Kallikantzaroi
| Grouping | Folklore |
|---|---|
| Sub grouping | Goblin |
| Other name(s) | karakoncolos, karakondžula, karakondzhol |
| Country | Greece, Bulgaria, Macedonia, Serbia, Turkey, Cyprus, Bosnia and Herzegovina |
| Region | Southeastern Europe |
The kallikantzaros (Greek: καλλικάντζαρος, pl. καλλικάντζαροι kallikantzaroi; Bulgarian: караконджул) is a malevolent goblin in Southeastern European and Anatolian folklore. Stories about the kallikantzaros or its equivalents can be found in Greece, Bulgaria, Serbia, Bosnia and Turkey. Kallikantzaroi are believed to dwell underground but come to the surface during the twelve days of Christmas, from 25 December to 6 January (from the winter solstice for a fortnight during which time the sun ceases its seasonal movement).
Amongst other proposed etymologies, the term kallikantzaros is speculated to be derived from the Greek kalos-kentauros ("beautiful centaur"), although this theory has met with considerable opposition.
It is believed that kallikantzaroi stay underground, sawing the world tree so that it will collapse, along with the Earth. However, according to folklore, when they are about to saw the final part, Christmas dawns and they are able to come to the surface. They forget the tree and come to bring trouble to mortals.
Finally, on the Epiphany (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.
There is no standard description of the appearance of kallikantzaroi; there are regional variations as to how their appearance is described. Some Greeks have imagined them with some animal parts, such as hairy bodies, horse legs, or boar tusks. Sometimes they are enormous, at other times diminutive. Others see them as humans of small size that smell horrible. 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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