 Blog PostsFriends     | MERRY CHRISTMAS ? PART 3Where did Santa Claus come from?I know what you're going to say " Santa Claus came from Saint Nicholas for helping others, that's where the name came from" But as you know history never starts in the middle, some researchers want to start its origin from saint Nicolas, but it's origin starts way back, according to the website NorweignAmerican and the sons of Vikings explains the following: TheNorwegian American "Santa Claus owes his very existence to the old Norse myths. He’s changed a lot over the centuries, but his origins in Scandinavia and Northern Europe cannot be denied. Here’s a look at how Santa Claus emerged from the lands of the Vikings, exchanging the Norse god Odin’s more terrifying traits for those of a plump, chuckling man of eternally good nature. Odin was chief among the Norse pagan deities. (We still remember him in the day of the week named for him, Wednesday, Woden’s Day.) He was spiritual, wise, and capricious. In centuries past, when the midwinter Yule celebration was in full swing, Odin was both a terrifying specter and an anxiously awaited gift-bringer, soaring through the skies on his flying eight-legged white horse, Sleipnir. Back in the day of the Vikings, Yule was the time around the Winter Solstice on Dec. 21. Gods and ghosts went soaring above the rooftops on the Wild Ride, the dreaded Oskoreia. One of Odin’s many names was Jólnir (master of Yule). Astride Sleipnir, he led the flying Wild Hunt, accompanied by his sword-maiden Valkyries and a few other gods and assorted ghosts. The motley gang would fly over the villages and countryside, terrifying any who happened to be out and about at night. But Odin would also deliver toys and candy. Children would fill their boots with straw for Sleipnir, and set them by the hearth. Odin would slip down chimneys and fire holes, leaving his gifts behind. Centuries passed, and the world was changing. About the time paganism was being replaced by Christianity—which happened centuries later in the north than the rest of Europe—honoring Odin became forbidden. Yule was rescheduled to coincide with the Christian celebrations, and Odin was pushed out of the picture. First the chief god was replaced by the goodly Christian Saint Nicholas, a fourth-century Greek bishop. Always depicted wearing a red cloak, he became known as the patron saint of giving in most parts of Europe—but not Scandinavia. He had helpers who would report on which children were good. He’d deliver gifts to the good kids. Beware the punishments dealt out to those who were bad! After the Reformation, Nick and the other saints became forgotten in all the Protestant countries of Europe except Holland. There he morphed into Sinter Klaas, a kind and wise old man with a white beard, white dress, and red cloak. He’d ride the skies and roofs of the houses on his eight-legged white horse, delivering gifts through the chimney to the well-behaved children on his birthday, Dec. 6, St. Nicholas Day. Reminds you of Odin, right? 17th-century Dutch immigrants brought their tradition of Sinter Klaas to America, and his name changed into Santa Claus. Santa Claus: a portly, jolly man with a white beard, wearing a red coat, carrying a bag full of gifts for children. This image became popular in the U.S. in the 19th century after the publication of the poem “A Visit from St. Nicholas” by Clement C. Moore. The eight-legged horse was replaced for eight flying reindeer. And of course, where do reindeer come from in the first place? Santa’s image got more popular through advertisements for Coca-Cola in the 1930s. The artist, Haddon Sundblom, was the son of Finnish immigrants. Before Sundblom reinvented him, Santa had been a tall, wizardly looking fellow, much more like Odin. The Finns held on to a more ancient image of the Yule master for centuries. The Joulupukki or “Yule Buck” is originally a pagan tradition. He is connected to Odin and said to wear red leather pants and a fur trimmed red leather coat. But Sundblom also remembered the jovial Dutch Santa Claus with his red cloak and long white beard. As for the elves in Santa’s North Pole workshop who work all year long making Christmas toys, it was Odin who was the lord of Alfheim, home of the elves. And all magical weapons and jewelry of the gods and goddesses were fashioned by highly skilled dwarves, who dwelled deep within the earth. In steps the Yule goat, the giver of gifts until the 19th century. A popular theory is that the celebration of the goat is connected to the worship of the Norse god Thor, who rode the sky in a chariot drawn by two goats. Today, the Yule goat in Scandinavia is best known as a Christmas ornament, made out of straw and bound with red ribbons. In the 19th century, as American Santa Claus traditions were now spreading to Scandinavia, the Nordic julenisse started to deliver the Christmas presents, replacing the Yule Goat. In Norway, it is said that the Julenisse or Santa Claus was born under a rock in Vindfangerbukta north of the town of Drøbak on the Oslofjord, several hundred years ago. Today, Drøbak is considered the premier Norwegian Christmas town, with its popular Christmas house or Julehuset located right next to the town hall. Busloads of people come to see the julenisse, trolls, elves, and gnomes in the house. Whether tourists know it or not, these are the image descendants of the one-eyed god Odin. Folklore experts can’t deny the legacy of Odin, and his transformation into new versions of Yule gift-bringers. Margaret Baker, author of “Discovering Christmas Customs and Folklore” comments that “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 Gift Bringer of the north, who rode the midwinter sky on his eight-footed steed Sleipnir, visiting his people with gifts.” These figures, preserved and evolved from myth and pagan beliefs and folklore, light up the imagination during the longest, darkest days of the year. For Christians, that light emanates from a babe in a manger in far-off Bethlehem, worlds away from the Norse gods, the elves, the goats, and the wild hunt. In Norway, when people greet each other with God Jul—Good Yule—that the origin of the Christmas observance becomes the star of the season." Sons of Vikings Was Santa Claus inspired by Odin? " First, let us state that we are not questioning anyone's religious beliefs, nor are we denying the historic reports of St Nicholas and his giving to poor people during the 3rd century. However, well before St Nicholas was ever born, Norse stories existed of Odin flying through the sky on a chariot pulled by his 8-legged flying horse (Sleipnir), visiting homes in the middle of the night and leaving gifts for children in their boots by the fireplace (more on this below). At first glance, the comparison seems ridiculous to most. What could a jolly, fat man who slips down chimneys to bring children presents possibly have to do with the one-eyed, raven-infested Viking god of war? Upon closer examination, however, the similarities between the two become unmistakable. Very few if any 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 possibility that the original Father Christmas was actually inspired by who the Norse referred to as the Allfather. W 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 be familiar with. As for the original description of Santa. Well 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 by Coca-Cola during the 1920's and 1930's, Santa was originally. Santa / Odin comparisons include: Odin left gifts in boots. The strongest and most obvious connection 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 While gift-giving 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 current tradition of hanging (boot shaped) stockings by the fireplace is undeniable. Gift making elves were referred to as "Odin's men'. The dwarfs and elves of Norse mythology were commonly known to be the creators of wondrous things, such as the Sons of Ivaldi, who were the dwarfs who forged Thor's magical hammer called Mjolnir and Odin's magical spear called Gungnir). In numerous instances, these elves and dwarfs are referred to as "Odin's men" (ex. Thorsdrapa, Lay of Thor). The Norse believed that Odin knew if they were bad or good. Odin possessed the ability to carry unlimited gifts. Just as Santa has a magical bag which could carry an unlimited number of toys, Odin was also 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 live in a supernatural world called Asgard, much of Scandinavia is above the Arctic Circle. 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 commonly known as "The Northmen" to the rest of the world at that time. Santa was originally called Father Christmas. One of Odin's most popular titles is that of the word 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 Gift Bringer of the north, who rode the midwinter sky on his eight-footed steed Sleipnir, visiting his people with gifts … Odin, [over time] transformed into Father Christmas, Santa Claus, prospered with St Nicholas and the Christ Child, and became a leading player on the Christmas stage." Santa Claus is a complex cultural-conglomerated character. He has many evolving points of origin, Scandinavian origins, Saint Nicholas of the third century, Eastern Roman Empire, and the Coca Cola ads of the 1930s. " Did you know?: •The word "old Nick" was used as the name for the devil • According to Langer’s Encyclopedia of World History, (article “Santa”), “Santa” was a common name for Nimrod throughout Asia Minor. This was also the same fire god who came down the chimney of the ancient pagans and the same fire god to whom infants were burned and eaten in human sacrifices" |
