may derive directly from Berchta in her white form. The word is plural for , and this has become the name of her entourage, as well as the name of animal masks worn in parades and festivals in the mountainous regions of Austria. In the 16th century, the Perchten took two forms: Some are beautiful and bright, known as the ("beautiful Perchten"). These come during the Twelve Nights and festivals to "bring luck and wealth to the people." The other form is the ("ugly Perchten") who have fangs, tusks and horse tails which are used to drive out demons and ghosts. Men dressed as the ugly Perchten during the 16th century and went from house to house driving out bad spirits. Sometimes, is viewed as the most ("ugly") and as the most ("beautiful") . Interpretations According to Jacob Grimm (1882), Perchta was spoken of in Old High German in the 10th century as Frau Berchta and thought to be a white-robed goddess who oversaw spinning and weaving, like the myths of Holda. He believed she was the feminine equivalent of Berchtold, and was sometimes the leader of the Wild Hunt. However, John B. Smith disagrees and suggests that Perchta represents the personification of the feast of the Epiphany (Perchta's Day), and is therefore not pre-Christian. Modern celebrations In contemporary culture, Perchta is portrayed as a "rewarder of the generous, and the punisher of the bad, particularly lying children". Today in Austria, particularly Salzburg, where she is said to wander through Hohensalzburg Castle in the dead of night, the Perchten are still a traditional part of holidays and festivals (such as the Carnival Fastnacht). The wooden animal masks made for the festivals are today called . In the Pongau region of Austria large processions of ("beautiful Perchten") and ("ugly Perchten") are held every winter. Beautiful masks are said to encouraging financial windfalls, and the ugly masks are worn to drive away evil spirits. Other regional variations include the in the Austrian Pinzgau region, the stilt dancers in the town of Unken, the or ("trunked Percht") in the Unterinntal region and the ("bell-running") in the Salzkammergut. A number of large ski-resorts have turned the tradition into a tourist attraction drawing large crowds every winter. See also Baba Yaga Befana Frau Holle Krampus Oliebol Pre-Christian Alpine traditions Spillaholle Swabian-Alemannic-Fastnacht Weiße Frauen Wild Hunt References Bibliography Sources Frazer, Sir James George. 1920. The Golden