#schmutzli

[allmythologies]

day 30 of horror mythology: schmutzli

schmutzli is the sidekick of saint nicholas. he is in charge of punishing disobedient children. he swats them with a broom made of twigs.

[benito-cereno]

The Alphabet of Christmas, by Benito Cereno and Chuck Knigge, day 19: S is for Schmutzli, all covered in soot

Schmutzli is the companion of Saint Nicholas in the German-speaking regions of Switzerland, where the saint is known as Samichlaus. The word schmutz means dirt, which is reflected by Schmutzli’s dirty appearance, covered in soot from going up and down chimneys. 

You’ve probably gotten the idea of the dark companion by now. His job is to accompany Saint Nicholas and play bad cop to his good cop, threatening naughty children with his weapon of choice, which in this case is a birch broom.

There is apparently a story book that gives Schmutzli’s origin, saying that he was a poor woodcutter rewarded for picking up the treats that fell out of a hole in Samichlaus’s sack, but this doesn’t scan for me. It doesn’t fit the existing lore, and also being a dark companion of Saint Nicholas is not generally a reward. It’s usually a penance. While Saint Nicholas definitely has some helpers like Piet and Ruprecht that don’t seem to have crimes in their background, the ones that look like Schmutzli tend to have dark pasts. Needless to say, I go with a different origin for Schmutzli.

You can see a comic Chuck and I made starring Schmutzli here. Or you can watch a short video of Schmutzli in action that recounts some of his possible origins here.

S is also for:

Santa Claus, of whom you may have heard

Speckless and Steady, reindeer

Schimmel, Slechtveervandaag, and Sasmona, horses

Schimmelreiter, a Krampus

Shealah, another of those most mysterious of beasts, a Maritimes gift-bringer 

Previous letters here.

[benito-cereno]

Happy Saint Nicholas Day!

This story is based on a rare example of a St Nicholas story that has its origins in the New World. Don’t look too hard for accurate historical details, though. This is a “once upon a time” kind of tale. Additionally, this is not at all some claim to be the origin of the term “baker’s dozen,” which has its origins in the Middle Ages. This is just a story.

In the traditional version of the story, the baker’s visitor is usually St Nicholas himself in disguise. We, however, took the chance to introduce Schmutzli, who is Saint Nicholas’s companion in Switzerland, and who as a result would not be familiar to a Dutch American. Saint Nicholas’s traditional Dutch companion, Piet, makes an appearance on the last page.

Story by Benito Cereno, art by Chuck Knigge.

[sy-maya]

“Ho Ho Ho, de #Samichlaus isch cho” (und #Schmutzli au)... 🎅 The boys had their first encounter with “Santa Claus” at home. The last 4 years on the boat, they’ve always just missed him. He could just drop their goodie bags and fly (or swim??) away before they could see him. They were quite impressed by the Swiss version... 😉 (at Wädenswil, Switzerland) https://www.instagram.com/p/BrEARDRhxY1/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=ki10qqhwhf0c

[ratherkeen]

Schmutzli & Krampas: Grumpy Christmas Pals. I learned about Schmutzli while watching Rick Steves Europe. He’s kind of like a Bizarro Santa. In Switzerland he accompanies Santa to punish the bad children. And I'm sure you're already familiar with Krampus.

[nahret]

De #Samichlaus isch da! #wiefrüener #eswiehnachtet #Schmutzli #santaclaus

[madschnell626]

#santadayinswitzerland #december6 #samichlaus #schmutzli #oldtradition #santaclaushasisownday #notmypic

[ainawgsd]

Samichlaus and Schmutzli

Every year on December 6, kids in Switzerland better not be procrastinating because this is the traditional Santa Day. On this day, "Samichlaus" (as he is called in Swiss German) and his companion "Schmutzli" emerge from their cottage in the woods to visit children at their homes. They do not fly on a reindeer-pulled sleigh, either, but rather shuffle through the snow with a donkey. 

Kids are expected to rehearse a poem and make a promise to better themselves for the upcoming year. These days, whether they have been naughty or nice, children are left with a bag full of walnuts, peanuts, chocolates, tangerines and ginger breads. But in decades past, you were actually trapped in Schmutzli's bag and literally kidnapped! The black faced figure is associated with stealing children, carries a broom of sticks with which to hit misbehaving children and is even called  Père Fouettard or Father ‘Whip’ in the French speaking part of Switzerland.

Schmutzli was once a poor woodcutter who saved Christmas one year by picking up all the treats that fell out of Samichlaus's own ripped sack. Samichlaus was grateful for the woodcutter's help and let him accompany him to children's homes every subsequent year. This tale might explain why Schmutzli wears dark clothing (he's a poor woodcutter), but it doesn't give any hint as to why he plays the bad cop and sometimes covers his face in soot and lard. 

Parents throughout the Switzerland book Samichlaus and his assistants, and fill in a form for their children:  Names, ages, their favourite subject in school, and the most important questions:  What have the children improved in since the last visit by Samichlaus, and where do they need to improve?  Making their bed, cleaning their room, being nice to their siblings, or sharing more often?  The Samichlaus goes to the home at the appointed time with his assistants (often two Schmutzli, who are the “coal” bearers, often with coal-blackened faces, and who carry large baskets with some coal, a besom broom, and I’m sure a bit of room for gifts given back to them by grateful parents).  They sit down to speak with each child, reading from a great book they carry with them.  Each child is then given a “Samichlaus” bag, and perhaps a gift sponsored by the parents.