On the evening of December 5th, children all over Germany leave their cleaned shoes outside the door for St Nicholas to fill with treats. While St Nicholas may be the same, Saint Nicholas’s companions change depending on where you are in Germany. Krampus, Knecht Ruprecht, Schwarzer Peter… even Mutter Hulla! Here is a brief explanation of each of some of the companions.
I grew up with Knecht Ruprecht’s story, and since my family in Westphalia was close to the Dutch border, Schwarzer Peter’s stories were familiar to me, too. More recently, Krampus has been venturing out of his Alpine home (all the way to Hollywood!) to become a familiar figure in December. The newest story to me is Mutter Hulla/ Frau Holla. I had read the Grimm’s Fairy Tale, but it turns out her story goes much deeper.
I hope you find these stories as interesting as I did!
For more information about Saint Nicholas, click HERE–>Who Is St Nicholas?
St Nicholas’s Companions
There are many, and what you grew up with depends on where your family is from in Germany. It’s also related to what stories your grandparents knew. Like Potato Salad recipes… St Nicholas’s Companions are regional.
Krampus
The scariest of all of St Nicholas’s companions… and the one making the most enormous popularity surge worldwide, is Krampus. This frightening horned creature is found mainly in Austria and Alpine Germany, but thanks to Krampus-Runs, Krampus Parties, and Hollywood, his influence is spreading. The Krampus legend comes from Pagan tradition and is related to Norse legends.
Krampus travels with St Nicholas, but also alone, wearing a cowbell to warn people of his approach and chains to suggest that he is bound with the devil. Most images show him holding a bag and some birch branches… these are meant for “bad” children, who will be given the switch or carried off to the Underworld.
Since the 1800s, people have been using Krampus as an anti-Christmas spirit. Maybe to balance out the sweetness and light of the season. Krampus Cards are sent… and on Dec. 5th, Krampusnacht, big parties are held with Bonfires to celebrate Krampus.
Learn more about Krampus Here–> Krampus in German Folklore
Knecht Ruprecht
The story of Knecht Ruprecht is more common across Germany than Krampus. While written stories linking him to St Nicholas first appeared in the 17th century, tales of Knecht Ruprecht go back to the Middle Ages. (Oddly, Ruprecht is another word for Devil.) Stories about him vary. Some think he was a wild foundling raised by St Nicholas to be a manservant. Another story, described in “Deutsche Mythologie” (German Folklore), Jakob Grimm claims his origin is that of a House Sprite or House Elf, who keeps balance in the home.
Whatever his origin, he always wears a black or brown robe with a hood and often has small bells at his waist to announce his arrival. His face is dirty from the soot he collects as he goes down chimneys (wondering if this was “borrowed” by the American Santa Claus“?) Some say he carries a bag of coal and walks with a long staff because of a limp from a childhood injury.
Albärt, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Knecht Ruprecht was a figure German parents would invoke to keep their kids in line (such a German thing!). His job was traveling with St Nicholas and quizzing children to see if they knew their prayers and bible verses. The children were rewarded with apples, gingerbread, and other sweets if they performed well. If they didn’t, the children would be given lumps of coal, beaten or switched, or worse, taken away in Knecht Ruprecht’s sack to be thrown in an icy river or EATEN!
Other names for Knecht Ruprecht are- Hans Ruprecht, Rumpknecht, and in Mecklenburg, was called Rû Clås (Rough Nicholas). He was known as Bûr and Bullerclås in the Altmark and East Friesland.
Learn more about Knecht Ruprecht HERE
Schwarzer Peter/ Zwarter Piet
You’ll find Schwarzer Peter more commonly in the Netherlands and Luxemburg, and he is no stranger to kids from North Rhine Westphalia. Traditionally, Peter is a black Moor from Spain. (As a brief background… the Moors were a group of Muslims from North Africa who in 711 AD moved north and conquered the Iberian Peninsula, which became modern-day Spain and Portugal. And if you remember your history, the Netherlands once belonged to Spain, so it makes sense for a Spanish Moor to be in the Netherlands).
Piet or Peter is dressed in Renaissance Spanish clothes and acts as a page to St Nicholas. He is in charge of passing out sweets and goodies. Like St Nicholas’s other companions, he is also responsible for carrying away the bad children…
Today, there is serious controversy surrounding Zwarte Piet. Historically, actors who portrayed him wore blackface makeup with bright red lipstick. Because of the racist implications, in many communities, the blackface has been replaced by soot.
Still, he is not seen as an evil or scary companion; if anything, he is more of a kind helper to St Nicholas. In the Netherlands, he leads parades, and visits children in schools and hospitals.
Belsnickel
Belsnickel or Pelznickel (and sometimes Kriskrinkel) comes from the Palatinate region of Southwestern Germany along the Rhine, the Saarland, and the Odenwald area of Baden-Württemberg. He is a familiar figure in the Pennsylvania Dutch communities in the United States. This companion of St Nicholas is more of a combination of St Nicholas and his companion, Knecht Ruprecht, covered in Fur. (Nickel for Nicholas, Pelz for Fur).
He dresses in furs and dirty, torn clothing. Often, he wears a mask with a long tongue. In his hand, he carries a switch (like Knecht Ruprecht), but his pockets are full of sweets for children. He tends to travel alone, delivering gifts or punishment as needed. However, in Austria, Krampus may be with him.
Read more about Belznickl here-> Belsnickel
Frau Holle / Frau Hulda / Mutter Hulla
Stories of Frau Holle or Frau Hulda tied up with St Nicholas are new to me, but they come from a time of Paganism. She is also known as “Old Mother Frost“, Budelfrau, Bercheel, Buzebergt, Perchte, Pudelmutter, and perhaps of “Berchta,” Odin’s wife (Frigg) and the “old corn woman. She is also known both as the Dark Grandmother and White Lady. Stories of Frau Holle go back to the beginning of storytelling….and to the old Norse Myths (which is why this image shows her with the crown of candles, looking quite a bit like St. Lucia who is celebrated in Norway on December 11)
In Grimm’s Fairy Tales, her tale is typical, those who work hard are rewarded, and the lazy are punished. In Hessen, they say she makes it snow when she shakes out her feather beds…
But how is she associated with St Nicholas? One story is that the Pudelmutter goes house to house, throwing nuts, apples, and special treats into the homes where children are well-behaved and fleisig (diligent). Other stories tell of how she flies from house to house on the night of Jan.5 to Jan. 6th (the 12th day of Christmas,) putting treats in the stockings of children who have been good and coal to those who have been bad (This story overlaps the stories of the Wild Hunt). Find out more about Frau Holle here
Schmutzli
In the German-speaking part of Switzerland, St Nicholas is accompanied by a dark-faced figure named Schmutzli (dirty?), who carries a broom of twigs used to punish children who misbehave. The Schmutzli figure represents the evil spirits of darkness from pre-Christian pagan times. Winter festivals with lanterns, fire, and noise were thought to drive him away. Later, Schmutzli evolved to balance the sweetness of St Nicholas. In modern Switzerland, he even joins St Nicholas in parades and helps to hand out treats

St Nicholas and His Companions Add Up to the Modern Santa Claus
One thing I notice over and over is how bits and pieces of St Nicholas’s companion’s stories have stuck to today’s notion of Santa Claus. Bringing gifts to those children who are good, coal to those who are bad, coming down the chimney like Schwarzer Piet, or how Knecht Ruprecht is also considered an Elf. Then look at Frau Holle and how she leaves things in stockings. It’s as if all these legends combined into one fat Jolly guy in a red suit.
Whichever you believe in, whoever you think is following St Nicholas around, remember to clean your shoes and put them out in front of the door on the night of Dec. 5th.. and maybe in the morning, you will find something sweet…
Want to Learn More about St Nicholas and His Many Companions
&
The True Story of St. NicholasKnecht Ruprecht
The Krampus and the Old, Dark Christmas: Roots and Rebirth of the Folkloric Devil
Christmas in Germany: A Cultural History

I love St. Nicholas! I hadn’t heard of the companions before–quite interesting to see how the myths sprouted. Thanks for sharing.
The more I learn, the more connections I’m finding… it’s fascinating!
My mom has told us stories how on one Christmas Ruprecht actually took one of her brothers away in his sack because he misbehaved!
Ahhh…. parenting German Style…. Can you imagine if we did something like that today?