Classification: Divine & Demonic Forces

Temporal Range: Possibly ancient

Geographic Range: Germany, Austria and Slovenia, but also appearances in other Alpine regions

Diet: Unknown

Horde: Germanic

Formerly a pagan goddess and now a festive icon, Perchta is so old we cannot possibly know when she initially appeared in our realm (or any other, for that matter). This divine figure is a winter treasure but also has an incredibly vicious streak so be incredibly wary.

Perchta is a known shapeshifter, able to transform into an animal, a beautiful young woman and a withered old crone. Some have even noted that she can appear as something in between different forms, often adopting a large foot of a swan when she’s in her human likeness.

Like many festive figures, Perchta’s key role is during the Christmas period. During this time, particularly during the twelve nights between Christmas and Epiphany, she is known to enter homes and visit children. If the child had been good, she would leave a silver coin. If they had been bad, she would disembowel them and fill their stomachs with straw and small stones. This does feel a tad drastic to us but we are not aware of her definitions of “good” and “bad” so who are we to say? She’s also been known to judge not only children but the servants of the house, which we think might end up in a letter to HR. Possible disembowelment isn’t something you like to see listed under “health and safety risks” in your employment contracts.

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