lle, however, regards
him |232| as dating only from the seventeenth century.{8} It can
hardly be said that any satisfactory account has as yet been given of the
origins of this personage, or of his relation to St. Nicholas, Pelzmaerte,
and monstrous creatures like the _Klapperbock_.

In the south-western part of Lower Austria, both St. Nicholas--a proper
bishop with mitre, staff, and ring--and Ruprecht appear on Christmas Eve,
and there is quite an elaborate ceremonial. The children welcome the
saint with a hymn; then he goes to a table and makes each child repeat a
prayer and show his lesson-books. Meanwhile Ruprecht in a hide, with
glowing eyes and a long red tongue, stands at the door to overawe the
young people. Each child next kneels before the saint and kisses his
ring, whereupon Nicholas bids him put his shoes out-of-doors and look in
them when the clock strikes ten. After this the saint lays on the table a
rod dipped in lime, solemnly blesses the children, sprinkling them with
holy water, and noiselessly departs. The children steal out into the
garden, clear a space in the snow, and set out their shoes; when the last
stroke of ten has sounded they find them filled with nuts and apples and
all kinds of sweet things.{9}

In the Troppau district of Austrian Silesia, three figures go round on
Christmas Eve--Christkindel, the archangel Gabriel, and St. Peter--and
perform a little play before the presents they bring are given.
Christkindel announces that he has gifts for the good children, but the
bad shall feel the rod. St. Peter complains of the naughtiness of the
youngsters: they play about in the streets instead of going straight to
school; they tear up their lesson-books and do many other wicked things.
However, the children's mother pleads for them, and St. Peter relents and
gives out the presents.{10}

In the Erzgebirge appear St. Peter and Ruprecht, who is clad in skin and
straw, has a mask over his face, a rod, a chain round his body, and a
sack with apples, nuts, and other gifts; and a somewhat similar
performance is gone through.{11}

If we go as far east as Russia we find a parallel to the girl Christkind
in Kolyada, a white-robed maiden driven about in a sledge from house to
house on Christmas Eve. The young people who attended her sang carols,
and presents were given |233| them in return. _Kolyada_ is the name for
Christmas and appears to be derived from _Kalendae_, which probably
entered the Slavoni