazy children were because they did not have at least one new item of clothing for Christmas—and these children would be sacrificed to the Yule Cat. This reminder tends to spur children into doing their chores!
Jólakötturinn是冰島的聖誕貓。它可不是一隻溫順的貓。事實上，它有可能把你吃掉。這隻貓和冰島的傳統有很大的關係，那些準時完成作業的孩子在聖誕節的時候會得到新衣服，而那些懶惰分子就沒有啦（儘管通常都是乾打雷不下雨的空威脅）。爲了鼓勵孩子們努力學習，家長們會給他們講聖誕貓的故事，學習懶惰分子在聖誕節不但不會得到一件衣服，而且還會被聖誕貓吃掉。這個故事還被用來鼓勵孩子自己做的家務。

3. FRAU PERCHTA
佩希塔夫人
Tales told in Germany and Austria sometimes feature a witch named Frau Perchta who hands out both rewards and punishments during the 12 days of Christmas (December 25 through Epiphany on January 6). She is best known for her gruesome punishment of the sinful: She will rip out your internal organs and replace them with garbage. The ugly image of Perchta may show up Christmas processions in Austria, somewhat like hta's story is thought to have descended from a legendary Alpine goddess of nature, who tends the forest most of the year and deals with humans only during Christmas. In modern celebrations, Perchta or a close relation may show up in processions during Fastnacht, the Alpine festival just before Lent. There may be some connection between Frau Perchta and the Italian witch La Befana, but La Befana isn't really a monster: she's an ugly but good witch who leaves presents.
流傳於德國和奧地利的一個故事，在聖誕節和洗禮節之間的12天（12.5-1.6）有一個名叫Frau Perchta的女巫，她會給人獎勵或者懲罰。最爲人所知的是，對於有罪之人嚴酷的懲罰：她會取出他們的內臟，然後在他們的身體中填充垃圾。這個面容醜陋的女巫會出現在奧利地的聖誕遊行中。關於這個女巫的故事，有人認爲是從阿爾卑斯自然女神的故事演變而來，因爲女神會在聖誕節對所有人一年中發生的事情進行秋後算賬。在現如今的慶祝儀式上，Perchta(阿爾卑斯女神)或者她的親信會出現在懺悔日的遊行隊伍中，懺悔日是阿爾卑斯節日中大齋節之前的一個節日。Frau Perchta和意大利的一個名叫La Befana女巫差不多，但是後者不是怪物，她雖然面貌醜陋但是是一個會送禮物的善良女巫。

4. BELSNICKEL
貝斯尼克
Belsnickel is a male character from southwestern German lore who traveled to the the United States and survives in Pennsylvania Dutch customs. He comes to children sometime before Christmas, wearing tattered old clothing and raggedy fur. Belsnickel carries a switch to frighten children and candy to reward them for good behavior. In modern visits, the switch is only used for noise, and to warn children they still have time to be good before Christmas. Then all the children get candy, if they are polite about it. Knecht Ruprecht and Ru Klaas are similar characters from German folklore who dole out beatings to bad children, leaving St. Nicholas to reward good children with gifts.
Belsnickel是一個男性形象的怪物，他的傳說從德國西南部流傳到美國，是賓州德裔傳統故事。一個穿着舊衣，打着補丁，裹着破舊的毛皮的男人，在聖誕前夕出現在孩子們中。他有一個鞭子，用來嚇唬不乖的小孩子，同時用糖來獎勵表現好的孩子。現如今那個鞭子只是用來放出噪音來提醒表現不好的小朋友，在聖誕節前還有機會好好改正。如果所有孩子都表現不錯的話，那麼他們都可以得到糖果。還有一個叫Ru Klaas和Belsnickel在德國民間故事中的形象差不多，也會懲罰壞孩子，讓聖尼古拉斯用禮物來獎勵好孩子。

5. HANS TRAPP
漢斯·特拉普
Hans Trapp is another "anti-Santa" who hands out punishment to bad children in the Alsace and Lorraine regions of France. The legend says that Trapp was a real man, a rich, greedy, and evil man, who worshiped Satan and was excommunicated from the Catholic Church. He was exiled into the forest where he preyed upon children, disguised as a scarecrow with straw jutting out from his clothing. He was about to eat one boy he captured when he was struck by lightning and killed—a punishment of his own from God. Still, he visits young children before Christmas, dressed as a scarecrow, to scare them into good behavior.
在法國的Alsace和 Lorraine地區，名叫Hans Trapp的怪物是另一個聖誕老人的死對頭，它會出手懲罰壞孩子。傳說Trapp確有其人，他是一個富有、貪婪、邪惡的人，他崇拜惡魔撒旦，被天主教堂開除教籍，流放在森林裏。他將自己的衣服裝滿稻草，裝扮成稻草人。就在他要吃自己捉到的一個小男孩時，突然有一道閃電把他打死，這是上天對他的懲罰。但他現在還是會裝扮成稻草人的樣子，在聖誕節前出現在小孩子面前，嚇唬他們要乖乖表現。

6. PÈRE FOUETTARD
鞭子之父
The French legend of Père Fouettard, whose name translates to "Father Whipper," begins with an evil butcher who craved children to eat. He (or his wife) lured three boys into his butcher shop, where he killed, chopped, and salted them. St. Nicholas came to the rescue, resurrected the boys, and took custody of the butcher. The captive butcher became Père Fouettard, St. Nicholas' servant whose job it is to dispense punishment to bad children on St. Nicholas Day.
在法國有一個Père Fouettard,的故事，翻譯過來就叫“鞭子之父”。故事始於一個邪惡的屠夫，要把小孩切了吃。他（要不就是他的妻子）將三個男孩誘騙至屠廠，屠夫將他們殺害，剁塊，醃製。聖尼古拉斯趕來營救，讓他們復活，帶走屠夫。屠夫成了聖尼古拉斯的僕人，名叫Père Fouettard，他會在聖尼古拉斯節那天來懲罰壞孩子。

7. THE YULE LADS
聖誕山妖
The Jólasveinar, or Yule Lads, are 13 Icelandic trolls, who each have a name and distinct personality. In ancient times, they stole things and caused trouble around Christmastime, so they were used to scare children into behaving, like the Yule Cat. However, the 20th century brought tales of the benevolent Norwegian figure Julenisse (Santa Claus), who brought gifts to good children. The traditions became mingled, until the formerly devilish Jólasveinar became kind enough to leave gifts in shoes that children leave out ... if they are good boys and girls.
The Jólasveinar，或者冰島小夥，就是冰島13山妖，他們每個人都有一個名字，而且性格迥異。在早期，聖誕節的時候他們偷東西，而且到處惹麻煩，所以他們一直被用來嚇唬小孩，就像聖誕貓一樣。然而在二十世紀，好心腸的瑞典人把他們塑造成了聖誕老人給小孩送禮物的故事並流傳。傳統之間的相互交融，之前十惡不赦的山妖變成了和藹可親會在孩子們鞋子裏放禮物的人。。。當然只限於好孩子。

8. GRÝLA
山妖之母

All the Yule Lads answer to Grýla, their mother. She predates the Yule Lads in Icelandic legend as the ogress who kidnaps, cooks, and eats children who don't obey their parents. She only became associated with Christmas in the 17th century, when she was assigned to be the mother of the Yule Lads. According to legend, Grýla had three different husbands and 72 children, all who caused trouble ranging from harmless mischief to murder. As if the household wasn't crowded enough, the Yule Cat also lives with Grýla. This ogress is so much of a troublemaker that the Onion blamed her for the 2010 eruption of the Eyjafjallajökull volcano.
所有的聖誕山妖（之前提到的）都聽從於Grýla他們的母親。在冰島傳說中，她比冰島13巨魔出現的要早，她是一個綁架，將捉來的小孩子做成菜，並吃掉她們的女妖魔。直到17世紀它被認爲是13巨魔的母親，才與聖誕節有關係。故事中她有三個丈夫，以及72個孩子，每個都惹麻煩，從無傷大雅的惡作劇到謀殺。就好像整個故事裏面的人物不夠多一樣，聖誕貓也和這個女妖魔住在一起。鑑於她是個無惡不作女妖魔，洋蔥新聞認爲她是導致2010年Eyjafjallajökull火山爆發的罪魁禍首。