Krampus: The Yule Lord

For a few years now I have been really interested in Germanic/Nordic Christmas Traditions. Initially it spun off from Germanic tradition, The Feast of St. Nicholas which is celebrated on December 6th. I was introduced to what is commonly referred to as St. Nick’s by both my future wife and a couple German exchange students that stayed with our family when I was younger. While St. Nick’s is a celebration for young children, Krampus is the dark side of that coin. On the night of directly proceeding St. Nick’s, December 5th, Krampus was to accompany Nicholas and kidnap all the bad children so they can pay penance for their misdeeds. While the origins of Krampus are a bit fuzzy it seems that he has taken on a life of his own over the last 5 years and become a more notable figure in the world of Christmas and holiday celebrations. As a tribute to my fascination with Krampus I drew a more animalistic version of him, carrying away a sack full of bad children.

---

I’m Ryan Bernard, Civil Engineer by day and struggling artist by night. After a long hiatus from art in general I have spent the last two years build my skills back up in hopes of one day turning my one time hobby into a semi-professional part time endeavor. A pipe dream I know. My short term goal is to start transferring some of my better art onto skateboard decks. You can find more of my work here:
Twitter: @TheSaintBernard
Instagram: @thesaintbernie

Advertisement