The Beast of the Old Year
On the longest and last night of the year, this creature is said to travel the world, searching for those unworthy of entering the new year. Good children might find some sort of reward in the morning, while naughty children would be dragged off into the night, never to be seen again and forever stuck in the old year.
Summary
On the last and longest night of the year, the Beast of he old year sets out from its cave hidden deep in the icy southern mountains. It spends the night going from village to village searching for those not worthy of entering the new year that begins at dawn. The beast looks for signs of bad behavior, such as an untidy house or unfinished chores. The beast can also talk to animals, and will ask them how well they have been cared for in the previous year.
If he determines that any child is unworthy, the beast will silently slip into the house and snatch the child, stuffing them into a thick, stifling sack before they even realize what is happening. The naughty children are then carried away back to the beast's lair, never to see the new year and never to be heard from again.
If a child knows that they have been bad the past year, they can make an offering of food to the beast, typically some sort of roasted meat or fish that they caught themselves. If the beast approves of the offering, and the child is truly sorry for what they have done, the beast may decide to spare them.
Variations & Mutation
The appearance of the beast varies considerably depending on the region and the individual telling the story. Sometimes it is a large, shaggy troll. Sometimes it's basically a wolf or bear. Occasionally the beast is some sort of nocturnal, dragon-like creature. In keeping with the winter aesthetic, it is usually covered in some sort of thick fur, which is usually dirty and matted, possibly entangled with the bones of its victims. In some versions, the beast is somehow able to detect wrong-doing year-round, rather than just looking for evidence on the last night of the year.
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