Belsnickel (also known as Belschnickel, Belznickle, Belznickel, Pelznikel, Pelznickel, Bell Sniggle[1]) is a crotchety, fur-clad Christmas gift-bringer figure in the folklore of the Palatinate region of southwestern Germany along the Rhine, the Saarland, and the Odenwald area of Baden-Württemberg.

He may have been based on an older German myth, Knecht Ruprecht, a servant of Saint Nicholas and a character from northern Germany.

He or she would be equipped with an ample sack about the shoulders filled with cakes, nuts, and fruits, and a long hazel switch which was supposed to have some kind of a charm in it as well as a sting.

An 1853 article in a British magazine describing Pennsylvanian customs refers to "Pelsnichol, or Nicholas with the fur, alluding to the dress of skins in which he is said to be clad.

He might wear a long, black or brown coat or robe, held together at the waist with a rope, and a fur cap or bear skin hat, decorated with bells.

In this branch of the tradition, the father or other older male relative was often "busy working outside" or had to see to some matter elsewhere in the house when Pelznickel (or Belsnickel) arrived.

Young men, dressed in skins and furs, would move through the streets of town or village, rattling chains and bells.

[9] The tradition also exists in parts of Newfoundland (see mummering), Nova Scotia,[10] and some communities in the Brazilian state of Santa Catarina.

[11] A writer to the letters column of The Times refers to an illustration of "Pelz-Nickel" in a book by English author Harriet Myrtle, The Little Sister (1851).

[16] The 2020 Netflix film The Christmas Chronicles 2 features Belsnickel, played by actor Julian Dennison, as the movie's main antagonist.