In Pure Spirit

For open minds

Who is Krampus?

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Krampus is the evil alternative to Santa Claus, the demon version of St. Nicholas.

The Krampus stories are most common in Austria, Slovenia and Croatia but is traced back to countries with pre-Christian alpine traditions.

Krampus is a devil like creature who punishes children who have been bad – the opposite of Santa Claus rewarding children who have been good for the year.

The word “Krampus” is German in origin, being old high German for “claw”. The date December 5th is a strong date for Krampus as in some towns he will roam the streets chasing children and women with bells and chains. Otherwise he will accompany Saint Nicholas. December 6th is Krampusnacht in some parts of Bavaria and elsewhere in Germany.

Krampus, the holiday devil, may have a match in Frau Perchta. On Krampusnacht, in Germany, when the men dress up as strange demons the women dress up as Perchta – the Nordic goddess. Frau Perchta may be an aspect of Freyja, the fertility goddess.

This YouTube pop video shows how Krampus is still very much of modern alpine culture.

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Will you be warning children of the dangers of Krampus visiting if they’re not well behaved kiddie-winks?

Holy monkeys defeat automatic doors and run wild in hospital

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Hanuman is the Hindu deity; an incarnation of the Sir Rama in the struggle against demon King Ravana and a general for the ape-like, forest-dwelling race of vanaras. Vanaras are an interesting bunch of shape-changes; being described as childish, irritating, hyperactive but also loyal, courageous and kind.

It’s perhaps no surprise that the adventurous rhesus macaque monkey is associated with Hanuman. That’s why these monkeys, despite the problems they cause, are rarely trapped or killed in India.

The most recent problem with these rhesus macaque concerns their intelligence. These monkeys worked out how the newly installed automatic doors of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences in New Delhi worked. Once inside the hospital they ran, hid, stole food and played with medical equipment.

An unnamed doctor at the hospital has been speaking to the press;

“I was at the patient recovery room when a nurse cried out that a monkey had sneaked in,

“The monkey had somehow entered the main corridor and was hiding in the false roof. As soon as the security guard moved away, it jumped inside. The doors open once they detect any movement, and this is how the simian got in.”

The monkeys are a real problem for the hospital. You can imagine it simply is not possible to run a clean and orderly hospital that’s invaded by tribes of monkeys.

Fortunately a solution was found; more monkeys.

The hospital “hired” two grey langurs, larger monkeys, that hang around nearby and chase the macaques away if they come too close.

The holy monkey terror may sound like a bit of fun for people not caught up in the problem but they are a serious and significant problem in New Delhi. A number of years ago they were responsible for the death of the deputy mayor – as outlined in this news cast.

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What do you think? Has the hospital done the right thing by bringing in more monkeys to keep the macaques at bay? Or would it make more sense to change the doors?

Picture credit: Crazy Creatures.

Cat temple discovered in Egypt

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A temple dating back more than 2,000 years has been discovered by Egyptian archaeologists. It is thought that the Ptolemaic-era temple was once dedicated to the cat goddess Bastet.

It is suggested that the temple was under the care of Berenice, wife of 3rd century BC ruler Ptolemy III. The temple is in the very heart of the city of Alexandria; the city once at the centre of the dynasty created by Alexander the Great in the 4th century BC. Modern-day Alexandria is built directly on top of the historic Alexandria.

Bastet – also know as Ubasti – is an old solar and war goddess. Her followers began to fade from power as the lioness war deity Sekhmet rose to prominence. Her name means “devourer” but she was often seen as a fierce protector of Lower Egypt.

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Bastet has enjoyed a modern-day boom in interest – do you think this is just because she’s seen as a ‘cat goddess’ or do you think there’s something else about Bastet that keeps her popular today?

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