Who Are These Greek Christmas Goblins That Like to Pee in Your Food? | Monstrum

Take the PBS audience survey: https://to.pbs.org/2024SurveyMons The Greek Christmas monster Kallikantzaros is a mischievous, goblin-like creature that emerges during the 12 days of Christmas to wreak havoc—peeing in food, draining life force, and even feasting on flesh. Rooted in ancient Greek traditions, this wild legend makes the holidays just a little bit creepier! ***** PBS Member Stations rely on viewers like you. To support your local station, go to: http://to.pbs.org/DonateStoried ***** Written and Hosted by: Dr. Emily Zarka Director: David Schulte Executive Producer: Amanda Fox Executive Producer: Dr. Emily Zarka Producer: Thomas Fernandes Editor/Animator: Ben Harrison Illustrator: Samuel Allan Executive in Charge (PBS): Maribel Lopez Director of Programming (PBS): Gabrielle Ewing Additional Footage: Shutterstock Music: APM Music Descriptive Audio & Captions provided by The Described and Captioned Media Program Produced by Spotzen for PBS Digital Studios. Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/monstrumpbs ***** Bibliography Avdikos, Evangelos. “Differentiating Worldview: Kalikantzaroi (Goblin)-Stories, Cyclical Time and Orthodox Christian Doctrine.” Western Folklore, vol. 74, no. 2, 2015, pp. 185–211. Bane, Theresa. Encyclopedia of Demons in World Religions and Cultures. McFarland, Incorporated, Publishers, 2014. Bane, Theresa. Encyclopedia of Vampire Mythology. McFarland, Incorporated, Publishers, 2017. Chad, Jordan. “‘In Der Nakht Fun Nitl…’: Christmas Folklore, Mythology and Stories in Yiddish. Shofar: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Jewish Studies, vol. 41, no. 3, 2023, pp. 1-31. Ginzburg, Carlo. Ecstasies: Deciphering the Witches' Sabbath. University of Chicago Press, 2021. Hamilton, Mary. Greek Saints and Their Festivals. W. Blackwood & sons, 1910. Hughes, Bill. “Disability in Ancient Greece and Rome.” A Historical Sociology of Disability, Routledge, 2020, pp. 117-181. Lawson, J. C. Modern Greek Folklore and Ancient Greek Religion: A Study in Survivals. Cambridge University Press, 1910. Loosli, Michael. “The Kallikantzari:” An Image in Nikos Gatsos’ ‘Amorgos.’” Modern Greek Studies, vol. 10, 2002, pp. 125-127. Raedisch, Linda. The Old Magic of Christmas: Yuletide Traditions for the Darkest Days of the Year. Llewellyn Worldwide, Limited, 2013. Shults, Sylvia. The Spirits of Christmas: The Dark Side of the Holidays. Crossroad Press, 2017. Stewart, Charles. Demons and the Devil: Moral Imagination in Modern Greek Culture. Princeton University Press, 2016.