The Krampus is a horned spirit of European folklore who is said to have accompanied Saint Nicholas during Christmas time to punish misbehaving children. In recent years he’s regained a lot of popularity. In this workshop we’ll explore the tradition of the Krampus’ historical development, his ancient pagan and folkloric roots and his connection to the Horned God of the Witches.

The Krampus today embodies the darker history of Yule and Christmas, when witches ruled, saints displayed their darker incarnations and ghosts and spirits roamed around. We’ll explore some of the traditional folktales and myths surrounding the Krampus. Is the Krampus one entity or several? Where did he come from? What are his roots? Is he purely “bad” or does he serve a purpose? What aspects of his tradition are still echoed in modern Christmas and Yule traditions? Come find out! $25 workshop fee.

Mat Auryn (Massachusetts) is a witch, writer, professional psychic, and occult teacher throughout New England. He has been drawn to the occult and metaphysical since an early age, reading books on witchcraft at eight years old. He is a graduate of Black Rose Witchcraft and a Priest in the Sacred Fires Tradition of Witchcraft founded by Devin Hunter. He is a student of Christopher Penczak in the Temple of Witchcraft Mystery School, Laurie Cabot in the Cabot-Kent Hermetic Tradition, and Jason Miller in the Sorcery of Hekate. He is also devotee of the Covenant of Hekate founded by Sorita D’Este. He writes for Patheos Pagan in his blog For Puck’s Sake and on his personal website. He has been featured in various magazines, radio shows, podcasts, books and other periodicals such as DisInfo, The Wild Hunt, Down at the Crossroads, Magick Magazine, Moon Books, Cutline Press, Just Julie, Magical Experiments, and more.