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Dec. 8, 2025

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

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...

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Terrifying & True

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.

- 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

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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
🌐 Explore more terrifying tales at: WeeklySpooky.com
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On the twelfth night in the Alps. They did not

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fear cold in their stockings. They feared a Christmas witch

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who might cut them open and fill them with straw.

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If your work wasn't finished, your house wasn't clean, or

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your family broke her rules, the Frau Perchta did more

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than just scolding. What you were about to beat is

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believed to be based on witness accounts, testableies, and public record.

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This is terrifying and treat treat. This episode is sponsored

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for checking out Cozy Earth, and thank you to Cozy

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Earth for the support. And now we have more to

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unwrap in the depths of winter high in the alpine mountains,

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Christmas was never just twinkling lights and gentle carols. For

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generations of villagers, the twelve nights after Christmas were a

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time of fear, nights when a mysterious witch was said

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to walk the snow. They called her fraw Perchda. According

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to legend, she would appear as a radiant lady in

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white slipping a silver coin in the shoe of a

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hard working servant, or as a ragged crone with a

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hooked nose, a single strange foot, and a hidden knife.

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If your work was unfinished, your home untidy, or your

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family too greedy. At the holiday table, Perchta would not

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leave coal. She would slit your belly, pull out your insides,

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and pack you with straw and stones, before sowing you shut.

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Some have claimed to hear her wild hunt raging across

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the winter sky, a phantom procession of demons and lost souls.

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Others swore they saw her followers, the horned and howling Perchden,

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stampeding through the dark to punish the lazy and reward

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the diligent. Was Frau Perchta, a demon invented to terrify children,

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a twisted remnant of an ancient winter goddess, or something

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even stranger, a living, breathing tradition that still stalks the

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Christmas season to this very day. The hour is late

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on a bitter twelfth night in the High Alps, a

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young girl hunches over her spinning wheel by the dying firelight,

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fingers raw and heart pounding. She dares not leave even

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a single strand of flax unspun. Midnight is approaching, and

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she knows the rules. The cottage around her is spotless,

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every stray bit of dust swept away in the hearth's glow.

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A humble supper of fish and porridge simmers, the only

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meal aloud on this night of epiphany. She will eat sparingly,

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then set a heaping bowl of porridge on the doorstep

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before she bolts the door. It's an offering, a placation

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to something hungry roaming in the dark outside. The wind

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howls over the snow bound village. As the girl finally

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crawls into bed, she prays that she's done everything right,

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for even if one chore was neglected, if she broke

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even one tradition. Frau Perchta might come calling, and the

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belly slitter does not forgive. These are the rules to

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avoid fra perch does wrath. Number one finish all your

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spinning by the twelfth night. Any flax or wool left

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unspun by January sixth is a dangerous affront. Number two

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eat only the traditional simple meal on Epiphany night and

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nothing else. In many regions this meant fish and a

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stodgy porridge or gruel rich or fancy food on Perchta's

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feast day is strictly forbidden. Number three, leave a portion

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of that meal as an offering for Perchda. A bowl

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of porridge, sometimes enriched with harring or dumplings, must be

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set out for her and her followers. Number four keep

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the house clean and orderly. Perchta will inspect the spinning

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room and hearth woe to the household that she finds

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to be in disarray. And the final rule, tell no lies.

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Some tales say Perchta can tell if anyone has been

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dishonest or lazy during the year, and she loathes liars.

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Break any of these rules, and, according to legend, you

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invite a nightmare of retribution. Perhaps, if you're lucky, you'll

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only wake to find your unfinished weaving trampled or burned

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to ash. But if you've already angered thee so called

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Christmas Witch, you could be found eviscerated, belly split open,

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guts yanked out and replaced with straw and stones, sewn

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back together with an iron chain. In the Alpine folk imagination,

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the price of sloth or disobedience was nothing less than

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your entrails. It's the dead of winter in a remote

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alpine village, Snow piles high against timber cottages, and an

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eerie stillness hangs. In the long nights. Families huddle by

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hearth fires, casting anxious glances at dark corner. For in

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these Rauchnachte, the twelve nights between Christmas and Epiphany, an

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old legend comes alive. They say. A woman in tattered

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garments may creep silently into homes. Perhaps you'll find a

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kindly figure in white leaving a silver coin in your shoe,

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or something far more horrifying. If the stories are indeed true,

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a witch goddess called Frau Perchta is abroad, judging each household,

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and woe to anyone found wanting, lazy, or disobedient, greedy

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or unkempt Fraw. Perched A's punishments are the stuff of nightmares.

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On this chill December evening, we delve into the folklore

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of the Fraw and her demon entourage, the Perchtin. But

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let's not get ahead of ourselves just yet. That's a

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gift we'll unwrap in just a little bit. Frau perched

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As story reaches back into the mists of Alpine and

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Germanic tradition. In fact, the name Perchta, also called perched

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Berchta or Bertha, likely derives from an Old word for

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bright or shining, hinting at her ancient role as a

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goddess of light. Her name is even linked to birchton Tog,

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the feast of Epiphany on January sixth, a date that

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will become central to her legend. According to folklorists, Perchta

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may have begun as a benevolent Alpine goddess akin to

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Frau Holley in the North. Jakub Grimm, the famous nineteenth

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century collector of fairy tales and myths, described Perchta, whom

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he called Frau Berchta, Hollas or Holda's southern cousin a

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white robed spirit who oversaw spinning and weaving and domestic

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order during the twelve Days of Christmas. It's worth noting

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that originally the twelve Days of Christmas actually began on

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December twenty fifth, as opposed to the more modern interpretation

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of the twelve days leading up to the holiday. In

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her original form, she was a nurturer, a guardian of

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animals and children, and even a psychopomp guiding the souls

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of those who died young. As Birchda the Bright One,

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she protected forests and wildlife, and cared for the souls

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of unbaptized infants sometimes called the Hindchen in the afterlife.

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In many ways, she stood at the threshold of worlds,

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between life and death, between the old year and the new,

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between winter's darkness and the return of light. Yet if

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Perchta began as a benevolent winter mother, history did not

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permit her to remain so. By the Middle Ages, the

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spread of Christianity had transformed many pagan deities into feared

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witches or demons. The Catholic Church, uncomfortable with the persistent

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worship of a powerful female pagan figure, waged a campaign

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to reshape or erase perched A's image. Early church records

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complain of Alpine peasants leaving offerings for Frauine perched instead

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of praying to the Virgin Mary. In the account from

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the thirteenth century, a monk noted with dismay that on

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Christmas Eve people set at table for the quote queen

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of Heaven, whom they called frau Holda, hoping for her blessing.

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Such customs earned stern condemnation from the pulpit. The church

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labeled Perchta a demon and warned that those who honored

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her were consorting with the devil. Medieval clerics railed against

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sinners who left food for Perchta on her night. In

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a series of fiery sermons, Martin Luther himself attacked this

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once goddess. He mocked frau Holde as an infernal impostor

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defying God. Quote here frau Holde steps forward with her

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big snout, defies her God and calls him a liar,

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Luther sneered in one tirade. The strategy was effective. By

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demonizing Perchta, the Church turned a benevolent lady of winter

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into a menacing hag, and, perhaps inadvertently prepared stated her legend.

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In the process, the once bright Epiphany goddess was recast

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as a dark specter. By the sixteen and seventeen hundreds,

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she was widely known by a fearsome new nickname, the

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belly Slitter, a terrifying cron who dealt death to the disobedient.

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Despite the church's vilification, folklore remembers that Frau Perchta wears

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two faces. In some tales, she still appears as a

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radiant white lady, dressed in pure white and gliding through

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snowy forests on the twelfth Night. This benevolent aspect, sometimes

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called Bertha, is gentle and generous, bestowing blessed on those

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who honor her. True to her name, she can be

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as bright and beautiful as freshly fallen snow. A hard

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working servant might awaken to find a silver coin that

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Perchta left in a shoe or bucket as his or

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her reward. In these stories, Perchta remains the Lady of Epiphany,

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bringing luck and prosperity for the new year to the virtuous,

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But Perchta's other face is hideous and cruel. Many describe

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her as an old crone wrinkled and wild haired, with

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a long hooked nose and ragged clothing. In some regions

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they say she has one large foot, sometimes called a

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goosefoot or swanfoot, that reveals her supernatural nature. Jakob Grimm

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interpreted this odd foot as a relic of her divine nature,

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a shape shifting swan maiden who cannot fully shed her

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animal form. Others more practically noted it might come from

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operating an old spinning wheels treatle all night long, giving

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her a splade spinning foot, as it was called. Whatever

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her form. When Perchta walks the winter roads as a hag,

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she strikes fear into mortal hearts. In Austrian folk tales,

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she lurks at the crossroads as a bent little witch

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with gleaming eyes. If a lonely traveler passes by, she

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might greet him with a friendly smile and offer a

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small piece of black cloth. Beware accepting this strange gift

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is a fatal mistake, one old account warns quote when

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one approaches, she holds out to him a black cloth.

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If he takes it, he is done for and will

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certainly not survive the year. The only escape, they say

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is to recognize the crone as Dame Perchta and recite

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a protective prayer, show her a blessed cross, and command,

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Dame perched throw the cloth on the earth, and the

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black cloth will fall from her hand, its curse dispelled.

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Only then will every joy and blessing come to your

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house instead turning Perchta's curse into a boon. Such is

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the dual nature of Frau Perchta, wondrous power over fate,

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yet utterly merciless to those who cross her. Folk tales

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reflected a mix of awe and dread. Villagers longed for

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her favor and feared her wrath in equal measure. As

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one Folklorus noted quote, men are fascinated by her, but

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their feelings are mixed, and fear is mingled with longing.

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Perchta is a single being with a Janus face, evolent

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guardian on one side, vengeful witch on the other, And

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in her role as a midwinter judge, she embodied the

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old notion that as you sow, so shall you reap

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good or bad, diligent or lazy. In the bleak midwinter,

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Perchta would render to each their due more than anything

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frau Perchta's legend centers on domestic diligence. She is obsessively

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concerned with the state of the home, especially the spinning room.

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In German, one of her nicknames was spin Steubenfrau, the

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spinning room lady. Throughout Alpine villages, girls and women were

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warned each year to finish all of their spinning by

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the twelfth night. When Christmas is over, the holiday lull ends,

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it's time to put thread to loom and begin weaving

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for the new year. This may seem quaint or odd,

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but in this time period, if your home was not

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clean and well kept, it could lead to certain death,

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especially for children and the elderly, and getting your weaving

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done could mean the difference between surviving a cold winter

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and freezing to death. Frau Perchta expects every spool of

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flax or wool to be spun, and every room to

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be tidied, with no unfinished skines lying about. If you

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were lazy or negligent, she would know. Woe betied the

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girl who failed to meet her quota. Imagine the horror

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of waking to find your year's work, the precious flax

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you left half done. Smoldering to ash on the distaff.

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It was a dire warning do your work on time,

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or Perchta's anger will find you. But destroyed yarn and

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ruined work rooms were actually the milder penalties in Perchta's arsenal.

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Her legend is most infamous for a far more grisly punishment,

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one that earned her that infamous nickname, the belly slitter.

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If a household had been naughty, slovenly, or idle frau,

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Perchta would not have to cut people open in the

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dead of night. She might steal into the bedroom of

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a lazy child or maid, draw a long knife from

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under her skirts, and slid open the victim's abdomen. She

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would then reach in with clawed hands and pull out

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the stomach and guts. In the gaping cavity, Perchta would

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stuffed straw, pebbles and garbage before sowing the person back

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up like a grotesque ragdoll. What a chilling image and

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innocent lying in bed, disemboweled and packed with farmyard refuse

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a macabre tableau to greet the household in the morning.

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This was the fate of those who earned Perchtah's ire

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as one nineteenth century source vividly recorded quote, whoever has

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partaken of other food on her day, she cuts his

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belly open, fills it with chopped straw, and sows up

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the gash with a plowshare for a needle, and an

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iron chain by way of thread. Little wonder that children

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grew up fearing this specter. The mere mention of Perchta

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will come and gut you was enough to keep many

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a youngster on their best behavior through Christmas time. What

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could provoke such nightmarish retribution? Several offenses are mentioned in

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lore Laziness's paramount, failing to complete one's allotted spinning or

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leaving the house in disarray. Perchta's described as quote pretty

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judgie about the state of your home. For a woman

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who dresses in rags, as one author quips, she cannot

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stand a messy house. Dishonesty could invite punishment as well.

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Berchta was said to know if anyone in the household

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had told lies during the year, and interestingly, breaking certain

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rules on her feast day epiphany was a grave transgression.

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In many regions, a traditional simple meal was set for

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January sixth, and one was not to eat anything else

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that night. If someone dared to feast on richer fair,

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Berchta's vengeance was swift skip the prescribed meal or forget

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to leave her a serving of it, and you might

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just find yourself elf eviscerated by mourning. This element of

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the legend strongly suggests Perchta's roots in ancient ritual. The

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humble meal was likely an offering to her, a way

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to honor the old goddess with proper fare. Indeed, in

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some areas people did leave a bowl of porridge out

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for Frau Perchta, specifically, much as one might leave out

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milk and cookies for Santa Claus, though in Perchta's case

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the motive was fear rather than love. One regional custom

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held that on twelfth night you must set out a

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bowl of peshten milk, a rich milk porridge, for Perchta

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and her followers. In Tyrol, it might be a dish

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of dumbs. In parts of Germany, herring and grits were customary.

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In Austria, there was a special dish specifically called perchten mirch,

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made of oatmeal and herring. The family would eat part

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of the simple supper and leave the rest as an

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offering on the doorstep or even on the roof for

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the roaming Perchta. If by the morning the offering was untouched,

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well perhaps Perchta was not pleased. Legend insists you mustn't

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forget One tale says that in Old Tyrol, if you

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neglected to leave her a portion quote, her rampaging will

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extend far beyond your slovenly spinning room, straight to your insides.

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In short, remember the rules that I laid out at

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the beginning of the program, or be prepared to suffer

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the bloody consequences. These morbid inspections were said to occur

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during Zwolften, the twelve nights after Christmas. Folks believed Frau

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Perchta would slip into homes sometime between December twenty fifth

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and January sixth, but most especially on Epiphany Eve, the

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night of January fifth. As the holiday season ended, Perchta

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made her rounds think of her as a dark mirror

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to kindly old Saint Nicholas, where Saint Nick brings gifts

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in earth December or on Christmas, Perchta brings judgment. As

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the new year dawns, she arrives unannounced perhaps accompanied by

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a sudden gust of cold wind or the scrape of

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a broom against the threshold, and peeks into every corner.

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She'll notice if the floors haven't been swept, if the

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flax bundle lies half spun. She'll know if the children

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have been disobedient, or if they've shirked their chores. In

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one hand, Perchta carries a small reward, that silver coin

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for the diligent. In the other, she conceals her deadly knife.

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It's the ultimate carrot and stick approach. Rendered Visceral parents

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could warn their offspring, finish your work and behave, or

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Frau Persta will cut you open and fill you with straw.

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For centuries, this threat was taken seriously in Alpine villages.

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The imagery was gruesome, but it reinforced critical values in

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a harsh environment, industriousness, cleanliness, and respect for tradition. Winter

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in the Alps was unforgiving. A family's survival often depended

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on everyone doing their part, spinning thread for clothes, preserving

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enough food, keeping the home secure. The belly slitter became

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the embodiment of those high stakes slack off and pay

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in blood. Beyond the chores, and punishments. Frau Perchta's lore

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is woven with dark magic and ghostly phenomena. In some legends,

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she's not just a lone witch making house calls, but

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the leader of a phantom procession that rages across the

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winter skies. This trope, which is often referred to as

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the wild Hunt, is common in European folklore, a spectral

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cavalcade of spirits sweeping through the night, usually led by

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a supernatural figure. In Germany's North, it was said to

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be led by Holda or even Odin. In the Alpine South,

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folks whispered that it was Perchta who led the wild Hunt,

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flying above the tree tops with an army of lost

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souls in her wake. During the deepest dark of winter,

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particularly the Raunachta people claimed they could sometimes hear perschdas

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furious host passing overhead. Just imagine a howling wind rises

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on a moonless January night, battering the shuddered cottages of

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some lonely alpine hamlet. An old farmer, remembering the tale

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of his youth, freezes in bed. Was that thunder or

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the rumble of distant hoofs the gale outside builds to

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a cacophony, and he realizes it's not mere wind at all,

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but screaming voices carried on the air. Through a crack

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in the shutters, he spies a flicker of movement against

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the sky, a ragged woman flying astride a broomstick or distaff,

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leading a horde of shrieking figures around her swirl, misshapen demons,

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and the pale ghosts of unbaptized children, their pitiful wails

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mingling with the roar of the storm. One tiny specter

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at the tail of the host drags a pitcher that

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spills tears into the snow. The farmer's blood turns to ice.

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He fumbles for the sprig of blessed said herbs above

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his bed, Saint John's wart protection against evil, and clutches

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it tight, murmuring a prayer as the wild hunt of

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Frau Berchta screams overhead. In the morning, when the neighbors

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speak of the terrible winds, he alone will know what

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truly passed through that night. In many regions, people genuinely

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feared encountering this ghostly procession. Quote. If you hear the

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wind and thunder roaring through the mountains, on the Birchdel knights.

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One folk tale says, you're really hearing the sounds of

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Perchta leading the wild hunt. At such times, sensible folk

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barred their doors and stayed inside, lest they be caught

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in the spectral onrush. The devout kept protective charms on hand.

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For instance, if Dame Perchta were to appear in your

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barn or stable, hanging consecrated herbs like the aforementioned Saint

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John's wart was said to ward her off. Otherwise your

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livestock may fall ill or drop dead in her wake.

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Some families even left a small portion of their holiday

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supper on the doorstep as a little buffet for Perchta,

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hoping to appease the much dreaded lady and divert her wrath.

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Folklore collected in the early nineteen hundreds in Salzburg captures

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how real Perchta felt to the peasantry. An englishwoman who

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witnessed a traditional Perchdin festival wrote that the local people

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not only believed in Perchta, they feared her. They spoke

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of how she haunts the hohen Salzburg Castle, wandering its

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halls at midnight. They told of meeting Perchta on country roads.

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That eerie Crossroads tale of the Cursed Black Cloth was

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among these stories showing how a traveler's clever use of

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a crucifix could turn Perchta's curse into a blessing. In

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those tellings, Perchta personified faith itself. Accept a gift from

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her and perish, or face her down with faith and

359
00:37:10.360 --> 00:37:15.920
earn fortune. It was a deadly gamble that spoke to

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Perchtah's uncanny allure. She was terrifying, absolutely, but also strangely

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enchanting in her power. One might almost want to see

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her to know that she's real, but pray that if

363
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you do, it's the benevolent white lady who appears, and

364
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not the crone with the knife. But now let's shift

365
00:37:51.559 --> 00:37:59.400
gears a bit and unwrap Frau Perchta's fearsome horde. The

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very name Dame Perchten is simply the plural of Perchta,

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and in folklore it came to denote the eerie creatures

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in her entourage. Over time, the Perchten took on a

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life of their own. In local tradition, these beings were

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described as something between spirits and mortal folks. Inhabiting the

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wild places and only emerging around Yuletide and Epiphany. Like

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Perchta herself, they split into good and evil kinds. The

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Schunperchten or beautiful Perchten or bright benevolent creatures, envisioned as radiant,

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almost angelic figures or friendly forest sprites who bring luck

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and wealth. The schiacht Perchten or ugly Perchtin, by contrast,

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or vicious demonic beings with fanged masks, tusks, and horns.

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In many depictions, these ugly Perchtin appeared as shaggy, goat

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horned monsters wielding whips or cowtails. In folk imagination, the

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chiach Perchen or genuinely frightening quote. They are more felt

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00:39:36.199 --> 00:39:43.280
and heard than seen, wrote one Salzburg local, recognized by

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their weird screams and laughter, It was said that on

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the darkest winter nights, these malevolent beings would swarm down

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from the mountains, invisible except for the sound of their

384
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eerie screeching and cackling as they passed through the villages.

385
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People claimed the ugly Perchtin loved to lure travelers off

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00:40:09.960 --> 00:40:16.719
their paths with disorienting noises or to punish those guilty

387
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of misdeeds. Imagine walking home on a cold night and

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00:40:23.880 --> 00:40:31.400
hearing unearthly laughter echoing in the woods behind you. Alpine

389
00:40:31.559 --> 00:40:36.800
villagers certainly did, and they knew it was the perchtin

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at mischief. On the other hand, the shun Patchten were

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welcomed whenever they chose to appear. These lovely spirits were

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believed to bestow blessings, health, prosperity, and fertility for the

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00:40:56.599 --> 00:41:02.239
coming spring. Some tales even refer to Frau Perchta herself

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as the most beautiful percht and the devil as the

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most ugly, as if to personify the extremes of her retinue.

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In essence, Perchta was the leader of both kinds of Perchtin,

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a mistress of dualities. By the fifteen and sixteen hundreds,

398
00:41:26.639 --> 00:41:30.760
we have records of people re enacting the Perchten as

399
00:41:30.800 --> 00:41:36.039
a folk practice. It seems communities started channeling their fear

400
00:41:36.159 --> 00:41:42.679
of Perchta and her hoarde into performative rituals. Young men

401
00:41:42.880 --> 00:41:47.760
would dress up as the shiacht Perchten, donning hideous wooden

402
00:41:47.840 --> 00:41:53.639
masks with horns, draping themselves in shaggy fur and rags,

403
00:41:54.320 --> 00:41:59.280
and go door to door, making a ruckus. The idea

404
00:41:59.840 --> 00:42:05.000
was to drive out evil spirits and perhaps even scare

405
00:42:05.079 --> 00:42:11.400
away fral Pershta herself or at least any malevolent forces

406
00:42:11.960 --> 00:42:17.719
she brought along. Essentially, they were fighting fire with fire,

407
00:42:18.559 --> 00:42:26.079
becoming monsters to ward off monsters. Very Halloween sowin vibes.

408
00:42:26.159 --> 00:42:32.679
There In some areas, this mummery was explicitly done on

409
00:42:32.800 --> 00:42:37.519
the twelfth Night as a safeguarding ritual. Think of it

410
00:42:37.599 --> 00:42:44.280
as a rural exorcism meets carnival villagers donning demon masks,

411
00:42:44.639 --> 00:42:51.280
ringing bells, cracking whips, and shouting to chase away winter's darkness.

412
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Folklorists view this as a classic inverse ritual, taking the

413
00:42:58.239 --> 00:43:03.000
image of what you fear the perchten, and turning it

414
00:43:03.119 --> 00:43:08.639
into a communal celebration in order to neutralize that fear.

415
00:43:10.039 --> 00:43:15.639
Not surprisingly, the Church frowned on these noisy pagan charades,

416
00:43:16.559 --> 00:43:22.159
and authorities sometimes tried to ban them as relics of heathenism,

417
00:43:23.000 --> 00:43:30.280
but the tradition persisted and adapted with the times. One

418
00:43:30.440 --> 00:43:35.519
remarkable eye witness account from nineteen o eight describes a

419
00:43:35.639 --> 00:43:42.239
Perchtenloff or perchten run in Salzburg, a folk procession that

420
00:43:42.360 --> 00:43:48.119
had seldom been performed in living memory. The festival began

421
00:43:48.400 --> 00:43:53.599
quietly until the distant jingle of bells and shuffling of

422
00:43:53.639 --> 00:44:06.840
feet announced the approach of strange visitors. First came the

423
00:44:06.880 --> 00:44:14.880
shoon Perchten, the Beautiful Perchtin, arriving with great fanfare. These

424
00:44:14.960 --> 00:44:21.000
were local lads dressed in fantastic finery, wearing towering headdresses,

425
00:44:21.559 --> 00:44:27.880
some reportedly ten or twelve feet high. The headpieces were

426
00:44:27.920 --> 00:44:34.119
marvels of craft, red velvet, draped in mirrors and silver

427
00:44:34.440 --> 00:44:41.119
ornaments glittering in the torchlight. On the very top of

428
00:44:41.239 --> 00:44:47.159
each contraption sat a crown, above that a crescent moon,

429
00:44:48.119 --> 00:44:55.000
and above that a star. Some headdresses even featured enormous

430
00:44:55.039 --> 00:45:01.119
bird figures. One man's included dozens of stuff wild birds,

431
00:45:01.599 --> 00:45:08.719
topped by a giant outspread peacock. The Beautiful Perchten carried

432
00:45:08.800 --> 00:45:13.519
swords in one hand and led their partners, men dressed

433
00:45:13.559 --> 00:45:20.360
as women, in graceful looping dances. They represented the return

434
00:45:20.480 --> 00:45:25.480
of light and order, a pageant of good fortune for

435
00:45:25.559 --> 00:45:30.199
the new year. Villagers cheered and clapped in time with

436
00:45:30.280 --> 00:45:35.559
the music as these white clad figures twirled through the market. Square,

437
00:45:36.519 --> 00:45:42.960
their mirrored crowns tossing sparkles of light. But once the

438
00:45:43.039 --> 00:45:51.519
shoon Perchten had made their elegant display, the atmosphere would change,

439
00:45:51.880 --> 00:45:56.199
lurking at the edges of the torchlight where the ugly

440
00:45:56.519 --> 00:46:04.519
perchten waiting for their cue. Suddenly, a piercing shriek ripped

441
00:46:04.559 --> 00:46:13.960
through the night, then another and another. The crowd murmured

442
00:46:14.400 --> 00:46:20.719
nervously from an alley burst the Schiachperton in all their

443
00:46:20.960 --> 00:46:27.079
terrifying glory. They wore horned devil masks with long snouts

444
00:46:27.559 --> 00:46:33.159
and snapping jaws. Their shoulders were draped in animal pelts.

445
00:46:34.320 --> 00:46:40.159
Cowbells clanged around their waists, announcing their every move with

446
00:46:40.280 --> 00:46:47.559
a deep metallic cacophony. These demons pranced and lunged at onlookers,

447
00:46:48.119 --> 00:46:53.360
feigning attacks. Children in the audience screamed and darted behind

448
00:46:53.440 --> 00:46:58.800
their parents, only to erupt into laughter when a particularly

449
00:46:58.920 --> 00:47:04.480
playful patch swatted someone's leg with a dried animal bladder

450
00:47:05.039 --> 00:47:09.480
or a broom of twigs. The village square became a

451
00:47:09.519 --> 00:47:16.480
scene of pandemonium, firelight and shadows, angelic figures and horned beasts,

452
00:47:16.960 --> 00:47:23.639
laughter and startled cries, all mixing together. It was cathartic

453
00:47:24.480 --> 00:47:30.320
in a controlled festive way. The community was confronting its

454
00:47:30.519 --> 00:47:36.320
darkest fears, scaring off the evil of winter so that

455
00:47:36.440 --> 00:47:43.280
spring could safely come. As one observer noted, the Perchtenlauf

456
00:47:43.920 --> 00:47:47.639
felt like the villagers were wearing out the hauntings of

457
00:47:47.719 --> 00:47:54.159
Perchta's knights through noisy celebration, chasing away the gloom with

458
00:47:54.280 --> 00:48:01.079
a dose of ritualized terror. The legend the Frau Perchta

459
00:48:01.440 --> 00:48:05.679
might be one of the most violent Christmas Time folk tales,

460
00:48:06.280 --> 00:48:10.719
but she is not alone in Europe's pantheon of Yule

461
00:48:10.800 --> 00:48:16.840
Tide boogeymen. The Alpine regions in particular, team with sinister

462
00:48:17.000 --> 00:48:23.800
companions to Santa Claus. The most famous today is Crampus,

463
00:48:24.559 --> 00:48:30.960
often dubbed the Christmas Devil. Like the Perchton, Crampis is

464
00:48:31.039 --> 00:48:35.880
depicted as a horned harry demon who carries chains and

465
00:48:36.000 --> 00:48:42.000
birch switches to thrash naughty children or a basket to

466
00:48:42.199 --> 00:48:48.800
kidnap them away. Traditionally, Crampus accompanies Saint Nicholas on Crampis

467
00:48:48.880 --> 00:48:54.400
knocked the night of December fifth, visiting homes to punish

468
00:48:54.440 --> 00:49:00.760
the bad while Saint Nick rewards the good. In recent years,

469
00:49:00.840 --> 00:49:08.599
Crampus's popularity has surged worldwide. Parades of costumed Crampei participating

470
00:49:08.639 --> 00:49:13.599
in cramposlof now occur in many cities, and he's appeared

471
00:49:13.639 --> 00:49:20.480
in everything from greeting cards to horror films. Interestingly, Crampus

472
00:49:20.599 --> 00:49:25.400
is a relatively late addition to the holiday cast. Some

473
00:49:25.559 --> 00:49:31.760
folklorists trace Crompus to pre Christian Alpine beliefs, but in

474
00:49:31.800 --> 00:49:36.119
his current form as Saint Nick's sidekick, his legend dates

475
00:49:36.199 --> 00:49:41.960
mostly to the nineteenth century. Perchtas Perchten, on the other hand,

476
00:49:42.760 --> 00:49:47.800
seem to be an older native custom, one that possibly

477
00:49:47.920 --> 00:49:54.920
inspired the very image of Crampus. Another figure, lesser known

478
00:49:55.039 --> 00:50:00.880
outside of certain communities is Belschnikel, origin doating in the

479
00:50:00.960 --> 00:50:06.440
German Palatinate and brought to America by Pennsylvania Dutch settlers.

480
00:50:07.199 --> 00:50:11.960
Belschnikel is a crotchety, fur clad man who visits a

481
00:50:11.960 --> 00:50:16.639
week or two before Christmas. He carries both treats and

482
00:50:16.920 --> 00:50:22.280
birch switches. When he comes knocking, Belschnickel will barge through

483
00:50:22.280 --> 00:50:26.559
the door and quiz the children on their behavior. Those

484
00:50:26.599 --> 00:50:30.199
who can prove they've been good receive a handful of

485
00:50:30.320 --> 00:50:36.280
candies tossed on the floor, while the naughty or overly

486
00:50:36.360 --> 00:50:42.440
greedy feel the sting of his switch. Often it was

487
00:50:42.760 --> 00:50:47.199
just a neighbor in disguise putting on a raucous semi

488
00:50:47.280 --> 00:50:53.000
comical show, but the purpose was the same to scare

489
00:50:53.199 --> 00:50:59.800
the children into behaving. In France, a similar character, Perforta,

490
00:51:00.679 --> 00:51:05.280
or Father Whipper, has a very dark origin, which will

491
00:51:05.320 --> 00:51:09.519
be covering next week on the show. He's a dark

492
00:51:09.599 --> 00:51:13.880
clothed helper of Saint Nicholas who hands out coal or

493
00:51:14.199 --> 00:51:20.599
floggings to bad children. Even Santa Claus himself had a

494
00:51:20.719 --> 00:51:26.320
darker edge. In some older traditions. In parts of Central Europe,

495
00:51:26.400 --> 00:51:30.639
there were stories that Santa would stuff naughty kids into

496
00:51:30.679 --> 00:51:36.000
his sack and carry them away, a role later delegated

497
00:51:36.039 --> 00:51:41.920
to sinister companions like Crampus or Belsnickel. Compared to all

498
00:51:41.960 --> 00:51:48.360
of these, however, Frau Berchta stands out for sheer ruthlessness.

499
00:51:49.199 --> 00:51:55.800
While Crampus might swat and Belschnikel merely scold, Berchta promised

500
00:51:55.800 --> 00:52:01.199
a far more gruesome fate to those who broke her rules.

501
00:52:02.239 --> 00:52:05.719
She is more akin to an outright witch or ogres

502
00:52:06.039 --> 00:52:10.599
from a dark fairy tale than a mere holiday sidekick.

503
00:52:11.559 --> 00:52:16.519
In the gallery of scary Christmas figures, Perchta easily earns

504
00:52:16.559 --> 00:52:21.559
a crown as one of the most frightening. The others

505
00:52:21.639 --> 00:52:27.119
are largely punitive sidekicks invented to support the Saint Nicholas legend.

506
00:52:27.840 --> 00:52:33.320
Frau Perchta, by contrast, due to her dual identities, is

507
00:52:33.400 --> 00:52:38.280
both judge and giver in her own right, rooted in

508
00:52:38.360 --> 00:52:44.000
pre Christian nature worship, only later entwined with the Christmas season.

509
00:52:45.159 --> 00:52:50.239
This makes her a uniquely potent figure, a fusion of

510
00:52:50.320 --> 00:53:02.000
ancient deity and folk demon. One might think that in

511
00:53:02.039 --> 00:53:06.280
the twenty first century the tale of Frau Perchta would

512
00:53:06.320 --> 00:53:12.000
have faded into a quaint historical footnote, but not so.

513
00:53:13.000 --> 00:53:18.440
In the Alpine regions of Austria and southern Germany, Perchta

514
00:53:18.639 --> 00:53:24.880
and Herperchten are alive and well in winter traditions. Far

515
00:53:24.920 --> 00:53:30.199
from being suppressed, the old practices have resurged as popular

516
00:53:30.320 --> 00:53:36.719
festivals equal parts cultural heritage and spooky fun. The most

517
00:53:36.760 --> 00:53:43.159
famous are the aforementioned perchenlof large processions that take place

518
00:53:43.239 --> 00:53:49.400
during the deep winter months in Austria's Pongau region, for instance,

519
00:53:50.039 --> 00:53:57.320
villages host processions featuring elaborate costumes. The beautiful Perchton Parade

520
00:53:57.360 --> 00:54:02.039
with their enormous ornate head pieces and symbolic props said

521
00:54:02.119 --> 00:54:06.280
to encourage good fortune and wealth. Right behind them come

522
00:54:06.320 --> 00:54:11.800
the ugly Perchton, clanging bells and growling through boar like masks.

523
00:54:12.360 --> 00:54:16.599
Its a spectacle of light and dark. Picture a troop

524
00:54:16.679 --> 00:54:21.320
of haloed benevolent figures, followed by a horde of horned

525
00:54:21.400 --> 00:54:28.679
demons scaring the crowd, a literal pageant of duality. These

526
00:54:28.760 --> 00:54:34.599
events draw huge crowds. Today. What were once small village

527
00:54:34.639 --> 00:54:41.119
observances have in many cases become regional festivals and even

528
00:54:41.559 --> 00:54:49.239
tourist attractions. Towns proudly advertise their Perchtenlauf dates, and travelers

529
00:54:49.280 --> 00:54:53.079
come from afar to witness the wild men in beastly

530
00:54:53.199 --> 00:54:58.599
costumes clashing through the streets. Ski resorts in the Alps

531
00:54:58.679 --> 00:55:03.519
often incorporate p Rchton runs or Crampis runs into their

532
00:55:03.559 --> 00:55:09.360
holiday programs, adding a dash of thrilling folklore for winter visitors.

533
00:55:10.400 --> 00:55:16.519
The Glockerloff in Upper Austria's Salzgamergut, for example, is a

534
00:55:16.559 --> 00:55:20.519
beautiful new year's tradition, on the eve of January sixth,

535
00:55:21.360 --> 00:55:26.440
dozens of men in white march at night, carrying enormous

536
00:55:26.480 --> 00:55:32.280
illuminated lanterns on their heads, ringing in the final Rauchnacht

537
00:55:32.679 --> 00:55:38.760
with light and sound. In some Pinsgau communities, the Trestorer

538
00:55:38.920 --> 00:55:45.920
dancers perform, likely an offshoot of the Schunperchten, featuring costumed

539
00:55:45.960 --> 00:55:51.199
young men on stilts or in fine attire enacting ritualized

540
00:55:51.320 --> 00:55:57.159
steps to bless homes and insure fertility. Each valley has

541
00:55:57.199 --> 00:56:01.000
its own twist on the theme, but all hark back

542
00:56:01.400 --> 00:56:06.039
to the core idea of banishing the dark and welcoming

543
00:56:06.079 --> 00:56:12.119
the light as the new year is born. Crucially, Frau

544
00:56:12.199 --> 00:56:18.880
Persta herself is not forgotten in these modern celebrations. In Salzburg,

545
00:56:19.320 --> 00:56:24.039
local still speak of her ghost roaming the Hoen Salzburg

546
00:56:24.239 --> 00:56:29.039
Fortress at night, the same castle she was said to

547
00:56:29.159 --> 00:56:34.880
haunt in old legends. She sometimes affectionately called the Christmas

548
00:56:34.920 --> 00:56:39.039
Witch in popular culture, and you might even find her

549
00:56:39.159 --> 00:56:44.400
name in holiday folklore books or local tour guides, positioned

550
00:56:44.400 --> 00:56:49.320
as a sort of female counterpart to Crumpus, though as

551
00:56:49.360 --> 00:56:55.320
we noted, she's so much more than that. Storytellers and

552
00:56:55.599 --> 00:57:01.679
neo pagan practitioners today have also reclaimed hich does older identity.

553
00:57:02.480 --> 00:57:07.199
Rather than emphasizing the evil Hag, they celebrate her as

554
00:57:07.239 --> 00:57:12.039
an ancient goddess of the Alpine winter, a stern but

555
00:57:12.159 --> 00:57:18.559
protective figure who rewards the generous and punishes the wicked.

556
00:57:19.920 --> 00:57:24.280
Some contemporary Pagans will even leave out offerings to Frau

557
00:57:24.400 --> 00:57:29.000
Perchta on Epiphany Eve as a nod to the old ways,

558
00:57:29.920 --> 00:57:34.400
framing it as honoring a wise winter deity rather than

559
00:57:34.480 --> 00:57:41.119
merely placating a monster's wrath. Meanwhile, for many villagers, the

560
00:57:41.199 --> 00:57:46.559
meaning of Perchten festivities now is more cultural than spiritual.

561
00:57:47.440 --> 00:57:51.679
It's about keeping local heritage alive and having a bit

562
00:57:52.119 --> 00:57:58.320
of winter fun. In a way, every perchtenlof parade, with

563
00:57:58.400 --> 00:58:02.719
its booming drums and costumed fiends, is an act of

564
00:58:02.800 --> 00:58:11.760
remembering that the spirit of Berchta remains despite centuries of change.

565
00:58:11.840 --> 00:58:17.119
The legend of Frau Perchta and the Perchten fascinatingly weaves

566
00:58:17.280 --> 00:58:22.079
history and horror. On one side. It preserves the echo

567
00:58:22.239 --> 00:58:25.719
of a pre Christian past, a time when a bright

568
00:58:25.880 --> 00:58:30.000
lady of winter was revered as a giver of prosperity

569
00:58:30.800 --> 00:58:36.320
and protection. On the other it embodies the deep seated

570
00:58:36.360 --> 00:58:43.039
winter fears that generations of Alpine folk lived, with long nights,

571
00:58:43.519 --> 00:58:47.440
hard toil, and the ever looming threat of hunger or

572
00:58:47.519 --> 00:58:53.880
misfortune if one's work was left undone. It's easy to

573
00:58:53.960 --> 00:58:57.800
see why such a stern figure as Perchta became the

574
00:58:58.000 --> 00:59:03.920
enforcer of good being behavior. To survive winter, you had

575
00:59:03.920 --> 00:59:09.960
to be diligent and prepared. Slacker's truly risked death, if

576
00:59:10.000 --> 00:59:14.559
not by a witch's knife, then by cold and starvation.

577
00:59:15.440 --> 00:59:19.440
So the tail of the belly slitter, ghastly as it

578
00:59:19.559 --> 00:59:27.519
is carried practical wisdom wrapped in visceral fear. Even today,

579
00:59:28.079 --> 00:59:33.199
the story retains its grisly charm. It sends a shiver

580
00:59:33.400 --> 00:59:40.039
down our spines to imagine frawl Perchta creeping through a silent,

581
00:59:40.920 --> 00:59:47.599
dark house, sniffing out any signs of laziness. We can

582
00:59:47.639 --> 00:59:53.079
almost feel her bony fingers checking for dust on the shelves,

583
00:59:53.639 --> 00:59:57.760
or hear the clop of her uncanny foot as she

584
00:59:57.960 --> 01:00:02.719
prowls the spinning room floor. In a world where winter

585
01:00:02.880 --> 01:00:09.199
holidays have largely become soft and sweet, all jolly santas

586
01:00:09.280 --> 01:00:16.719
and sugar cookies. There's something oddly refreshing, if morbid, about

587
01:00:16.760 --> 01:00:24.880
an older Sharper tradition that warns behave yourself or else.

588
01:00:26.239 --> 01:00:30.639
After all, what's a good fairy tale without a dose

589
01:00:31.519 --> 01:00:38.159
of horror. So this January, when the twelfth night comes around,

590
01:00:39.000 --> 01:00:44.280
take a bit of advice from our ancestors. Tidy your house,

591
01:00:44.840 --> 01:00:49.519
finish your work, Serve up a humble meal, and maybe

592
01:00:50.199 --> 01:00:54.440
set a bowl aside on the doorstep just in case.

593
01:00:55.519 --> 01:00:59.920
And as you settle into bed, spare a respectful thing

594
01:01:00.079 --> 01:01:06.840
thought for Frau Perchda, the bright one who turned winter witch.

595
01:01:08.119 --> 01:01:12.719
She may be out there in the moonlight with her

596
01:01:12.760 --> 01:01:19.800
Perchtin in tow, peeking in to ensure that all is

597
01:01:19.840 --> 01:01:26.119
in order. May she find you hard working, truthful, and

598
01:01:26.280 --> 01:01:30.599
ready for the new year, so she doesn't have to

599
01:01:30.719 --> 01:01:38.920
reach for her knife. Sweet dreams and happy perchtin Talk.

600
01:01:41.000 --> 01:01:44.960
Terrifying and True is narrated by Enrique Kuto. It's executive

601
01:01:45.000 --> 01:01:48.320
produced by Rob Fields and bobble Topia dot Com and

602
01:01:48.480 --> 01:01:52.360
produced by Dan Wilder with original theme music by Ray Mattis.

603
01:01:52.599 --> 01:01:54.760
If you have a story you think we should cover

604
01:01:54.840 --> 01:01:57.840
on Terrifying and True, send us an email at Weekly

605
01:01:58.000 --> 01:02:00.840
Spooky at gmail dot com and if you want to

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01:02:00.880 --> 01:02:02.679
support us for as little as one dollar a month,

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01:02:02.760 --> 01:02:06.239
go to Weeklyspooky dot com slash join. Your support for

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as little as one dollar a month keeps the show going.

609
01:02:09.000 --> 01:02:11.119
And speaking of I want to say an extra special

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01:02:11.159 --> 01:02:14.199
thank you to our Patreon podcast boosters, folks who pay

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a little bit more to hear their name at the

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01:02:15.880 --> 01:02:18.679
end of the show. And they are Johnny Nicks, Kate

613
01:02:18.760 --> 01:02:23.400
and Lulu, Jessica Fuller, Mike Scuey, Jenny Green, Amber Hansford,

614
01:02:23.480 --> 01:02:26.360
Karen Wee, met Jack Ker, and Craig Cohen. Thank you

615
01:02:26.400 --> 01:02:28.960
all so much and thank you for listening. We'll see

616
01:02:28.960 --> 01:02:33.360
you all right here next time on Terrifying and True