Host Raul Antony is joined by Al Ridenour, author of “The Krampus and the Old Dark Christmas”. We discuss the historical threads that led up the Krampus, how the creature was introduced to American culture, the 2015 horror film, and Ridenour’s history with the Cacophony Society. We also talk about Neofolk and Heathen Culture as it relates to world of the Krampus, including a surprising connection to one of our favorite artists at Heathen Harvest.
Listen to the podcast and more from The Forest Passage at Heathen Harvest.
With the appearance of the demonic Christmas character Krampus in contemporary Hollywood movies, television shows, advertisements, and greeting cards, medieval folklore has now been revisited in American culture. Krampus-related events and parades occur both in North America and Europe, and they are an ever-growing phenomenon. Though the Krampus figure has once again become iconic, not much can be found about its history and meaning, thus calling for a book like Al Ridenour’s The Krampus: Roots and Rebirth of the Folkloric Devil. With Krampus’s wild, graphic history, Feral House has hired the awarded designer Sean Tejaratchi to take on Ridenour’s book about this ever-so-curious figure. Al Ridenour has lectured on Krampus at the Goethe Institutes in Los Angeles. He became somewhat of an internet phenomenon himself due to the hilarious hijinks he coordinated with the controversial Cacophony Societies.
