Terrifying & True | Frau Perchta, the Christmas Witch: Alpine Folklore and Chilling Christmas Horror

Terrifying & True returns with dark Christmas horror rooted in real Alpine folklore and chilling winter horror stories. Long before cozy Hallmark snowfalls, families in the high Alps spent the Twelve Nights of Christmas fearing a “Christmas Witch” who might reward your hard work… or split you open and stuff you with straw if you broke her rules. This is the terrifying legend of Frau Perchta and her horned horde, the Perchten – where festive lights, fasting days, and spinning wheels turn into a deadly checklist for survival. 
In this holiday special, we dive into the eerie, mature side of winter tradition, where spooky stories, urban legends, and brutal morality tales kept entire villages in line through the darkest nights of the year. If you crave Christmas horror that feels older and sharper than anything under the tree, this is your episode.
Inside this episode:

• The rules of the Christmas Witch: Why Alpine families raced to finish their spinning, scrub their homes, and eat a strict Twelfth Night meal before Epiphany, terrified that one broken tradition could invite Perchta’s knife.
• Belly-Slitter punishments straight out of horror stories: From trampled weaving to the infamous eviscerations stuffed with straw and stones, we unpack how this gruesome myth drove real-world discipline in a brutal winter landscape.
• From Bright Goddess to winter monster: How a once-benevolent “Bright One” and Lady of Epiphany was demonized by the Church into a sinister Christmas hag, complete with goose-foot, ragged robes, and a curse-laden black cloth.
• Wild Hunts and haunted Alpine nights: The chilling tales of Perchta’s ghostly procession screaming across the winter sky, dragging lost souls and unbaptized children in her wake, and why villagers locked doors and clutched charms when the wind howled.
• The Perchten, Krampus, and other holiday terrors: Meet the beautiful and ugly Perchten, see how they inspired modern Krampus runs, and compare them to figures like Belsnickel and Père Fouettard in a full-blown Christmas rogues’ gallery.
• Living traditions in the spooky season: How today’s Perchtenläufe—massive parades of horned masks, cowbells, and towering headdresses—keep this eerie anthology of winter legends alive in the mountains, blending folk horror with festival fun.

This episode is perfect for listeners who love folklore, chilling stories, and mature themes that turn cozy Christmas nostalgia into something far more eerie, scary, and unforgettable. When the holidays get too sweet, remember: in some places, kids didn’t just fear coal in their stocking—they feared Frau Perchta at the door.
We’re telling that story tonight.

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🎵 Music by Ray Mattis 👉 Check out Ray’s incredible work here !
👨‍💼 Executive Producers: Rob Fields, Bobbletopia.com
🎥 Produced by: Daniel Wilder
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