Man brings Christmas Folklore to life out of junk

The Evening Sun

Jeff Asper, artist, metal sculptor and owner of Tossed and Found Art, poses for a portrait at his New Oxford home with his Christmas themed creation - a sculpture of Krampus, a half-goat half-demon figure from traditional German and Alpine folklore who would visit naughty children at Christmas time. Asper said he has been working on the nearly 12 foot tall sculpture for his yard since the spring.

Some people partake in Christmas traditions such as drinking eggnog, putting an elf on a shelf or watching National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation.

For Jeff Asper, his Christmas tradition is building an eerie sculpture based on Christmas folklore from other countries and displaying them on his front yard in Hamilton Township.

"Everybody has their own traditions," said Asper, owner of Tossed and Found Art. "I like to show alternative traditions."

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Sitting on his front lawn is Krampus, a horned Christmas devil; Jólakötturinn, a giant Icelandic Yule cat; and this year's installation, a German Christmas witch, Frau Perchta.

As legend has it, Frau Perchta will roam the countryside during the 12 days leading up to Christmas. She would leave a silver coin to the children who were nice. But for the naughty children, she would cut open their bellies and replace all their organs with straw and pebbles.

"Out of all of my sculptures, she is probably the most wicked," Asper said.

Everything Asper uses to make his sculptures is from re-purposed or recycled materials.

Perchta's shawl is made out of bicycle chain; the dress is made out of a Saab 9-3 convertible; her face has pliers on it and her hair is old tractor parts.

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Last year, Asper installed the Icelandic Yule cat, Jólakötturinn. In Icelandic folklore, the Yule cat is known to eat people who did not get new clothes before Christmas Eve.

Farmers used the legend of the cat to encourage their workers to finish processing wool before Christmas.

Sculpture artist Jeff Asper newest creation, Frau Perchta the German Christmas witch, is made out of several recycled materials including bicycle chain, parts from a Saab 9-3 convertible, pliers and old tractor parts.

The shoulders of the cat are made out of motorcycle fenders, the skin is from an oil tank and his face is tractor and motorcycle parts.

His first installation was a 12-foot-tall, half-goat, half-demon sculpture, Krampus. Krampus is featured on RoadsideAmerica.com as an attraction worth driving by.

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As the story goes, Krampus punishes children who have misbehaved while Santa Claus rewards the well-behaved kids.

It is also around this time that Asper thinks of what spooky sculpture he will build for next year. Stay tuned to see what he has in store for 2019?

If you go

Krampus, Frau Perchta and the Yule Cat are located in the 300 block of Green Ridge Rd, New Oxford.

Jeff Asper poses with his sculpture of Jólakötturinn, a giant Icelandic Yule cat that he created last year.