There are two dark Christmas novels that delve into the mythic origins of Santa Claus, which I outlined in my last post on Phyllis Sieker's Santa Claus: Last of the Wild Men. The first of these, published by Cemetary Dance, a specialist horror publisher, in the late nineties, is Santa Steps out, by Robert Devereaux. At the time, this was hyped as very raunchy, and warned of its capacity to break taboos and shatter treasured childhood memories. One of endorsements warns buyers to keep this book high on a shelf, like all other dangerous objects, out of the reach of children! The story's main plot has Santa cheating on his wife with the tooth-fairy. No, I didn't make that up!
But this is not a "South Park" take on your favorite Rankin/Bass holiday specials; it is a deep dive into cultural mythic origins of these characters, and what made them what they are today. It links Santa to his beast-men predecessors. Before the Christianization of the West, the story holds, Santa was once a satyr, and tooth-fairy a nympth or dryad. Once, they had a sexual liason with each other, and when both cross paths during their nightly rounds, the fairy entices Santa into re-kindling their relationship.
Devereaux makes the tooth-fairy, a dark, slinky succubus-like creature who devours the teeth she collects, and literally shits out coins--no kidding! While Santa remains at heart a good-guy throughout this, it's evident that his slick, sexy partner is pure evil, and likely has always been so. Then there's the Easter Bunny, who's pre-Christian form was that of a snake, according to Devereaux, I'm not familiar with the mythology that accounts for this, though there's no mention Estre, goddess of spring, and patron of rabbits, where the name "Easter" originates. Devereaux retains, Donder, Blitzen, and the rest of the reindeer with Norse names, but substitutes Rudolph (a modern invention) with a white reindeer with glowing green antlers, who bears the much more mythological name of Lucifer, meaning "light-bringer." According to what I've read, the author originally tired to get Rudolph, but was unable to obtain the rights. Having Rudolph in a story like this one would have come off as well, a bit "South Parkish."
Anyway, when Mrs. Claus discovers her husband's affair, it understandably causes problems, and she retaliates by having her own affair with Santa's elves. Santa soon comes to terms that he has been seduced by an evil creature, and manages to break off the relation by taking a human mistress (or something like that--it's been a while since I've read this) Eventually, the woman and her young daughter (the one innocent dragged into the heart of all this madness!) come to live at the north pole, and they all being an uneasy relationship. There is a gruesome and bloody (I'm not kidding) tangle with the Easter Bunny at one point, as the latter entity's hormones are raging out of control, though otherwise he's not really a bad sort. The evil fairy, however, takes a horiffic revenge on the Clauses, which leaves the human mother and daughter dead. At this point looks as though the tale can only have a tragic ending. But recall this takes place in a universe of great feats of magic and where miracles are a common occurance, so all is not as it seems.
I won't relate the ending itself, but there is a sort of epilogue where she gives birth to hordes demon-spawn, and sends them to wreak havoc on humanity, something like the legends of Lillith, Adam's spurned wife, whose children are supposed to take revenge on the children of humans.
The second story is Krampus: The Yule Lord by Brom. It is even better than Devereaux's tale, as it traces the orgins of both Krampus and Santa back to Norse myth, which influenced both entities as we know them today the most. There are two central plots going on here. One of which concerns Jesse Walker, a songwriter struggling to support his family, who has become in dept to a gang of very nasty crooks/extortionists, who even have the local corrupt sheriff on their side. After bearing witness to a man dressed as Santa, and group of devilish-looking figures fleeing across the snow, he becomes entwined in an ancient feud between Krampus and Santa which we soon learn stretches back to the time of the Norse gods.
One memorable scene occurs after Jesse discovers Krampus's magic sack, and uses its powers to steal money from the vault of the gang, then substitutes a severed cow's head. Once discovered, Jesse is captured, and the gang's leader threatens to torture the secret of how he managed the theft out of him. Of course, the truth of how he did it cannot be believed, so his prospects look pretty grim. Fortunately for Jesse, though, he has them recover the sack, with leader's cash and weapons still inside. Unfortunately for the leader, though, Krampus himself also emerges from the magic sack!
Krampus and Jesse become unlikely allies, and it is here that Jesse learns the entire story of both Santa and Krampus, and how their ages-long feud began.
I will not divulge the Norse identity for Santa (yes, it's a specific figure in the Norse pantheon of gods), as it would be a major spoiler, and it is a plot point that is very important, and teased at throughout the first portion of the book. I will only say that Santa's origin does not (on real life) trace back directly to any particular god. But if it did, it would most likely be Odin, rather than who it turns out to be here. Krampus, a satyr like beast-man, also shares skin with Santa himself, but here he is designated as the original Lord of the Yule, the beast-god who presided over the winter festival of feasting, revelry, and singing. With some measure of justification he resents that Santa Claus has usurped his own rightful position as lord of the winter festival, and particularly that he was made a servant to him, following the Christianization of Europe. Santa could not control the beast-god, so left Krampus chained in bondage for a few hundred years, until the latter was able to escape.
There is a rather climactic scene in which Jesse accompanies Krampus and his "Bellsnickles" (men clad in horns and animal-skins, who once delivered presents to the Pennsylvania Dutch), as they track Santa to his workshop (not at the North pole BTW). The Yule Lord takes a savage vengeance, and sticks Santa's head on a pike! They then return to Appalachia, where they travel from house to house. Krampus delivers coins to children, but soon fears that all memory of him as Lord of Yule has past into oblivion. They enter a bar and grill type place, where Jesse acts as a bard, and there is dancing and revels, with Krampus as the lord of the feast. The patrons there all initially think that Krampus is a man in costume, rather than the real thing, though when they reflect on, they're not so certain.
Anyway, gods don't stay dead very long, and Santa arrives with his own minions to take his own revenge on Krampus, leaving Jesse alone to deal with the local sheriff. But the songwriter is now a changed, and is able to take care of his own problems.
While Krampus is seemingly dead and buried, the story ends with the revelation that a huge "Krampus Fest" is to held every Christmas at the same bar, involving "a huge yule-log bonfire" face-painting, Krampus costume contest, and more.
Meanwhile a family with children put out coins as an offering form Krampus, and wonder if he's real, and deep laughter issues from his grave, hinting that belief has instigated a possible return. Once more, gods do not die easily.
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