The ''kallikantzaros'' ( el, καλικάντζαρος; bg, караконджул; sr-Cyrl-Latn, караконџула, separator=" / ", karakondžula; tr, karakoncolos), or ''kallikantzaroi'' in plural is a
malevolent goblin in
Southeast Europe
Southeast Europe or Southeastern Europe (SEE) is a geographical subregion of Europe, consisting primarily of the Balkans. Sovereign states and territories that are included in the region are Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia (a ...
an and
Anatolia
Anatolia, tr, Anadolu Yarımadası), and the Anatolian plateau, also known as Asia Minor, is a large peninsula in Western Asia and the westernmost protrusion of the Asian continent. It constitutes the major part of modern-day Turkey. The ...
n
folklore
Folklore is shared by a particular group of people; it encompasses the traditions common to that culture, subculture or group. This includes oral traditions such as tales, legends, proverbs and jokes. They include material culture, ranging ...
. Stories about the ''kallikantzaros'' or its equivalents can typically be found in Greece, Bulgaria, Turkey, Serbia, Albania, Bosnia, and Cyprus. ''Kallikantzaroi'' are believed to dwell underground but come to the surface during the
twelve days of Christmas
The Twelve Days of Christmas, also known as Twelvetide, is a festive Christian season celebrating the Nativity of Jesus. In some Western ecclesiastical traditions, "Christmas Day" is considered the "First Day of Christmas" and the Twelve Days a ...
, from 25 December to 6 January (from the
winter solstice
The winter solstice, also called the hibernal solstice, occurs when either of Earth's poles reaches its maximum tilt away from the Sun. This happens twice yearly, once in each hemisphere (Northern and Southern). For that hemisphere, the winter ...
for a
fortnight
A fortnight is a unit of time equal to 14 days (two weeks). The word derives from the Old English term , meaning "" (or "fourteen days," since the Anglo-Saxons counted by nights).
Astronomy and tides
In astronomy, a ''lunar fortnight'' is ha ...
, during which time the sun ceases its seasonal movement).
Etymology
The term ''kallikantzaros'' is speculated to be derived from the
Greek
Greek may refer to:
Greece
Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe:
*Greeks, an ethnic group.
*Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family.
**Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...
''kalos-kentauros'' ("beautiful
centaur"), although this theory has been met with many objections.
A second theory proposes that the word comes from
Turkish ''kara-kondjolos'' "
werewolf
In folklore, a werewolf (), or occasionally lycanthrope (; ; uk, Вовкулака, Vovkulaka), is an individual that can shapeshift into a wolf (or, especially in modern film, a therianthropic hybrid wolf-like creature), either purposely ...
,
vampire
A vampire is a mythical creature that subsists by feeding on the vital essence (generally in the form of blood) of the living. In European folklore, vampires are undead creatures that often visited loved ones and caused mischief or deat ...
", from ''kara'' "black" and ''koncolos'' "bloodsucker, werewolf".
Greek folklore
It is believed that ''kallikantzaroi'' stay underground, sawing the trunk of the
world tree so that it will collapse, along with the
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the only astronomical object known to harbor life. While large volumes of water can be found throughout the Solar System, only Earth sustains liquid surface water. About 71% of Earth's surfa ...
.
However, according to folklore, when they are about to see the final part,
Christmas
Christmas is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world. A feast central to the Christian liturgical year ...
dawns and they are able to come to the surface. They forget the tree and come to bring trouble to mortals.
Finally, on the
Epiphany
Epiphany may refer to:
* Epiphany (feeling), an experience of sudden and striking insight
Religion
* Epiphany (holiday), a Christian holiday celebrating the revelation of God the Son as a human being in Jesus Christ
** Epiphany season, or Epiph ...
(6 January), the sun starts moving again, and they must return underground to continue their sawing. They see that during their absence the world tree has healed itself, so they must start working all over again. This is believed to occur annually.
Appearance
There is no standard description of the appearance of ''kallikantzaroi''; there are regional variations as to how their appearance is described. Some Greek illustrators have imagined them with some animal parts, such as hairy bodies, horse legs, or boar tusks. Sometimes they are enormous, at other times diminutive. Other groups see them as small humans with a horrible odor. They are predominantly male, often with protruding sexual characteristics.
Many Greeks have imagined them as tall, black and hairy, with burning red eyes, goats' or donkeys' ears, monkeys' arms, tongues that hang out and heads that are huge. Nonetheless, the most common belief is that they are small, black creatures, humanoid apart from their long black tails, and said to resemble little black devils. They are also mostly blind, speak with a lisp and love to eat frogs, worms, and other small creatures.
Lore
''Kallikantzaroi'' are believed to be creatures of the night. According to folklore, there were many ways people could protect themselves during the days when the ''kallikantzaroi'' were loose. One such method was to leave a
colander
A colander (or cullender) is a kitchen utensil used to strain foods such as pasta or to rinse vegetables. The perforated nature of the colander allows liquid to drain through while retaining the solids inside. It is sometimes also called a past ...
on their doorstep to trick the visiting ''kallikantzaros''. It was believed that since it could not count above two – three was believed to be a holy number, and by pronouncing it, the ''kallikantzaros'' would supposedly kill itself – the ''kallikantzaros'' would sit at the doorstep all night, counting each hole of the colander, until the sun rose and it was forced to hide.
It is an annual tradition in some cultures to throw “
loukoumades
Lokma, also known by their Greek name, loukoumades, are pastries made of leavened and deep fried dough balls, soaked in syrup or honey, sometimes coated with cinnamon or other ingredients. The dish was described as early as the 13th century by a ...
” (a donut-like dessert filled with syrup) and sausages on your roof, and sing a specific song. It is believed that once this is done, the ''kallikantzaroi'' will eat these and leave, returning to their work underground.
Another supposed method of protection from ''kallikantzaroi'' was to leave the fire burning in the fireplace, all night, so that they could not enter through it. In some areas, people would burn the
Yule log
The Yule log, Yule clog, or Christmas block is a specially selected log burnt on a hearth as a winter tradition in regions of Europe, and subsequently North America. The origin of the folk custom is unclear. Like other traditions associated wit ...
for the duration of the twelve days. In other areas, people would throw foul-smelling shoes into the fire, as the stench was believed to repel the ''kallikantzaroi,'' forcing them to stay away. Additional ways to keep them away included marking one's door with a black cross on Christmas Eve and burning incense.
[Miles 2008, p. 245.]
According to legend, any child born during the twelve days of Christmas was in danger of
transforming into a ''kallikantzaros'' during each Christmas season, starting with adulthood. It was believed that the antidote to prevent this transformation was to bind the baby in tresses of garlic or straw, or to singe the child's toenails. According to another legend, anyone born on a Saturday could see and talk with the ''kallikantzaroi''.
[Μανδηλαρἀς 2005, p. 20.]
One particularity that set the ''kallikantzaroi'' apart from other goblins or creatures in folklore was that they were said to appear on Earth for only twelve days each year. Their short duration on Earth, as well as the fact that they were not considered purely malevolent creatures but rather impish and stupid, led to a number of theories about their creation. One such theory connects them to the masquerades of the ancient Roman winter festival of
Bacchanalia
The Bacchanalia were unofficial, privately funded popular Roman festivals of Bacchus, based on various ecstatic elements of the Greek Dionysia. They were almost certainly associated with Rome's native cult of Liber, and probably arrived in Rome ...
, and earlier the Greek
Dionysia
The Dionysia (, , ; Greek: Διονύσια) was a large festival in ancient Athens in honor of the god Dionysus, the central events of which were the theatrical performances of dramatic tragedies and, from 487 BC, comedies. It was the s ...
. During the drunken, orgiastic parts of the festivals, people wearing masks, hidden under costumes in bestial shapes yet still appearing humanoid, may have made an exceptional impression on the minds of simple folk who were intoxicated.
In Greek, the term ''kallikantzaros'' is also used to describe a number of other short, ugly and usually mischievous beings in folklore. When not used for the aforementioned creatures, it seems to express the collective sense for the Irish word
leprechaun
A leprechaun ( ga, leipreachán/luchorpán) is a diminutive supernatural being in Irish folklore, classed by some as a type of solitary fairy. They are usually depicted as little bearded men, wearing a coat and hat, who partake in mischief. ...
and the English words
gnome and
goblin
A goblin is a small, grotesque, monstrous creature that appears in the folklore of multiple European cultures. First attested in stories from the Middle Ages, they are ascribed conflicting abilities, temperaments, and appearances depending on ...
.
Serbian folklore
In
Serbian Christmas traditions, the
Twelve Days of Christmas
The Twelve Days of Christmas, also known as Twelvetide, is a festive Christian season celebrating the Nativity of Jesus. In some Western ecclesiastical traditions, "Christmas Day" is considered the "First Day of Christmas" and the Twelve Days a ...
were previously called the "unbaptized days" and were considered a time when demonic forces of all kinds were believed to be more active and dangerous than usual. People were cautious not to attract their attention, and did not go out late at night. The latter precaution was especially because of the mythical demons called ''karakondžula'' ( sr-Cyrl, караконџула; also ''karakondža /'' караконџа, ''karakandža /'' караканџа or ''karapandža /'' карапанџа), imagined as heavy, squat, and ugly creatures. According to tradition, when a ''karakondžula'' found someone outdoors during the night of an unbaptized day, it would jump on the person's back and demand to be carried wherever it wanted. This torture would end only when roosters announced the dawn; at that moment the creature would release its victim and run away.
The karakondžula is also known to punish and torment people who commit adultery. Adulterers were known to sneak out of their homes while their significant other would sleep, and then visit the person they were cheating with, or prostitutes, or brothels. The karakondžula would sit and wait on the top of the doorframe of the front door to the house and jump on the back of the adulterers and lash them with a stick or scratch or dig its sharp nails in the person back and neck and force them to run through nearby forests all night. Similarity to other accounts the karakondžula would flee by the sight of first dawn.
This can be seen as a warning to would be adulterers to think carefully about their intentions, desires and understand the consequences that they would incur if they were to fulfill such actions. In this version of the myth the karakondžula would come back every night and remain on the door lintel until the adulterers confess their sins to their significant other
Anatolian Turkish folklore
The ''karankoncolos'' is a malevolent creature in Northeast
Anatolia
Anatolia, tr, Anadolu Yarımadası), and the Anatolian plateau, also known as Asia Minor, is a large peninsula in Western Asia and the westernmost protrusion of the Asian continent. It constitutes the major part of modern-day Turkey. The ...
n Turkish-Islamic folklore. It is a variety of
bogeyman
The Bogeyman (; also spelled boogeyman, bogyman, bogieman, boogie monster, boogieman, or boogie woogie) is a type of mythic creature used by adults to frighten children into good behavior. Bogeymen have no specific appearance and conceptions var ...
, usually merely troublesome and rather harmless, but sometimes truly evil. It is believed to have thick hairy fur like the
Sasquatch
Bigfoot, also commonly referred to as Sasquatch, is a purported ape-like creature said to inhabit the forest of North America. Many dubious articles have been offered in attempts to prove the existence of Bigfoot, including anecdotal claims of ...
. According to late Ottoman Turkish myth, they appear on the first ten days of ''Zemheri'' ("the dreadful cold") when they stand on murky corners, and ask seemingly ordinary questions to passers-by. The legend states that in order to escape harm, one should answer each question, using the word ''kara'' (
Turkish for "black"), or risk being struck dead by the creature. It was also said in
Turkish folklore
The tradition of folklore—folktales, jokes, legends, and the like—in the Turkish language is very rich, and is incorporated into everyday life and events.
Turkish folklore
Nasreddin Hoca
Perhaps the most popular figure in the tradition i ...
that the ''karakoncolos'' could call people out during the cold ''Zemheri'' nights by imitating voices of loved ones. The victim of the ''karakoncolos'' risked freezing to death if he or she could not awake from the charm.
Bulgarian folklore
The Bulgarian name of the demon is ''karakondjul'' (also romanized ''karakondjol'', ''karakondzul/karakondžul''; bg, караконджол) or ''karakondjo'' ( bg, караконджо). They may be conceived of variously: as being human-like except for having a hairy body, a tail, and a large head with horns on it, or a one-eyed being standing on a single leg, or a horse-headed man.
[ It is considered a shape-shifter which may appear as a dog, a man, a sheep, or a calf.][ It is reputed to dwell in caves, or rivers, or abandoned ]water mill
A watermill or water mill is a mill that uses hydropower. It is a structure that uses a water wheel or water turbine to drive a mechanical process such as milling (grinding), rolling, or hammering. Such processes are needed in the production ...
,[ and come out at night.]
A Bulgarian custom called ''kukeri
Kukeri ( bg, кукери; singular: kuker, кукер) are elaborately costumed Bulgarian men, who perform traditional rituals intended to scare away evil spirits. This Bulgarian tradition has been practiced since Thracian times and is of a Thr ...
'' (or ''koukeri'') is performed to scare away the evil creature and avoid contact with it.
Albanian folklore
In Albanian folklore Kukuth The Kukudh ( Albanian definite form: Kukudhi) is an undead creature in Albanian mythology.
Etymology
Undetermined. Most probably a derivative of Albanian kuku ("mourn, lament."), as its synonym kukuvriq suggests. Alternatively from Greek κο ...
(kukudhi) and Karkanxholji (Karkançoli, related to Greek καλλικάντσαρος) are undead
The undead are beings in mythology, legend, or fiction that are deceased but behave as if alive. Most commonly the term refers to corporeal forms of formerly-alive humans, such as mummies, vampires, and zombies, who have been reanimated by supe ...
corpses, who go around in January, laden with chains and effusing a deadly breath. Known also among Calabrian Albanians. According to another version, the Karkançual is vested with iron clothes, which is why chainmail
Chain mail (properly called mail or maille but usually called chain mail or chainmail) is a type of armour consisting of small metal rings linked together in a pattern to form a mesh. It was in common military use between the 3rd century BC and ...
armor is known as ''këmish karkançoli'' in Albanian.
In popular culture
A reference to the "''kallikanzari'' of modern Greece" is made in H. P. Lovecraft's novella ''The Whisperer in Darkness
''The Whisperer in Darkness'' is a 26,000-word novella by American writer H. P. Lovecraft. Written February–September 1930, it was first published in ''Weird Tales'', August 1931. Similar to '' The Colour Out of Space'' (1927), it is a blen ...
'' (1931).
The narrator/protagonist of Roger Zelazny
Roger Joseph Zelazny (May 13, 1937 – June 14, 1995) was an American poet and writer of fantasy and science fiction short stories and novels, best known for ''The Chronicles of Amber''. He won the Nebula Award three times (out of 14 nomin ...
's novel '' This Immortal'' is a Greek born on Christmas Day. The book's first sentence is his new wife teasingly calling him a "kallikanzaros" 'sic'' although she doesn't mean anything hostile by it. The reference comes up several other times throughout the story.
Kallikantzaroi are the subject of the ''Grimm
Grimm may refer to:
People
* Grimm (surname)
* Brothers Grimm, German linguists
** Jacob Grimm (1785–1863), German philologist, jurist and mythologist
** Wilhelm Grimm (1786–1859), German author, the younger of the Brothers Grimm
* Christia ...
'' episode "The Grimm Who Stole Christmas
"The Grimm Who Stole Christmas" is the 7th episode of Grimm (season 4), season 4 of the supernatural drama television series ''Grimm (TV Series), Grimm'' and the 73rd episode overall in the series, which premiered on December 5, 2014, on National ...
".
Other uses
Because of the connection with Christmas, Kallikantzaroi are syncretised with the more benevolent Christmas elves in modern Greek culture, and Santa Claus's helpers are sometimes referred to as Kallikantzaroi.
The word Kallikantzaros has been applied to other representations of goblins or trolls when translated into Greek. For example, the Gringotts
J. K. Rowling's ''Harry Potter'' universe contains numerous settings for the events in her fantasy novels. These locations are categorised as a dwelling, school, shopping district, or government-affiliated locale.
Dwellings
The Burrow
The We ...
goblins
A goblin is a small, grotesque, monstrous creature that appears in the folklore of multiple European cultures. First attested in stories from the Middle Ages, they are ascribed conflicting abilities, temperaments, and appearances depending on t ...
from Harry Potter are referred to as Kallikantzaros in Greek translations.
See also
*Kallo and the Goblins
Kallo and the Goblins is a Greek fairy tale. Fani Papalouka, Nikolaos Politis, and Haris Sakellariou collected variants of the story.Soula Mitakidou and Anthony L. Manna, with Melpomeni Kanatsouli, ''Folktales from Greece: A Treasury of Delights'', ...
*Krampus
Krampus is a horned, anthropomorphic figure in the Central and Eastern Alpine folklore of Europe who, during the Advent season, scares children who have misbehaved. Assisting Saint Nicholas, or Santa Claus, the pair visit children on the nigh ...
References
;Citations
;Bibliography
Sources
*Özhan Öztürk
Özhan Öztürk (born 1968) is a Turkish writer and researcher. He wrote a Turkish Folklore Encyclopaedia and an encyclopaedic dictionary of the culture and folklore of the peoples of the Black Sea region of Turkey.
Works
* ''Karadeniz Ans ...
. (Black Sea
The Black Sea is a marginal mediterranean sea of the Atlantic Ocean lying between Europe and Asia, east of the Balkans, south of the East European Plain, west of the Caucasus, and north of Anatolia. It is bounded by Bulgaria, Georgia, Rom ...
: Encyclopedic Dictionary) Karadeniz Ansiklopedik Sözlük. 2 Vol. Heyamola Publishing. Istanbul. 2005
External links
*{{Commons category-inline
Karakoncolos, Karakura, Kukeri (Turkish)
The Scariest Creatures in Anatolian Folklore "Karakoncolos: A Winter Creature"
Greek fairy tales
Greek legendary creatures
Greek culture
Greek folklore
Greek words and phrases
Turkish folklore
Bulgarian folklore
Serbian mythology
Slavic legendary creatures
Goblins
Shapeshifting
Trees in mythology
Christmas characters
Supernatural legends