This page lists the academic and research sources that inform the content on KrampusCostume.com. Where a claim draws on specific fieldwork, regional data, or historical analysis, it is grounded in one or more of these materials. Sources we have not directly reviewed are not listed here, even if they are cited within these works.
Primary academic sources
These two sources carry the most weight in this site’s content. Both involve original fieldwork conducted in Alpine communities over multiple years.
Carter, Molly (2016)
Perchten and Krampusse: Living Mask Traditions in Austria and Bavaria
PhD thesis — National Centre for English Cultural Tradition, University of Sheffield
Fieldwork conducted in Austria and Bavaria, 2003–2009
A 625-page doctoral study covering the history, material culture, and performance contexts of Krampus and Perchten mask traditions. Includes original fieldwork with mask-makers, performers, and cultural groups across multiple regions. The primary source for costume construction, regional variation, and the historical relationship between Krampus and Perchten. Partially extracted for use on this site — chapters covering mask-making workshops, tourism, and some appendices have not yet been fully reviewed.
Rest, Matthäus & Seiser, Gertraud (2018)
The Krampus in Austria: A Case of Booming Identity Politics
Ethnoscripts 20(1): 35–57 — Universität Hamburg
Fieldwork conducted in Austria, 2011–2016
A peer-reviewed journal article documenting the rapid growth of Krampus events from the 1990s onward, with particular focus on the Gastein valley. Draws on original ethnographic fieldwork and event data. The most reliable source for Krampus event types, boom-period statistics, origin myth assessment, traditional costume documentation in Gastein, and the contrast between local and tourist-facing events on this site.
Secondary and supporting sources
These sources are used to corroborate specific points or provide supplementary detail. They are not used as independent primary authorities.
Rest, Matthäus & Seiser, Gertraud (2016)
Läufe, Kränzchen, Rummel, Shows … und Hausbesuche: Zu den Formen des Krampuslaufs
In Wild und Schön: Der Krampus im Salzburger Land, pp. 69–72
Book chapter — German language
A four-page chapter providing a taxonomy of Krampus event formats: Hausbesuche (house visits), Läufe (processions), Kränzchen (informal gatherings), Rummel (fairground-style events), and Shows. Includes Salzburg-specific event statistics from the boom period. Used alongside the 2018 article by the same authors for event-format content.
Rest, Matthäus & Seiser, Gertraud (2017)
Wild and Beautiful: The Krampus in Salzburg
Conference paper — ISCA Oxford, 25 March 2017
A four-page conference paper summarising key points from broader Krampus research, with particular focus on the Gastein event format, the contrast between local and tourist-facing events, and the Krampuskränzchen as a social form. Used as secondary support.
Braid, Lisa (2022)
Über die Entwicklung der Figur des Krampus bis zum Aufkommen der Tradition des Krampustreibens und die damit verbundenen patriarchalen Strukturen innerhalb der Passen
Bachelor thesis — German language, 22 pages
A German-language undergraduate thesis tracing the development of the Krampus figure and the structural dynamics of Krampus groups (Passen). Useful for orientation and for the distinction between Krampus and Perchten traditions. Draws on Ebner, Kreissl, and Kammerhofer-Aggermann. Used for contextual grounding only, not as a primary authority.
Notes and limitations
German-language sources. Two sources listed here are in German. Content derived from these materials is based on direct review of the original text. Translation notes are held internally.
Sources cited within our sources. Several works are referenced frequently within the materials listed above, particularly Ebner, Johannes (2018), a key traditiological study cited by both Rest/Seiser and Braid.
Access. Most of these materials are available through academic libraries or institutional repositories. The Carter thesis is available via the University of Sheffield e-thesis archive. The Rest & Seiser 2018 article is available via the Ethnoscripts journal. This site does not host PDFs of any source material.