Krampus is one name for what the Bavarians around Munich call Ruprecht and the Czechs call Cert (diacritic missing but pronounced as one syllable, ch-eh-r-t). I have been fascinated with the fascination here with Cert and his devil's horns. I swear the Czechs constantly call up this archetype.
The idea of Ruprecht (without horns) and Cert (with horns) (I have lived in both places they haunt) is that he, this archetype, is the dark sidekick of St. Nicholas who visits small children at home or at school in early December. The dark one is dressed like the devil with black and shabby clothes and coal-smudged face. In Germany he even brings pieces of coal indicating the reward reserved for naughty children. The German one actually threatens by making noise, bashing a long switch to the floor or ground, and so on. Germans! The Czech one merely attends the saint, as far as I have observed. I am sure there are variations galore in this corner of Europe, but that is the idea: scare the little buggers into behaving.
My fascination is that no matter what time of year, this pair of horns appears in the Czech lands--women, men, children and in the imagery one can see during the course of just living and being here. I think there is something to this . . . I point out to Czech acquaintances they live in the fish bowl swimming as fish; whereas, I am the outsider, a witness, and can observe more objectively. My arguments never hold water on this subject with what can't be seen by one living in the culture.
At a farmer's market last fall, one of the vendors was wearing the horns. And on the way to the market, a billboard advertising something like insurance or banking, there she was, a model dressed to the nines with the red horns. Too sexy to be threatening, but nonetheless. Perhaps it's like the yellow car. Once you notice one, there are countless yellow cars.
But I swear. It is an image and ornament everywhere. Perhaps I should become more scientific about my hypothesis, which dates from my first years, early 90s, in the Czech Republic. Would locals then believe me? Nah.
Now I see a movie is out with another twist on the archetype. Krampus. It looks cute but I don't think historically accurate per the traditions observed around here, Bohemia and Bavaria.
Moving on a bit, because I took a shower and got to thinking. _Devil_ is _lived_ spelled backwards, and the joy and growth and evolution and sex that one word may represent is an opposite to repression (arrestation?) devolution, degeneracy, bad stuff, taboo. And of course, the old cuckold joke, which persists even today in places like Italy. All those cornettoes and hand gesture referring to same, what else, taboo sex? Also of course, we can't forget the Czech word for black, černý. And then there is char-coal. I'm kind of tempting myself with riff-type free association, but I will let you take it from here. Except to say when/if you visit in these parts, a key to Czech culture is "naughty but nice".
Describes Czech women, don't it? Shhh! Whisper not a word I said that.
