512:; 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.
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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.
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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.
492:(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.
601:. 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.
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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
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According to one etymological conjecture that has met with many objections, the term kallikantzaros derives from kalos-kentauros (beautiful centaur).
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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
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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.
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are believed to be creatures of the night. According to folklore, there were many ways people could protect themselves during the days when the
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550:” (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
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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
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Pencil illustration from 2020 depicting a hairy kallikantzaros with goat legs, donkey ears, burning red eyes, and a long tail
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would sit at the doorstep all night, counting each hole of the colander, until the sun rose and it was forced to hide.
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or its equivalents can typically be found in Greece, Bulgaria, Turkey, Serbia, Albania, Bosnia, and Cyprus.
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their creation. One such theory connects them to the masquerades of the ancient Roman winter festival of
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1029:: Encyclopedic Dictionary) Karadeniz Ansiklopedik Sözlük. 2 Vol. Heyamola Publishing. Istanbul. 2005
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corpses, who go around in
January, laden with chains and effusing a deadly breath. Known also among
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are able to come to the surface. They forget the tree and come to bring trouble to mortals.
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According to legend, any child born during the twelve days of
Christmas was in danger of
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are believed to dwell underground but come to the surface during the
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until the adulterers confess their sins to their significant other
969:] (in Serbian) (12 ed.). Belgrade: Sazvežđa. p. 94.
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Malevolent goblin in
Southeastern European and Anatolian folklore
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will eat these and leave, returning to their work underground.
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stay underground, sawing the trunk of the tree that holds the
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Christmas in Ritual and
Tradition, Christian and Pagan
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There is no standard description of the appearance of
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It is an annual tradition in some cultures to throw “
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844:(1973), "Die Mythologie der Albaner - Kukuth", in
961:Vuković, Milan T. (2004). "Божићни празници".
963:Народни обичаји, веровања и пословице код Срба
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811:Ecstasies: Deciphering the Witches' Sabbath
557:Another supposed method of protection from
527:were loose. One such method was to leave a
967:Serbian folk customs, beliefs, and sayings
912:(in Greek). Εκδὀσεις Πατἀκης. p. 11.
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407:, from 25 December to 6 January (from the
171:Learn how and when to remove this message
69:Learn how and when to remove this message
1059:Karakoncolos, Karakura, Kukeri (Turkish)
531:on their doorstep to trick the visiting
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384:in plural) is a malevolent creature in
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885:. USA: Zhingoora Books. p. 244.
427:is speculated to be derived from the
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109:adding citations to reliable sources
683:The Bulgarian name of the demon is
539:would supposedly kill itself – the
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1003:. Svyat Publishers. p. 90.
852:, vol. 2, pp. 455–509
808:Carlo Ginzburg (14 June 2004).
588:One particularity that set the
96:needs additional citations for
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207:with goat legs and donkey ears
1:
906:Μανδηλαρἀς, Φἰλιππος (2005).
1104:Albanian legendary creatures
997:Georgieva, Ivanička (1985).
631:Serbian Christmas traditions
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49:the claims made and adding
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1114:Slavic legendary creatures
909:Ιστοριες με Καλικἀντζαρους
881:Miles, Clement A. (2008).
722:A Bulgarian custom called
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850:Wörterbuch der Mythologie
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461:"bloodsucker, werewolf".
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635:Twelve Days of Christmas
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405:twelve days of Christmas
1089:Greek words and phrases
951:Μανδηλαρἀς 2005, p. 20.
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638:mythical demons called
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1055:at Wikimedia Commons
846:Hans Wilhelm Haussig
469:It is believed that
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1000:Bulgarian Mythology
942:Miles 2008, p. 245.
842:Maximilian Lambertz
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103:Please help
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701:караконджул
689:karakondjol
685:karakondjul
654:караконџа,
648:караконџула
595:Bacchanalia
548:loukoumades
362:караконџула
353:karakondžul
342:караконджул
1068:Categories
925:27 October
785:References
717:water mill
713:караконджо
705:karakondjo
611:leprechaun
496:Appearance
481:dawns and
131:newspapers
43:improve it
1027:Black Sea
790:Citations
754:chainmail
709:Bulgarian
697:Bulgarian
479:Christmas
423:The term
419:Etymology
413:fortnight
390:Anatolian
347:romanized
338:Bulgarian
327:romanized
47:verifying
768:See also
762:Albanian
599:Dionysia
563:Yule log
529:colander
490:Epiphany
459:koncolos
453:", from
447:werewolf
393:folklore
259:Bulgaria
217:Folklore
213:Grouping
1119:Goblins
1017:Sources
848:(ed.),
779:Krampus
730:koukeri
650:; also
576:into a
451:vampire
440:Turkish
436:centaur
372:Turkish
358:Serbian
349::
329::
299:Details
283:Albania
251:Country
145:scholar
41:Please
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973:
916:
889:
818:
746:undead
742:Kukuth
725:kukeri
633:, the
619:goblin
411:for a
289:Region
275:Cyprus
271:Turkey
267:Serbia
255:Greece
227:Goblin
201:primer
199:Greek
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965:[
703:) or
615:gnome
475:Earth
429:Greek
378:; or
318:Greek
152:JSTOR
138:books
1031:ISBN
971:ISBN
927:2013
914:ISBN
887:ISBN
816:ISBN
728:(or
617:and
516:Lore
455:kara
388:and
310:The
124:news
1025:. (
760:in
629:In
107:by
45:by
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