When it's winter, you celebrate in a seasonal manner by building snowmen. You just do.**
In 1950, Gene Autry wanted another hit after his "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" song became so popular the previous Christmas. So his writers pitched the idea of a snowman who comes to life.
Frosty the Snowman is the most famous example of a snowlem, or snow golem. Not to be confused with their cousins the ice golems, snowlems are a common trope in fiction. Consult the great TV Tropes to learn more.
The earliest representation of the snowlem as a bit of an evil monster that I could find is this disturbing 1932 cartoon:
Yes, snowlems can be nasty. Allow me to digress for a moment.
We all know the nickname for the yeti is the Abominable Snowman. According to the wikipedia entry, it's all due to a wacky mistake. When learning the Tibetan name for the beast, reporter Henry Newman mistranslated it as "Filthy Snowman", rather than what it actually was: "MAN-BEAR SNOWMAN". Henry did the only sensible thing and took some creative license, changing the name from "Filthy" to "Abominable". I think we're all glad he didn't go with Filthy Snowman.
But wow, can you imagine if he'd gotten the translation right? We'd be calling him Man-Bear Snowman! Would we think of him more as a Were-bear, rather than an ape-guy?
Anyway, one thing Henry got right was the "Snowman" part of the name. And forever more, the yeti shares its nickname with a winter holiday icon.
Superman has always had a rivalry with yeti. But did you know that Superman had numerous quarrels with snowlems as well? It's inevitable, I know. The guy just never could maintain good relationships.
In 1948, two years before the original "Frosty the Snowman" song, Superman battled a gentlemanly snowlem:
And apparently, last year, in the DC Universe Holiday Special 09, "Dupes" battles a an actual "Snow Golem" with the emet on his forehead and everything.
Superman, stop it!
_______________________________ ** (Like snowmen? For an equivalent of this blog, a sort of "I Love the Snowman", check out History of the Snowman.)
There's actually a Christmas song for children called "The Himalayan Abominable Snowman Blues".
On the 2006 album "Christmas Songs For Children", it's presented alongside more traditional songs about sleigh rides and jingling bells.
You can listen to a snip of it here or here (# 5 on the playlist).
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I hope you enjoyed all the holiday-related yeti stuff this month. I don't know why he'd have the blues. This is yeti's time to shine. Everybody love him right now. He's the life of the party. Heck, he's what's makin' the party happen. He works almost as hard as Santa Claus. Somebody give him up a medal. Or like a yak. Is there anybody got a yak for the gentleman?
Here is yeti doin' what he does best - doin' his part for the season's reason, endorsing something or other in a shop window display:
I recently discovered your blog and I have been very entertained by it.
I was inspired to bring something unique to the annual family gift exchange this year...
So I made a Yeti cookie!
Here is the result (photos attached... before and after a little "toasting by the fire."). Tomorrow, some unsuspecting relative will receive this from Santa.
Thanks for inspiring me.
Juliana
Thanks, Juliana! Looks yummy!
Let this be a lesson to all people: Yetis make great edible holiday gift treats. They also make great giant cookies. I think the world needs more great giant cookies. After there is Peace on Earth, let Great Giant Cookies appear in the ovens.
"These little yetis are only found at the North Pole, for obvious reasons. They were baked & brought to life by Mrs. Claus to be her little furry baking assistants."
Last year for Christmas, the proprietor of the Felt Ark craft blog, using Kristen McQuillin's pattern, created for each of her siblings a plush kiwa hirsuta or YETI CRAB. Yes, for each brother and/or sister. All FIVE of them.
We should change the song:
♪ ♫ FIVE!.... YETI!... CRABS!... ♫ ♪
To see more on possibly the greatest gift ever, click on over here.
Ya'll who get presents today, ENJOY 'em! Oh and each other's fellowship as well.
If you don't know who Krampus is, then the Internet has been unkind to you.
It has been like crotchety miser Ebenezer Scrooge, keeping its wealth of interesting factoids all to itself.
But today is Christmas Eve! Consider me the ghost of Marley, telling Mr. Web-enezer Scrooge that it's gonna be visited by three ghosts this very night! I am in ur door knocker, repenting teh Internets.
Here's the scoop:
In Austria (mostly), folks used to dress up like a yeti to commemorate the changing of the seasons. This costume was called Krampus, which basically just meant "Dude with Claws". Yeti dudes would leap about and delight everybody, ward off evil spirits, that sort of thing.
Then the legend of St. Nicholas came along and Krampus got stuffed into that story. He became Santa's minion - his assistant. He knew who was naughty or nice. This is the root of our modern conception of Santa's elves. So you see, yetis = elves.
Now, the story of Krampus changed at one point, and he wasn't Santa's pal no more. He was his Arch-Enemy. He took on a really nasty, anti-Pagan appearance - all devily and hoofy. He got a suggestively long tongue and started carrying switches to whip children and harass ladies. He became decidedly less yeti-ish at this point.
To this day, folks still celebrate Christmas by dressing up like Krampus and doing Krampusy things.
Anyway, there's loads more about Krampus that ol' Scroogey can tell you. Just Scroogle his name.
One interesting note - A post on the excellent Bigfoot Lunch Club blog discusses an LA Weekly article by Jeffrey Vallance: "Santa is a Wildman". It turns out that the origin of St. Nicholas himself is closely tied to that of the hairy Wildman of ancient folklore. So you see, it is not just yetis = elves, but yetis = Santa as well.
Because, I mean, basically, if this wasn't obvious already, yetis = everything.
Go back far enough and it is yetis.
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Here are a bunch of White Krampuses for your "Not Yeti" (*wink!*) Friday:
