I hope you all have been more nice than naughty this year and that you’ll receive lots of lovely Christmas gifts. Handing out presents to good little girls and boys is what Saint Nicholas does best, but what about those kiddies who couldn’t quite manage to be good?
St. Nick and Père Fouettard (Father Whipper)
Misbehaving children in Europe have to be very careful the first part of December. Saint Nicholas day is December 6, and that is the day the kindly saint appears and distributes gifts to obedient children… but beware, he has a not-so-nice “helper” who tags along with him.
In north-eastern France, especially in the region of Alsace and Lorraine, St. Nick’s helper is called Père Fouettard, which translates as Father Whipper. His name comes from the small whip (fouet) that he carries – and uses. While St. Nick gives out gifts and sweets to nice children, Father Whipper takes care of the naughty ones: he might just leave them lumps of coal instead of presents, or he might decide to beat them with his whip. Sometimes he even stuffs them into his basket and carries them away into the night, never to be seen again. Wow! Talk about motivation to behave…
Just looking at jolly, old St. Nick’s partner is enough to give you a scare. He’s a big, ugly man with a long beard and shaggy, dark hair, wrapped in a big fur coat. He’s a noisy fellow too: cracking his whip, rattling chains, and ringing bells as he stomps along in heavy boots.
The Legend of the Butcher and the Three Brothers
Three Bothers: Where did this decidedly un-cuddly fellow come from? The legend, which goes back to the Middle Ages, tells us of three poor little brothers who were lost in the woods when an evil butcher came upon them. The butcher looked around and asked about their parents.
The Butcher: When they told him they were lost and alone, he volunteered to “help” them. He had been hunting for deer or wild boar that he could sell in his butcher shop. But he hadn’t had much luck that day, so he decided that these three tender morsels would do. He chopped them up for meat, and put them in the salt barrel to cure.
Saint Nicholas: Saint Nicholas happened into the butcher’s shop and the axe-wielding butcher tried to sell him a piece of his “choice meat.” But Nick loved children and couldn’t be fooled. He pieced the boys back together, resurrected them, and took them back to their parents.
Père Fouettard (Father Whipper): The butcher repented of his evil ways and started traveling with St. Nick. It’s not clear how he and Nick became buddies, but he became known as Père Fouettard (Father Whipper) and took on the role of dealing with the naughty children.
The good news is that today Father Whipper is no longer allowed to eat, beat, or abduct children. I’m pretty sure his only job, these days, is to scare them into good behavior.
Note: Northern France isn’t the only place where St. Nick has an evil counterpart, similar characters exist in many parts of Europe.
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