I recently read about Grýla, the Icelandic Christmas witch. Who is a tough ogress that;
“lives in a cave in Iceland’s hinterlands, the matriarch of a family of strange creatures, launching attacks on nearby townships, snatching up misbehaving children, and turning them into delicious stew”.
Along with Krampus et al there seems to be quite a gang of horrifying Xmas demons.
It made me think… what a 2020 demon would look like? Here is my go in a frivilous post festive food haze…
Asclepius
I’m going to be lazy and rip straight from Greek/Roman mythology and steal a character from there but twist them abnormally into a new fiction.
Asclepius, was the god of medicine. It didn’t end well for them. Poor sod got murdered by pesky Zeus with a thunderbolt (very on brand), who was worried he’d help turn all humans immortal. I’m going to warp them into a vengeful, spiteful demon because they were annoyed at getting thunderbolt’d to death (which is going to scar them horribly). This demon has a grudge and is going to take it out on everyone.
Using its medicinal powers
As an expert in medicine, now rageful Asclepius cooks up plagues (very 2020). They will mostly hole up in abandoned places so you aren’t likely to see them wandering about. I’m seeing caves, forests and even empty venues like nightclubs that used to be heaving but now shuttered in less populated areas. If you did bump into them then they are going to appear absent, they are completely without empathy (and in my story a once childhood friend of Narcissus) and not the chatty type.
They are not quick on their feet or going to chase you down, they are more shuffly and crafty. They have acquired the skill to move around the globe, cruelly via lightning strikes. So if there is a storm near you then you know it could be in your area.
Often they’ll knock up some potions, sometimes they’ll leave a trap or can spread pestilence amongst larger towns and cities. They are terrifyingly indiscriminate.
The look
Traditionally Asclepius is commonly depicted with a staff with a serpent coiled around it (which you see in a lot of medical imagery to this day). I’m going to use that as it sounds pretty scary anyway.
I’m going to add some medical professional paraphernalia. Because why not. The origin story includes being the god of medicine after all. I’m opting for a the plague doctor look. A beak inspired mask which will house some herbs and perfumes to prevent them catching the disease. It’s legit terrifying and goes with the theme. I can’t draw so my version doesn’t look scary but you get the idea…
What does Asclepius get out of this?
Well revenge against Zeus for one. Sadly us humans are just pawns in this game. What makes them scary is that Asclepius doesn’t ever really register the damage it causes to others. They solely think about their own spiteful pursuits and destroying lives rather than their old mission to keep people in good health. In this story there is nobody to blame but Asclepius & the gods themselves but we can protect one another from limiting the damage that their chaos causes.
How to fight them?
Well isolating helps as does wearing a mask. Like most fables/tales there is some meaning to share and evil Asclepius should encourage people to be responsible and not behave recklessly against reputable medical advice. Face masks, vaccines, social distance and all that good stuff is the way we prevent this demon striking.
A ceremony at the end of this terror
If people are good and stay in good health then once all the disease passes we give gifts together and have a big joyous celebration. In this ceremonial event we have to mark the passing of Asclepius we also have a person dressed as the figure who unmasks themselves and we find out that it is actually an upstanding member of our community and then we know the end is nigh as Asclepius is around no longer.
Note
Obviously this is a silly little post of nonsense that isn’t meant to belittle the pandemic and all the hurt and suffering it has caused. It’s fucking awful & my heart goes out to all who have been affected by it.