# German Dopers from near the Dutch border: Knecht Ruprecht and St. Nicholas sail from Africa **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [July 10, 2014, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/german-dopers-from-near-the-dutch-border-knecht-ruprecht-and-st-nicholas-sail-from-africa/692743 "2014-07-10T03:50:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Brynhildr\_Budladottir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Brynhildr\_Budladottir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brynhildr_Budladottir)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2014, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/german-dopers-from-near-the-dutch-border-knecht-ruprecht-and-st-nicholas-sail-from-africa/692743/21 "2014-07-13T01:08:21Z")
bump. Also [here’s](http://books.google.com.au/books?id=vMfGlF2oOdQC&pg=PA98&dq=priest+nursery+tales+knecht+ruprecht&hl=en&sa=X&ei=_8vAU-vfL4bKkwWKjIH4Dg&ved=0CB0Q6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=priest%20nursery%20tales%20knecht%20ruprecht&f=false) a link to one story about the origins of Knecht Ruprecht. ---
**Author:** ![AppallingGael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b9bd4f/32.png) [@AppallingGael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AppallingGael)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2014, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/german-dopers-from-near-the-dutch-border-knecht-ruprecht-and-st-nicholas-sail-from-africa/692743/22 "2014-07-13T23:07:56Z")
Apropos of little, I remember that in childhood debates here in the USA about the existence or non-existence of Santa Claus, some took the centrist position that he did exist, but that his real name was St. Nicholas. ---
**Author:** ![Brynhildr\_Budladottir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Brynhildr\_Budladottir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brynhildr_Budladottir)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2014, 7:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/german-dopers-from-near-the-dutch-border-knecht-ruprecht-and-st-nicholas-sail-from-africa/692743/23 "2014-07-14T07:40:03Z")
> [@AppallingGael](#): > > Apropos of little, I remember that in childhood debates here in the USA about the existence or non-existence of Santa Claus, some took the centrist position that he did exist, but that his real name was St. Nicholas. Which is technically true. ---
**Author:** ![Brynhildr\_Budladottir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Brynhildr\_Budladottir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brynhildr_Budladottir)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2014, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/german-dopers-from-near-the-dutch-border-knecht-ruprecht-and-st-nicholas-sail-from-africa/692743/24 "2014-07-16T03:58:46Z")
Anyone have more information that would help answer this question? Someone on the other thread _did_ tell me that my friend’s hometown used to be under Dutch influence, which probably explains the story. Re Knecht Ruprecht: On Wiki I came across the interesting fact that > [@](#): > > Ruprecht sometimes walks with a limp, because of a childhood injury. I know there were/are German Dopers, so has anyone from Germany heard of the Ruprecht character walking with a limp before? ---
**Author:** ![Brynhildr\_Budladottir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Brynhildr\_Budladottir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brynhildr_Budladottir)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2014, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/german-dopers-from-near-the-dutch-border-knecht-ruprecht-and-st-nicholas-sail-from-africa/692743/25 "2014-07-17T04:18:17Z")
> [@Morwen Edhelwen](#): > > Anyone have more information that would help answer this question? Someone on the other thread _did_ tell me that my friend’s hometown used to be under Dutch influence, which probably explains the story. > > Re Knecht Ruprecht: On Wiki I came across the interesting fact that > > I know there were/are German Dopers, so has anyone from Germany heard of the Ruprecht character walking with a limp before? Yet another interesting point: Coleridge wrote in the 18th century that Ruprecht wore “an enormous flaxen wig.” Also a poster (from Franconia, incidentally) on the other board wrote this: > [@](#): > > I an from the south of Germany, and that is similar to the story I have heared. > Other versions talk about Knecht Rupprecht as a war orphan Nikolaus took in as a student/apprentice or a criminal who helps St. Nikolaus to make up for his sins. > Most of the Nikolaus and Knecht Rupprecht folklore here is heavily influenced by wars and germanic paganism (like Krampus, or Mountain monks). > > In some areas here in Franconia Knecht Rupprecht used to come alone. He was both bringer of presents and punisher. > And he is white, looking like a stereotypical germanic barbarian. In parts of Westphalia he’s also sometimes called Hans Muff and played in blackface. ---
**Author:** ![Brynhildr\_Budladottir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Brynhildr\_Budladottir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brynhildr_Budladottir)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2014, 10:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/german-dopers-from-near-the-dutch-border-knecht-ruprecht-and-st-nicholas-sail-from-africa/692743/26 "2014-07-19T10:48:34Z")
a story that Knecht Ruprecht was a feral child adopted by St. Nicholas? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/german-dopers-from-near-the-dutch-border-knecht-ruprecht-and-st-nicholas-sail-from-africa/692743.md?page=1)