Folklore Workshops – Hans Trapp

Each Tuesday afternoon workshop will centre around the myth or folklore topic of that week. The aim will be to discuss ideas surrounding that belief or narrative and to come up with a finished piece using any of the methods and materials that are available. You will have access to paper/card, printing materials (linocut, block, mono or collagraph), paints, drawing materials, 3D resources (clay, paper mache, wire, wool), paints and other bits and pieces. You will have an experienced artist to help you develop your ideas and produce your artwork.

Hans Trapp is a legendary figure in Alsatian and Lorraine folklore, depicted as a Christmas “boogeyman” who accompanies St. Nicholas to punish misbehaving children. He is based on a real 15th-century German knight named Hans von Trotha (c. 1450–1503), known for a ruthless land dispute with a local abbey. During the holiday season, particularly on Saint Nicholas’ Day (December 6), Trapp accompanies St. Nicholas in local parades (such as in Wissembourg). Over time, von Trotha’s fearsome reputation transformed into folklore. In the traditional Christmas stories of Alsace and Lorraine, Hans Trapp is characterized as a wicked, greedy man who made a deal with the Devil and turned to cannibalism. Banished to the mountains, he returns around Christmas as a terrifying scarecrow to terrify misbehaving children into behaving. While St. Nicholas rewards good children, Hans Trapp carries a rod and a jute sack to threaten or “punish” the naughty ones.