God commands Abraham to sacrifice his only son Isaac and thus Abraham obeys the command and takes his son Isaac to the mountain, and rises the dagger, and in the moment as he is about to slit his sons throat, an angel appears and stops Abraham, and as a reward for his willingness to sacrifice his son in the name of God without question, gives him a lamb to sacrifice instead.

In the Greek myth of Agamemnon there is a story which very closely mirrors this Biblical tale. Agamemnon was ordered by Zeus to go off to Troy to fight in the war but Artemis creates winds which prevent Agamemnon’s fleet of ships from setting sail and will not let him fulfill his quest to go to Troy and free his ships unless he offers her a sacrifice. There are different variations as to the reasons behinds Artemis in demanding this sacrifice of Agamemnon. In some cases it is said that it was because he killed a deer in her sacred forest and boasted himself to be a better huntsmen than Artemis. In some versions, Artemis demands the sacrifice as way of making up for the blood of the innocent women and children who will be killed in the war.

Needless to say, the sacrifice that Artemis demands of Agamemnon is that of his own daughter Iphigenia. Caught between the orders of two different gods that of Zeus telling him to go to Troy and Artemis preventing him from doing so unless he obeys her sacrifice, Agamenon makes the choice to do as Artemis bids and prepares to sacrifice his daughter.

While in some versions of the story the sacrifice is completed, there are other versions of the story which state that at the very last moment Artemis snatches Iphigenia away and than as substitute gives Agamenon a deer to sacrifice instead.

So is it pure coincidence? Or is it something else?

I will state the various ways in which I see a connection between what on the surface would seem to be two vastly different characters and you can decide for yourselves.

First and foremost the name itself cannot be ignored.

Santa Clause vs. Satan

The same exact letters used in both names, only arranged in a different way, in addition the word Clause is pronounced the same as Claws, thus giving it a possible double meaning.

In addition is the fact that both figures are traditionally associated with the color red. Just why does Santa go around in a read suit all the time?

As I began to think about it I also began to realize that in many ways Santa also does encourage and act out upon the so called Seven deadly sins:

Lust/Temptation: He is a tempter of children, and he appeals  most specially to the materialistic and base natures within us. He seeks to lure children towards him with gifts of objects or treats of candy and sweets.  Satan is a figure of many disguises and often comes in a form which is most charming, deceptive, and seemingly harmless, thus he appears to children as a grandpa like figure who can easily earn trust and wishes for children to indulge themselves.

Greed: This links to the above, Santa inspires children to want! want! want!  Christmas is the favorite holiday of most children because of what they think they will get out of it, because of the idea of being showered in gifts. While it sounds nice to say it is better to give than to receive, and for the older and wiser this may be said with sincerity, but to many people and particularly to the young, well they snicker to themselves when they hear grown-ups say such things and they “know” that it is far better to get.

Envy: This also connects to the other two, in a situation in which you have gifts being given you will inevitably end up in situations of children thinking that so and so got more gifts than they did, or got better gifts, or got something they wanted or they will think more of the gifts they wanted but did not get instead of the things which they were given. Instead of simply being grateful for being given free gifts in the first place and just enjoying the occasion, it is just as likely that many will spend their time thinking about the things they didn’t get, or the things they don’t have.

Gluttony: Santa is one of the biggest gluttons around, (no pun intended) not only is he often seen as indeed being a very robust figure, well we all know that he loves to eat. One of the most beloved traditions is the leaving out of cookies and other treats for Santa. Just think, if every house in the world left out something for him to eat, and he vigorously consumes it all.

Sloth: In spite of the fact that Santa has a lot of time off it does not seem as if he looses any weight, in addition to the fact that the guy only works once a year  and he has elves do much of the actual hard work for him ( slave labor perhaps or evil minions?) Elves are often also considered to be a type of imp, and imps are often perceived as being mischievous spirits or demons.

Wrath: While it is hard to imagine Santa, the jolly old fellow who goes around delivering presents to children as being very wrathful or mean-spirited, and yet almost all Santa traditions comes with a dark side, that is the threat of some negative repercussions against naughty children. While within the U.S and other places, it is commonly the thread of being left with a lump of coal, this is relatively tame compared to many other traditions which often involve the idea of naughty children acutally being taken away. Some may recall my article last year on the Krampus a demon who followed Santa around to drag naughty children away in chains and beat them and torment them. This may also being seen as akin to claiming the souls of those who had fallen to his temptations.

Pride/Vanity: This is the one sin of which does not appear to have any direct connections to the occasion and of which it is more difficult to make a case for. Though the holiday does breed a certain feeling of self-centeredness within people, both in leading them to be thinking only of themselves and the things they want others to give them. It can also be said that it breeds pride in those giving away of gifts for those who do seek out to buy bigger, better, more expensive items as a form of trying to show off and perhaps out do others.

When one really thinks about it there are some very hedonistic aspects to the way in which the Christmas holiday is celebrated.

The main points on which these stories should be compared is, on how they construct their vampires, the way in which each author draws from traditional vampire folklore, how the vampires fit into the age in which they are being written, and than the structure and content of the stories themselves and similarities in how the stories are put together.

The best place to start is with of course with the very beginning, that being where does the vampire come from?

In both these stories it remains a mystery just where the vampire originally emerged and how the first vampire came to be, but they both offer their own views in way of an explanation of the presence of the vampire. Stoker alludes to the historical Vlad the Impler, linking his Dracula with the historical Count and coming out of the period of the 1800′s a period in which men were embracing reason and logic and moving away from old superstitions, and yet religion still played an important role within the backdrop of it all. Stoker’s Dracula draws upon the religion portraying vampirism as a curse, an impurity of the soul and relying upon religious iconography as the method in which the vampire is to be repelled. The vampire is seen as an incarnation of evil that does not have a conscious mind, though it displays intelligence and cleverness, it is given no control over its actions, no mortality.

In “Let the Right One In” Lindqvist modernizes the understanding of the vampire, and moves away from old religious beliefs which while religion still has a strong hold in the modern age, would not on a wider scale satisfy to explain the existence of vampires to a wider audience and would seem more far fetched than in Stokers day. So Lindqvist turns to science for his answer. In his story vampirism is explained as being a sort of disease, a cancer which overtakes and evolves the body.

One interesting thing to note is the character of Virgina from “Let the Right One In” and Mina from “Dracula” as there does bear some similarities between the two individuals. What is most particularly interesting is both women become infected or cursed by the vampire. In the case of Mina, Van Helsing places a cross against her forehead which burns into her skin, and throughout the novel she struggles with what has been done with her in fear that she will be driven to hurt the ones she loves and she makes the others promise that if she changes beyond the ability to be saved they must take her life. She laments many times that she is “impure”

Virgina has a similar experience once she realizes what has been done to her, what she has become she struggles with herself and what she knows is happening to her, and she lives in fear of what she will be driven to do to those whom she is close with, and while Mina cries of impurity, Virgina cries the lament that she has been infected and in the end she does find the means in which to end her own life, both to save herself as well as to save those she is close to.

There are other ways in which these characters can be compared and contrasted to each other and how there can be seen similarities in them. In a way the very fact that they seem so different from each other points out the ways in which they are the same. Virgina could very well be the modern manifestation of Mina when they are viewed in the context of the times in which they lived.  In some ways Mina can be seen as typical of a Victorian woman. She is virtuous, a loyal wife to her husband, pure and chaste, yet in other ways she is quite unconventional of her time. She is noted for having a “mind like a man” She possesses a great reason and ability for rational thought of which would be uncommon for a woman in the Victorian mindset. She also has a great courage and bravery that would be atypical of a woman at this period of time.

Virgina can be seen in a similar way. In many ways she can be viewed as a typical woman of the modern age, a single woman who had been married once before, dedicates her time to her job, does not really feel the need to be held down by domestic ties. Yet on the other hand there are aspects of her which push the boundaries and make her unconventional.  The fact that while she loves one man, Lacke she is incapable of allowing herself to get close to another person and carries on meaningless sexual relations with random men as a form of protection to herself.

As we have discussed how the notion of the vampire is conceived, and ideas of curses and infections the next step is to review how each of these authors explain how a vampire may create others, and one of the most intrigues aspects of the vampire is the vampires bite. The differences here I find to be quite interesting.

It seems that when it comes to understanding how vampirism can be passed on, Anne Rice actually took a note from Stoker in the way in which Stoker puts forth the idea that there must be an exchange of blood on both sides, but it also seems for Dracula it is a process which takes a period of time to secure. Dracula visits his victim upon a nightly basis each time drawing little by little more blood to eventually lead to the complete draining of the blood of the victim and once the victim bodily dies, they are reborn to arise as the vampire.  In a rather evocative and sensual scene in which Dracula visits Mina it seems that the victim must also take of Dracula blood as part of the changing process.  In addition Dracula is able to use a form of mind control over his victims and compel them to him he also seeks out victims to turn and draw to him. It seems that is primary interest is in women, when we first meet him he has a harem of three brides, and he goes after both Lucy and Mina.  This plays upon the fears and anxieties of female sensuality which existed at the time, and the importance of virtue and chastity in a woman. The women when under the influence of Dracula are made to seem grotesque in the blatant seductions and their open sexuality, they men are repelled by this and made horrified.

“Let the Right One In” takes a different approach. In consideration of the fact that vampirism is presented as a disease, the spread of it works in the same way as a virus, in a way that is rather reflective of Zombie movies. All it takes is one bite from the vampire for the infection to be passed on to the victim, but interestingly enough Eli, the vampire of Lindqvist, does not seek to make others and kills those who are in danger of being infected by the virus to prevent its spread. As well for this reason Eli attacks others purely for the sake of feeding without any other motive in mind, and it seems that the infection works independently in each person, meaning there is no concept of Eli have any form of control over those whom are subject to the bite. One more thing of which I have to talk about that I loved about “Let the Right One In’ is instead of the classical neat little two fangs which we are use to in vampires, Eli’s feeding is much more savage and animatistic in which he has a mouthful of sharp teeth and instead of neat little puncture wounds to duck out the blood Eli rips and tears.

Now let us review some other common aspects of vampire folklore and how these authors address these things:

Mirrors: Stoker holds true to the myth and has one very powerful scene in which to demonstrate this as well as offer the reader one of the first suggestions that there is something strange going on. Dracula cast no reflection within a mirror.  There is one moment in which John Harker is at the castle Dracula and he makes an observation that there are no mirrors to be found within the house, he then sets to shaving with a hand held mirror he brought with him when Dracula walks in behind him and Harker notices that his reflection does not appear within the mirror.

A contrast scene appears within “Let the Right One In” where mirrors seem to have no effect upon vampires. At one point after Virgina had contracted the infection she happens to take a look at herself within the bathroom mirror and was confronted back by her reflection. This of course does further support the theory of disease, for traditionally the lack of a reflection is meant to be indicated by a vampire having no soul.

Garlic: Van Helsing makes considerable use of garlic as a repellant of Dracula, while garlic takes no role within “Let the Right One In”

Sleeping: Now this is another interesting one in which there are both strong differences as well as curious similarities. As usual Stoker takes a very classical approach to the method of a vampires sleeping, though he also seems to add some things of his own invention. Dracula tradtionally must make his rest within a coffin and when he travels from Transylvania to London it seems crucial that he bring with him dirt from his native land. He travels with 60 boxes full of Transylvanian soil in which to lay down in. As well when Lucy sucumbs to the curse she is compelled to always return back to the tomb in which she was berried.

In “Let the Right One In” there is a more modernistic approach in which all that seems to be required is that the vampire have a dark place in which to lock themselves into during the day, though there is one interesting aspect about “Let the Right One In” which seems to take a note out of Madame Bathery, and that is a scene in which Eli’s place of slumber was invaded, and Eli was found lying in a bathtub full lf blood.

One thing that seems to hold true for both these books though, is that in both cases the vampires seem compelled to “sleep” during the day, yet at the same time it a sleep that is not truly sleep, but rather a sort of shutting down of their bodies in which they do seem to be rendered paralyzed and unable to move physically, in a trance like state.

Now this talk leads to of course the role of the sun. Now here I find Stoker’s concept to be most interesting because it actually rivals against what we have come to think as a part of traditional folk lore. As it turns out  the sun is not in fact deadly to Dracula, and further more there are a few moments in which he is seen actually moving around during the daylight.  It seems that while he lacks some of his power during the day and is stronger at night, the sun does not physical affect him.

In contrast in “Let the Right One In” the sun most be avoided, vampires experience physical pain if they venture out into the sun and it causes their skin to actually burn.  In the end Virgina uses the sun as the means in which to kill herself.

Now before I venture any further I think I should say some important things about Eli, as Eli does make for a very unusual and atypical vampire. Eli appears in the image of a 12 year old girl, though in truth Eli is in fact void of sex, Eli is neither boy or girl, and in a rather interesting concept Eli is immortality 12 years old. While Eli’s mind may perhaps have a certain mature understanding that would not be found in typical 12 year old, Eli’s mind does not actually truly age beyond being 12 anymore than the body does.

Now one very interesting about this in connection with Dracula, is the fact that while Dracula appears as a full grown man, and Dracula is undoubtedly powerful, Van Helsing describes Dracula as having a ‘childs brain’ Dracula is learning as he goes along, for his trip to London is in fact his first time out of Transylvania and he is discovering and testing the limits of the full extent of his power and capabilities along the way. In this same way Eli is also not all powerful in spite of possessing a grater physical strength as most people, Eli is weak in some ways and needs to rely upon the help of another…..but I do not want to get ahead of myself I will address that in a bit.

There is one more topic in which I want to touch upon first and that is the concept of aging and the vampire. Both Eli and Dracula show signs of age when they have gone a long time without feeding. Dracula appears looking like an old man at first, but soon after a feeding he suddenly looks like a much younger man. While Eli takes on a sickly look, and develop streaks of gray in its hair if it has not fed in a while, and after feeding the gray disappears and a healthy look returns again.

Now to return to a topic of which I touched upon before, both Dracula and Eli bring into their service minions, or companions to assist them with things of which they cannot do themselves, and there are interesting similarities in their choices.

Dracula enlists the help of Renfeild an individual who is instituted within an insane asylum and there is a certain mystery about his past and how it is Dracula came upon him, but the suggestion is because of his unstable mind, it made it easy for Dracula to gain a measure of control over him. He makes promises to Refield to turn him into a vampire in return for his service.  But in the end when Renfield is no longer of use to Dracula, Dracula kills him.

Eli also chooses a man of certain mental instability by the name of Hakan, but it is not Hakan’s mental weakness which Eli uses but rather his physical weakness, Eli also offers something to Hakan which Hakan wants in exchange for his service, but in this case Hakan is a pedophile who is attracted to Eli’s child-like appearance, and so in exchange for physical intimacies Hakan does Eli’s bidding. In an interesting twist Eli eventually is lead to infect Hakan and as a result Hakan becomes a complete salve to the infection. He has no self-control or restraint, but degrades into a monster led by his carnal lusts and is driven to hunt Eli down and satisfy his desires.

Now we have discussed aspects of traditional vampire folklore within these stories, as well as touched upon how some of the characters reflect each other, it is time to speak of the structure of the books.  Both stories are told using multiple different view points, but they use very different techniques in which to achieve this.

Dracula is told through a series of Diary entires, letters, telegrams, new articles as a way in which to view the story from the perspective of many different characters within the story. Let the Right One In is told in the 3rd person point of view but it gives little episodes throughout the book which highlight the lives, thoughts, experiences of all of the different characters within the book so we are still allowed to see things unfold through varying different view points.

Atmosphere is another important area to touch upon. Dracula rather masterfully uses the gothic style of writing which was quite prevalent at that time and even today is capable of effecting a rather eerie feeling. Gothic literature is defined by some basic elements which can be found in nearly all Gothic literature, we will explore these and how Dracula fits the bill:

1) Setting in a Castle: The story starts off with with John Harker being taken to Castle Dracula, and the first chapters of the book are held within the castle, and the story ends with Dracula making his way back to the castle to have the final encounter after he has been discovered.

2) An atmosphere of mystery and suspense: this predates throughout the entirety of the novel. And I think added to this should be a key element in which often times the physical environment is meant to reflect the emotions of the characters and the events. Lots of rain and storms within gothic novels. The story starts out in a highly suspenseful mode touches of mystery are laced throughout the story.

3) An ancient prophecy:  Perhaps this novel lacks an offical declared prophecy, but the story revolves around the legend of Dracula himself, and in a way Van Helsing seems at first almost prophetic with the knowledge he knows, and yet does not at first reveal. The character of Renfield also makes prophetic  like statements about his “master” and things of which are coming.

4) Omens, portents, visions: Lucy experiences episodes of sleepwalking and has troubled dreams, and feels uneasy without understanding way and speaks about a figure with “red eyes.” Later Mina also begins to have trouble sleeping and feelings of uneasiness which she cannot explain.

5) Supernatural or otherwise inexplicable events: the answer to this one is obvious, as the stroy is focused around a vampire

6) High and even overwrought emotion: throughout  the story all of the characters experience a constant high intensity of emotion as events unfold. John initially suffers from believing he is going mad because of the things of which he experienced, and the story runs on a high level of emotion that is marked primarily be distress and fear.

7) Women in distress: yes, this appears both in the case of Lucy as well as Mina and as a sort of sub-group of women in distress is women under threat by a powerful, impulsive, tyrannical male, which of course perfectly define Dracula.

And though this gothic atmosphere can still be potent today in sending chills down the spine of the reader, the elements which define the gothic novel are outdated in the modern mindset, and so we shall now view how Lindqvist creates a modernized creepy atmosphere for his story. Moving away from gothic sensationlisim he instead paints a rather black picture that is all the more stark because of the way in which it touches upon reality. As has been indicated prior, the story touches upon the lives of many characters all of whom are struggling with problems of their own and foremost the book is led by the story of Oskar, who can be viewed as the “hero” of the book. A young boy who is terrorized by constant acts of bullying which become progressively more extreme. Living in a state of constant fear and humiliation which make his life miserable. There are also many examples of dysfunctional and broken families which predate through the novel, and of course there is also the examples of pedophile. So this novel touches upon real life problems which are the source of pain and agony and stimulates a very real fear among with the supernatural elements.

One more thing I think is worthy to note the way in which both novels deal with sexuality within the context of their time periods. I have already touched upon the ways in which Dracula deals with the anxieties about sexuality in relation to women and touched upon the Victorian fears. Well Let the Right One In deals with sexuality in a much more modern context by bringing up questions of gender identity through the relationship of Eli and Oskar.

Oskar befriends Eli who moves into the apartment next to his own, and while interestingly the notion of love never directly actually comes up as no real declarations of love are pronounced, an intimate affection grows within Oskar for Eli and she becomes the joy within the darkness of his life ( rather ironically) yet at the same time, this story does not degrade into some romanticized idea of the vampire. Eli remains aloof, distant, though a part of her is drawn to the way in which Oskar does appeal to the child within her. And after Oskar’s discovery of the truth about Eli, the question of her gender, or lack of gender does not disturb Oskar’s feelings towards her, though the notion of the truth of Eli’s nature as a vampire creates a crisis for Oskar, in the end he cannot forsake her.

Pazuzu is a demon of ancient Babylon, believed to have the feet of an eagle, the hands/paws of a lion, head of a dog, and tail of a scorpion with four wings. Half of his head is skinless exposing the skull to display a death like grimace.

It was believed that in demons brought pestilence within the scorching hot, and deadly winds of the Arabian desert, a place known for its wind storms, and with the great power which these winds have, it is no wonder that people could imagine some powerful and frightening entity being brought within the wind to bring terror to the people.

It was common for people to keep images of the demons in their windows facing outward, as a way to try and drive off the Pazuzu which came within the winds, in addition, they had a chance to act as an incantation against the demon:

They are seven! They are seven!
In the depths of the Ocean, they are seven!
In the heights of the heavens, they are seven.
They come from the Ocean depths, from the hidden retreat.
They are neither male nor female.
They have no spouse. They do not produce children.
They are strangers to benevolence,
They listen neither to prayer nor wishes.
Vermin come forth from the mountain,
enemies of the god Hea,
They are agents of vengeance of the gods,
raising up difficulties, obtaining power by violence.
The enemies! The enemies!
They are seven! They are seven! They are twice seven.
Spirit of the heavens, may they be conjured.
Spirit of the earth, may they be conjured.

The Pazuzu are demons which are devoid of any emotion or feeling, completely incapable of mercy, pity or sympathy, they have no sense of connection to human beings, and will spread death and disease without thought and can only be kept at bay if scared off by the frightening images of other demons.

By the lemon yellow twilight of the pale moon
rises the eerie song of a sorrowful serenade
shattering the stillness of the night, offered like
prayers to the shining stars with their ever watchful eyes,
but no wishes will be granted tonight.

Warmth evaporates quickly into deathly cold
of the sanguine stained earth, for the bitter offering
of life stolen on the head of the hunter’s silver bolt,
while she dies within the arms of her alpha mate
his own heart torn from within his breast with her
last precious breath bestowed upon his face.

Upon this night a new vow is forged with
his eyes turning red from the growing rage
which eases away the pain, while his call tares
open the sky, from this point forever more he
pledges that the man within him may be
buried within her own grave.

And awaken the wolf to claim free reign
and shed the last remaining shackles of humanity
to spread the plague of death and terror
until vengeance at last be held within the jaws
that he may close his eyes for eternal sleep
by her side once the hunter’s blood is bitter
sweet upon his tongue.

So I was bored and I came up with this idea and whippied it up on my computer and thought that it would make a cool logo design for a t-shirt, and I had a bunch of people tell me how cool they thought it was, and that they would buy it if it were a t-shirt, and that I should really acutally make my own t-shirts, and I decided what the hell, why not give it a shot, so I set up on online store at Prinfections.  For anyone who might be interested in a Yes I Bite! T-shirt you can follow the link below to purchase.

http://www.printfection.com/darkcreations

First of all it combined two of my favorite things together, vampires (of course) and dystopia, and it was the most original and unique story line for vampires that it took vampires into another evolution in the way they are portrayed. The movie was based upon the idea that vampires have taken full power and control over the world, no longer, as so often seen and done before, to they lurk in the shadows, and live as refugees among humans. They became the majority and hold all positions of authority, and they run a civilization much the same as humans, their are vampire politician, vampire police officers. And one of the interesting twists within the movie, is the fact that to say the least there still exists corruption in power, greed, and government. The human race is on the verge of extinction and humans are hunted down to be farmed for the blood but the supply is running out quick.

In fact the crisis of blood and the blood shortage can be seen as a parallel to our financial crises which leads me into another one of the very proactive and brilliant things about this film, the sociopolitical aspect of the film. This was not just another typical, run of the mill, high powered action adventure type of vampire film. It was in many ways a finally crafted and intellectual film. One of the scenes early on within the film was just really quite remarkable, in which a desperate vampire, rather clearly paralleling a home lass man is seen upon the streets with a sign around his neck which reads “Hungry in need of blood” and has he harasses this passing couple on the street the cops quickly show up and subdue the vampire. Another one of the great moments of the film was this scene that was reminiscent of Nazi Germany. It is discovered that when the vampires go for too long without blood they begin to change.

Which I just have to say is yet another great aspect of this film, the way it played with some of the more common and old school myths and folk lore about vampires, in taking the old idea that vampires have the capability to turn into bats, the vampires which have gone without blood for too long, and out of desperation start feeding upon other vampires or even themselves begin to turn into these creatures that to say the least bare a resemblance to bats, but there is also something rather zombie like in these creatures. They become completely savage, and no longer appear to look like recognizable people, they loose every last aspect of humanity and become completely bestial, because of this they are treated as a nuisance and 3rd rate class. In one scene a group of these creatures are rounded up, put into chains, and exterminated as they are chained to a truck which drives them out into the sunlight. While those watching on cheering for the death are themselves in peril of becoming just like them.

The other absolutely brilliant and fantastic aspect of this film was its editing and the very way it was shot. Most particularly, I loved the fact that though it was indeed a very modern film, there was something within it that was reminiscent of old film noir, the way it was shot and its editing gave the modern backdrop a very classic appeal and feeling, and I love modern movies that find clever ways of replicating the classics.

Last year I have you the story of La Befana, the Italian Witch who delivers presents on Christmas to children, and this year I have yet another rather unconventional Christmas figure to offer you. One of which I find most particularly intriguing.

While many children may be having pleasant dreams of sugar plums and candy, and filled with joy in anticipation of Christmas Morning, there are some whom might be left trembling in fear with their heads filled with nightmares only praying to survive the night.

Predominately in Austria, but in other parts of Europe such as Germany,  Hungary, Bavaria, Friul and Slovenia, there lives the legend of the Krampus. The name coming from the German word krampen which means claw.

The krampus is of all things a side-kick to Jolly ol’ St. Nick. But while Santa might be handing out presents and bringing good cheer and happiness to children the krampus has a rather different agenda, and a much more sinister one. Many of us might have heard the warning of our parents that if you are naughty and misbehave you will be left coal within your stalking. Well if you thought that was bad, you haven’t met the krampus.

The krampus is a terrifying demonic figure dressed in furs and wrapped within rattling chains, said to carry a wooden stick, or a switch of birch branches. He wares a frightening mask has a long red tounge pair of horns, and he follows along with Santa with the purpose of whipping and beating children who have misbehaved.

Of course legends of the krampus vary from cultures and regions between people. In some legends, he is believed to actually kidnap the children and place them in the black sack some say he carries and than make them his slaves until he finally kills them.

But just where did this figure come from? the krampus was a part of Germanic pre-Christian lore and myth that was carried over to be used as a way to try and ensure that children keep up with their lessons and do as they are told.

The krampus was originally a fertility demon, and a type of incubus who was particularly interested in the punishment of children and would visit misbehaving children in their sleep to terrify them and prey upon them sexually.

Today in Austria the krampus is a highly celebrated figure and large crowds of people will don themselves in Krampus costumes.

The Maiden And The Unicorn, fresco by Dominico Zampieri

The unicorn is perhaps one of the most well known, easily recognized, and perhaps most beloved figures of mythology. Almost every young girl has had unicorn obsessions and fantasies. Part of this stems from how closely linked unicorns are to horses as by some unknown phenomena young girls seem to be particularly attracted and enamored with the horse.

But this attraction girls have to unicorns is seen as being particularly innocent as the unicorn is a creature which has a long history of being linked to ideas of purity, innocence, truth, goodness. Of corse this too can stem from their close kinship to the horse, animals known for their strong ties to humans and their loyalty to man. But it also goes back to the lore surrounding the unicorn.

Virginal maidens have been strongly tied to unicorns in myth, and it is this idea that lends to the idea of the purity of the unicorn. In some legends it is thought that a unicorn can only be seen by a virgin, or someone who is pure of heart. In medieval mythology it was believed that upon seeing a virgin maid a unicorn would forget its wildness and fear of men and come up to the maiden to fall asleep within her lap. Virgin maids were used by hunters to try and bait unicorns. In some lore it was thought a unicorn would allow only a virgin to ride upon its back.

This may sound to be innocent and wholesome enough, but is there an underlining sexuality between unicorn myth, and the unicorns connection to virginal maidens?

It goes without saying that the sole feature of the unicorn, which makes it so unique, and the very thing for which it is named after, is its solitary horn. It does not take a great deal of imagination to perceive the horn as a phallic symbol, and indeed horns and horned animals have a long history of being connected to fertility and associated with various fertility gods. Horns or pieces of horns were often believed (and still are in some cultures) to have special properties which can cure impotence, or increase the chances of pregnancy, and all around improve the sex drive and ones ability to sexually perform.

In addition since the earliest of civilization, man has held a great anxiety and fear regarding his bestial nature (a complex still seen in todays soceity). This has been talked of several times before in many of the myths mentioned here. It is a reoccurring theme in lore. Man is all too aware of his carnality in spite of all his efforts to deny it, the fear of what would happen if man should forget his reason, or give into his baser instincts.

What is the unicorn? A wild creature that bares a strong resemblance to an animal which has been one of mans closest allies and useful instruments, just as crucial to man as the dog, for the horse is just as worthy as being dubbed as “mans best friend”

A unicorn is untamed, uncontrolled, and beyond mans reach.

Is it a coincidence than that a beast that so strongly resembles the horse and has been graced with such an ancient fertility as the horn, and is associated with the canrality of the wilderness would be so closely counterparted with one of the most valued treasures of that time, a womans virginity, her purity, the thing which women were most prized for.

It can than be seen as no coincidence and no act of naive innocence that the symbol of purity should be so closely linked to such a strong and pervasive symbol of fertility. The carnality of the horned beast rendered into submission before the virgin maid. The idea of the naive, young, innocent maid meeting with the wild creature alone, unescorted in the middle of the woods. There is much that can be read between the lines within this lore when contemplating over the medieval mindset.

Myth and stories and lore were told for a variety of different reasons, many of them were ways of explaining events of nature that were not understood by the people of the day, they helped explain the way the world worked and put some order to things which were happening, they gave people meaning and perhaps a greater sense of power over the things of which they had no control over. But in the oral culture the passing of stories were a crucial form of entertainment for the people, and within many of these stories there was often a lot of coded sexuality, some of which could have been intentional innuendo to enhance the entertainment of the stories, and some of which subconsciously interjected.

Many of the stories were also told to give warnings and teach lessons to man, and quite often the focus of these lessons revolved around that lurking danger of that lurking beast within, and were to serve as constant reminders to man to never forget his rational mind and to always put that above all else.

What really lies behind the unicorn myth? Perhaps it was a jovial story of raunchy jest, a story to be told in taverns and laughed about over drink, perhaps they were intended as precautionary tales to men about the bewitching power of women over men, and the danger that can be seen even today in modern sitcoms, commercials, and comedy acts, that if a man is not careful, he shall find himself at the beck and call of some clever maiden and his days of freedom as a young buck come crashing down to an end. Or maybe a tale of warning aimed toward women to take caution of the carnality of man so they might preserve their sacred virginity.

Whatever the true secrets which lie behind the unicorn myth might be, it can be assured that there is more to it than what at first might meet the eye, and it is not as naive nor pure as school girls in pig tales make it out to be today, somewhere between now and than the meaning was lost, but the clues are there for the perceptive eye to see.