Frau Perchta is known to be a white robbed goddess who oversaw spinning and weaving. She is also known to be a Christmas Witch. Frau Perchta is the female counterpart of Krampus. Jacob Grimm believed Frau Perchta was the feminine equivalent or Berchtold and was sometimes the leader of the Wild Hunt. Perchta was spoken of in Old High German in the 10th century according to Jacob Grimm. In the Alpine areas of Austria, the ancient beliefs were the basis for young men to dress up as evil spirits in an attempt to banish those that accompany Frau Perchta.
She is known to roam the countryside at midwinter. She enters homes during the twelve days between Christmas and Epiphany. She would know whether children or young slaves had been well behaved and worked hard all year round. If you misbehaved, she would split open the stomachs and replace their digestive track with straw, rocks or even trash. She would also do this if your home was not clean enough or if you had not finished your spinning.
