The Man Behind The Story Of Father Christmas

1

The Man Behind the Story of Father Christmas/Santa Claus St. Nicholas was a Bishop who lived in the fourth century in a place called Myra in Asia Minor (now called Turkey). He was a very rich man because his parents died when he was young and left him a lot of money. He was also a very kind man and had a reputation for helping the poor and giving secret gifts to people who needed it. There are several legends about St. Nicholas, although we don't know if any of them are true! The most famous story about St. Nicholas tells how the custom of hanging up stockings to put presents in first started! It goes like this: There was a poor man who had three daughters. The man was so poor that he did not have enough money for a dowry, so his daughters couldn't get married. (A dowry is a sum of money paid to the bridegroom by the brides parents on the wedding day. This still happens in some countries, even today.) One night, Nicholas secretly dropped a bag of gold down the chimney and into the house (This meant that the oldest daughter was then able to be married.). The bag fell into a stocking that had been hung by the fire to dry! This was repeated later with the second daughter. Finally, determined to discover the person who had given him the money, the father secretly hid by the fire every evening until he caught Nicholas dropping in a bag of gold. Nicholas begged the man to not tell anyone what he had done, because he did not want to bring attention to himself. But soon the news got out and when anyone received a secret gift, it was thought that maybe it was from Nicholas. Because of his kindness Nicholas was made a Saint. St. Nicholas is not only the saint of children but also of sailors! One story tells of him helping some sailors that were caught in a dreadful storm off the coast of Turkey. The storm was raging around them and all the men were terrified that their ship would sink beneath the giant waves. They prayed to St. Nicholas to help them. Suddenly, he was standing on the deck before them. He ordered the sea to be calm, the storm died away, and they were able to sail their ship safely to port. St. Nicholas was exiled from Myra and later put in prison during the persecution by the Emperor Diocletian. No one is really knows when he died, but it was on 6th December in either 345 or 352. In 1087, his bones were stolen from Turkey by some Italian merchant sailors. The bones are now kept in the Church named after him in the Italian port of Bari. On St. Nicholas feast day (6th December), the sailors of Bari still carry his statue from the Cathedral out to sea, so that he can bless the waters and so give them safe voyages throughout the year.

2

In 1066, before he set sail to England, William the Conqueror prayed to St. Nicholas asking that his conquest would go well.

How St. Nicholas Became Santa Claus In the 16th Century in northern Europe, after the reformation, the stories and traditions about St. Nicholas became unpopular. But someone had to deliver presents to children at Christmas, so in the UK, particularly in England, he became 'Father Christmas' or 'Old Man Christmas', an old character from stories plays during the middle ages in the UK and parts of northern Europe. In France, he was then known as 'Père Nöel'. In some countries including parts of Austria and Germany, present giver became the 'Christkind' a golden-haired baby, with wings, who symbolizes the new born baby Jesus. In the early USA his name was 'Kris Kringle' (from the Christkind). Later, Dutch settlers in the USA took the old stories of St. Nicholas with them and Kris Kringle and St Nicholas became 'Sinterklaas' or as we now say 'Santa Claus'! Many countries, especially ones in Europe, celebrate St. Nicholas' Day on 6th December. In Holland and some other European Countries, children leave clogs or shoes out on the 5th December (St. Nicholas Eve) to be filled with presents. They also believe that if they leave some hay and carrots in their shoes for Sinterklaas's horse, they will be left some sweets. St. Nicholas became popular again in the Victorian era when writers, poets and artists rediscovered the old stories. In 1823 the famous poem 'A Visit from St. Nicholas' or 'T'was the Night before Christmas', was published. Dr Clement Clarke Moore later claimed that he had written it for his children. (Some scholars now believe that it was actually written by Henry Livingston, Jr., who was a distant relative of Dr Moore's wife.) The poem describes St. Nicholas with eight reindeer and gives them their names. They became really well known in the song 'Rudolph the Red nosed Reindeer', written in 1949. Do you know all eight names? Click on Rudolph's nose to find out!

3

Did you know that Rudolph and Santa's other reindeers might well be all girls!? Only female reindeer keep their antlers throughout winter. By Christmas time most males have discarded their antlers and are saving their energy ready to grow a new pair in the spring. The UK Father Christmas and the American Santa Claus became more and more alike over the years and are now one and the same. Some people say that Santa lives at the North Pole. In Finland, they say that he lives in the north part of their country called Lapland. But everyone agrees that he travels through the sky on a sledge that is pulled by reindeer, that he comes into houses down the chimney at night and places presents for the children in socks or bags by their beds, in front of the family Christmas tree, or by the fire place.

Most children receive their presents on Christmas Eve night or early Christmas morning, but in some countries they get their presents on St. Nicholas' Eve, December 5th. St. Nicholas putting the bag of gold into a stocking is probably where the custom of having a tangerine or satsuma at the bottom of your Christmas stocking came from. If people couldn't afford gold, some golden fruit was a good replacement - and until the last 50 years these were quite unusual fruits and so still special! The biggest Christmas stocking was 51m 35cm (168ft 5.65in) long and 21m 63cm (70ft 11.57in) wide (from the heel to the toe). It was made the volunteer emergency services organisation Pubblica Assistenza Carrara e Sezioni (Italy) in Carrara, Tuscany, Italy, on 5th January 2011. Just think how many presents you could fit in that!

4

Santa Claus and Coca-Cola St. Nicholas in Harper's Weekly: January 1863 There's a Christmas Urban Legend that says that Santa's red suit was designed by Coca-Cola and that they might even 'own' Santa! This is definitely NOT TRUE! Long before coke had been invented, St Nicholas had worn his Bishop's red robes. During Victorian times and before that, he wore a range of colors (red, green, blue and brown fur) but red was always his favorite! In January 1863, the magazine Harper's Weekly published the first illustration of St Nicholas/St Nick by Thomas Nast. In this he was wearing a 'Stars and Stripes' outfit! Over the next 20 years Thomas Nast continued to draw Santa every Christmas and his works were very popular indeed (he must have been very good friends with Santa to get such good access!). This is when Santa really started to develop his big tummy and the style of red and white outfit he wears today. Nast designed Santa's look on some historical information about Santa and the poem 'A Visit from St. Nicholas'. St. Nicholas in Harper's Weekly: January 1881 On January 1st 1881, Harper's Weekly published Nast's most famous image of Santa, complete with a big red belly, an arm full of toys and smoking a pipe! This image of Santa became very popular, with more artists drawing Santa in his red and white costume from 1900 to 1930. Santa was first used in Coke adverts in the 1920s, with Santa looking like the drawings of Thomas Nast. In 1931, the classic 'Coke Santa' was drawn by artist Haddon Sundblom. He took the idea of Nast's Santa but made him even more larger than life and jolly, replaced the pipe with a glass of Coke and created the famous Coke holding Santa! Coca-Cola also agree that the red suit was made popular by Thomas Nast not them! Coke has continued to use Santa in their adverts since the 1930s. In 1995 they also introduced the 'Coca-Cola Christmas truck' in the 'Holidays are coming' TV adverts. The red truck, covered with lights and with the classic 'Coke Santa' on its sides is now a famous part of recent Christmas history.

5

The Wild Hunt “Wodans wilde Jagd” by Friedrich Wilhelm Heine (1882) The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, one of the earliest and foremost histories of the Anglo-Saxons, who were descended from the same Germanic tribes as the Norse and broadly shared the same body of religious lore, records the following event as having happened in CE 1127: Let no one be surprised at what we are about to relate, for it was common gossip up and down the countryside that after February 6th many people both saw and heard a whole pack of huntsmen in full cry. They straddled black horses and black bucks while their hounds were pitch black with staring hideous eyes. This was seen in the very deer park of Peterborough town, and in all the woods stretching from that same spot as far as Stamford. All through the night monks heard them sounding and winding their horns. Reliable witnesses who kept watch in the night declared that there might well have been twenty or even thirty of them in this wild tantivy as near as they could tell.[1] This spectral, nocturnal horde was the “Wild Hunt,” which was recorded in folklore all throughout ancient, medieval, and even early modern Europe, but was especially concentrated in the Germanic lands of northern Europe. In Scandinavia, it was called Oskoreia, “Terrifying Ride,”[2] or Odensjakt, “Odin’s Hunt.”[3] In Middle High German, it was called Wuotanes Her, “Odin’s Army,” and in modern German Wütende Heer, “Furious/Inspired Army,” or Wilde Jagd, “Wild Hunt.”[4] It swept through the forests in midwinter,[5] the coldest, darkest part of the year, when ferocious winds and storms howled over the land. Anyone who found him- or herself out of doors at night during this time might spot this ghostly procession – or be spotted by it, which might involve being carried away and dropped miles from where the unfortunate person had been taken up, or worse.[6] Others, practitioners of various forms of magic, joined in it voluntarily, as an intangible part of them (a “soul,” if you like) flew with the cavalcade while their bodies lay in their beds as if sleeping normally. Sometimes, the members of the Hunt entered towns and houses, causing havoc and stealing food and drink.[7] The Leader of the Wild Hunt When accounts of the Wild Hunt mention a leader, the figure who filled this role varied greatly. In Germany, the leader could have been “Perchta, Berhta, Berta, Holt, Holle, Hulda, Foste, Selga, Selda, Heme, Herla, Berchtold [or] Berhtolt.”[8] However, as the Wild Hunt’s various names across the Germanic lands attest, one figure was especially closely associated with it: Odin, the god of the dead, inspiration, ecstatic trance, battle frenzy, knowledge, the ruling class, and creative and intellectual pursuits in general. Two of Odin’s hundreds of names further demonstrate his association with midwinter, the time of the year in which the holiday Yule (Old Norse Jól) falls: Jólnir and Jauloherra, both

6

of which mean something like “Master of Yule.”[9] The myths describe him frequently riding throughout the Nine Worlds on his eight-legged steed, Sleipnir, on quests of a shamanic nature, another theme that connects him to the Wild Hunt. As H.R. Ellis Davidson put it, speaking of the manifestations of the Wild Hunt that continued well into the Christian era, “it was natural that the ancient god of the dead who rode through the air should keep a place in this way in the memory of the people, and it reminds us of the terror which his name must once have inspired.”[10] Conclusion In the body of lore surrounding the Wild Hunt, we find a number of themes that connect it powerfully with the dead and the underworld. For one thing, there’s the ghostly character of the hunters or warriors themselves. Dogs and horses, animals that were closely associated with death (amongst a great many other things),[11] were almost invariably present. In some accounts of the Hunt, the riders can hardly, if at all, be distinguished from land spirits, who were themselves often conflated with the dead, as if the two were thought of as being in some sense one and the same.[12] Finally, for the ancient Germanic peoples, the worlds of the living and the dead were especially permeable during midwinter, which goes a long way toward explaining why this troop of apparitions haunted the land during that particular part of the year.[13] In the words of Claude Lecouteux, “[T]he Wild Hunt fell into the vast complex of ancestor worship, the cult of the dead, who are the go-betweens between men and the gods.”[14] It was as if the very elements of midwinter – the menacing cold, the almost unrelenting darkness, the eerie, desolate silence broken only by the baying winds and galloping storms – manifested the restless dead, and the ancient northern Europeans, whose ways of life and worldviews predisposed them to sense spiritual qualities in the world around them, recorded the sometimes terrifying fruits of such an engagement with the enchanted world in their accounts of the Wild Hunt. Looking for more great information on Norse mythology and religion? While this site provides the ultimate online introduction to the topic, my book The Viking Spirit provides the ultimate introduction to Norse mythology and religion period. I’ve also written a popular list of The 10 Best Norse Mythology Books, which you’ll probably find helpful in your pursuit.

7

Santa and Odin - Christmas and Yule Was Santa Claus inspired by Odin? First, let us state that we are not questioning the historic reports of St Nicholas and his giving to poor people during the 3rd century, nor are we attacking any beliefs of Christianity. This article is about the origins of Santa and the obvious connections between Christmas traditions and the ancient Norse season called Yule. We are simply pointing out that well before St Nicholas, Norse stories existed of Odin flying through the sky on a cart pulled by his 8-legged flying horse, visiting homes at night and leaving gifts for children in their boots (more on this below). At first glance, the question seems ridiculous. What could a jolly, fat man who slips down chimneys to bring children presents possibly have to do with the one-eyed, wolf-flanked, raven-infested, bloody-handed Viking god of war? Upon closer examination, however, the similarities between the two become unmistakable. Very few historians deny that many of our modern day Christmas traditions were directly inspired by the ancient Norse festival known as Yule or Yuletide. So it only makes sense to take a second look at the comparisons between Santa and Odin. Consider what Santa Claus would have meant to our earlier ancestors. Santa symbolized facing hardship (for winter is a time of great hardship in agrarian societies) with protection, abundance, generosity, and joy. These same qualities were also inherent in the writings of Odin, who was not merely the god of war, but also of poetry and wisdom, and the embodiment of gift giving and heroic stoicism.1

When we look past our modern, advertisement-adjusted image of Santa Claus to more traditional images, our comparison rapidly takes shape. Odin was known for taking on many forms, and had many names. But one of the more popular forms he used most was that of an

8

old, white-bearded traveler clad in a cloak and broad-brimmed hat or hood. Odin used this attire as a disguise while he traversed the nine worlds seeking knowledge.1 As seen in this 1886 black & white depiction on the right of Odin by Georg von Rosen (which yes, looks a lot like Gandalf, another character believed to be inspired by Odin). This imagery of Odin was the one that any Viking would recognize. As for the original description of Santa. Before the Victorian sentiments of “Twas the Night Before Christmas” in 1823 (the Victorians loved to corrupt ancient folklore), and before the reinvention of Santa in the 1930's by Coca-Cola, Santa was originally depicted as a tall, gaunt man with a fur-trimmed cloak and broad-brimmed hat or hood (as seen in this blue cloak found on this very old Christmas card).2

Comparisons include:



Santa leaves gifts in your stockings. The strongest and most obvious connections is that Odin was also known to magically visit homes at night during the Yule season to leave gifts for children. In anticipation of Odin’s return from the Great Hunt every Yule, Norse children would leave their boots stuffed with straw by the hearth (fireplace). When they awoke in the morning they would find that Odin had left sweets and presents in place of the straw.3 While giftgiving at Christmas is usually attributed to the well-documented giving of gifts during Roman Saturnalia (December 17th), and the chimney-stocking tradition has also been traced to Saint Nicholas, the similarity between this Norse tradition and our hanging of (boot shaped) stockings by the fireplace are undeniable.



Santa rides a sleigh pulled by eight flying reindeer. Odin rode on an 8-legged flying horse named Sleipnir. He was also known to have ridden in a flying chariot that was pulled by Sleipnir. Santa's reindeer did not exist until the writing of ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas’. Original accounts of Santa speak of a single flying horse that pulled his sleigh. It is interesting to note that reindeer were also well known as sleigh pulling animals or beasts of burden in Finland and other cold lands bordering the Northern Scandinavian realms of Viking homeland.4 On a

9

side note, Thor also had a chariot which was pulled by two flying goats.1 Thor was the male deity most worshiped at Yule, and interesting enough there is also reports that ancient Yule festivals included a man dressed as a goat who would dispense gifts from a large bag.5,6



Santa has elves making all of his gifts.The dwarves and elves of Norse mythology were known to be the creators of wondrous things (including Thor's magical hammer called Mjolnir and Odin's magical spear called Gungnir). In numerous instances, the elves are referred to as "Odin's men" (ex. Thorsdrapa, Lay of Thor). Sound familiar?



Santa knows if you've been bad or good. Odin was considered the far-seeing god of Norse mythology. His two ravens Huginn and Muninn given the ability to speak and were his eyes and ears. Vikings believed that Odin was always watching them.1



Santa has a magic bag that could carry unlimited toys. Odin was known for leaving gifts in every home for the children, so it makes sense that he too had a magical ability to carry unlimited gifts.



Santa lives in the North Pole. While Odin technically lives in the supernatural world of Asgard, much of Scandinavia is above the Arctic Circle and the people of Scandinavia naturally equated those Northern mountainous, inhospitable regions of the midnight sun and the northern lights to be the 'lands of the gods.' As well, Vikings were known as "The Northmen" to the rest of the world at that time.



Santa was originally called Father Christmas. Odin is called the Allfather.1 The image of Father Christmas (in particular) and that of the Allfather are strikingly similar.

Folklorist Margaret Baker stated the following, "the appearance of Santa Claus or Father Christmas, whose day is the 25th of December, owes much to Odin, the old blue-hooded, cloaked, white-bearded Giftbringer of the north, who rode the midwinter sky on his eightfooted steed Sleipnir, visiting his people with gifts. … Odin, [over time] transformed into Father Christmas, then Santa Claus, prospered with St Nicholas and the Christchild, and became a leading player on the Christmas stage." 6 Santa Claus is a complex cultural-conglomerated character. He has many evolving points of origin, ranging from Saint Nicholas of the third century Eastern Roman Empire to the Coca Cola ads of the 1930s. However, many of his most famous and enduring characteristics are originally from older stories of Norse lore and Yule traditions.

10

Yule compared to Christmas The Vikings celebrated the Norse holiday called Yule or Jul. Like many other holidays celebrated across time in conjunction with the winter solstice, it was a holiday about the “rebirth” of the dying sun (which had been declining, but would now begin to lengthen the days again). In that way, it was associated with the belief of cyclical creation and destruction. It was a holiday devoted to Thor, though Odin was important, too. It was a holiday of feasting to prepare for the cold, dark winter, and it was a celebration of New Year.5 Following is a brief list of traditions or cultural elements that transferred from Yule to Christmas in Europe and America: 

Carols and Caroling: Though they were almost certainly of a very different character than our Christmas carols, the Norse sang Yule carols. Nordic children would wear masks and go door-to-door among their neighbors singing carols.5



Nights of magic, magical creatures, and holiday miracles: Vikings believed that the time around Yule was magical, especially at night. As in Celtic Samhain, the barrier between our world and the supernatural world was at its thinnest. Spirits could travel the forests and fields. Elves, dwarves, and other beings were active and could become involved in the affairs of humans. These various spirits and beings could sometimes bring blessings or justice to humans who needed it, and who showed them their due respect.5 Our Christmas imagery of nocturnal magic such as in The Nutcracker, or the spiritual journeys of Ebenezer Scrooge are stories from much later times, but their feeling and themes would have been perfectly familiar to the Vikings.



Gifts of fruit cakes and sweets: These items were offered to the fates (Norns) and mother (fertility and nurturing) forces that probably originated with older IndoEuropean cults, but suffused the Aesir Goddesses of the Viking Age (such as Freya and Frigg).5



Veneration of goddesses: To many Christians (especially Catholics), Mary is always important, but receives special attention around Christmas. The Vikings were the same regarding their emphasis of the female deities and the forces of motherhood around Yule.5



Wreaths: One Yule tradition involved making large wheels of pine boughs, lighting them on fire, and rolling them down a hill in honor of the sun. The round shape of wreaths also depicted the cyclical nature of the seasons and of the Norse conception of the cosmos/time.7



Yule Logs: At the Yule feast, Vikings would burn large logs of oak inscribed with runes for good fortune in the coming year.7 Oak is the hardest of woods, and so these logs would burn long and hot throughout the night to gladden the feast and to chase the darkness away.



Drinking: Christmas and New Year are the main times of year that conspicuous drinking of alcohol becomes more socially acceptable. The Vikings celebrated Yule with nights-on-end of drinking mead from long horns (and sometimes the skulls of their enemies).

11 

Mistletoe: Loki, the god of mischief and misfortune murdered Baldur, one of the most beloved of the gods, with a spear made from mistletoe. The Mistletoe berries later became a symbol of love in the epilogue of the same story, hence the tradition of kissing under it; Baldur’s death was also supposed to lead to rebirth after Ragnarok, in keeping with the theme of Yule.8



Christmas trees: Vikings decorated trees with food, gifts, and small carvings (particularly in honor of their gods).5 The tradition of lighting candles on trees was not documented until the early 19th century, and so we can hope that the ever-practical Vikings had better sense than that.7

Holidays are times when the traditions of our many ancestors come down to us in blended forms. This blending of forms and traditions is called syncretism. Syncretism is a natural human phenomenon that occurs when people living amongst each other (as the Vikings ultimately did) accentuate the similarities in religions, cultures, or ideologies (instead of focusing on differences) until they merge together. Of course, the most important thing is not so much where something came from, but what holidays mean to each of us. This sacred season is to strengthen the bonds with those we love and to nurture hope in the darkness.