This
is great research on the origins of Santa Claus. And scary stuff too.
Santa falls under paganism/demonology, and is the poster boy for
consumerism, the madness that manifests itself in the video of Black
Friday a few posts down. Time to end Santa's attachment to the
remembrance of the birth of the Savior. Fascinating to read here the
links of santa to Thor (the Norwegian Apollo), gnomes (demons) and even
Satan.
A Curious Amalgam
While
undoubtedly Santa Claus was based in part on St Nicholas and the gift
giving legends associated with him, the modern day Santa Claus bears
remarkable similarities to other sources.
In
Germany, St. Nicholas is also known as Klaasbuur, Sunnercla, Burklaas,
Bullerklaas, and Rauklas, and in eastern Germany, he is also known as
Shaggy Goat, Ash Man and Rider and is more reflective of earlier pagan
influences (Norse) that were blended in with the figure of St. Nicholas,
when Christianity came to Germany. [13]
|
King Winter |
The truth is that St. Nicholas is a blend of many different cultures, customs, legends and mythological
creatures. Consider the similarities to these early legends.
Thor and Odin
9th Century
In
9th century England the Saxons honoured King Winter or King Frost. He
would be represented by somebody dressed in a fur hat or crown and
would visit their firesides. The Saxons believed that by welcoming
Winter as a personage or deity the season would be less harsh to them.
9th & 10th Century
With
the arrival of the Vikings in England during the 9th and 10th
centuries Odin, their chief god, influenced the Winter gift practices.
Odin had twelve characters and the one for December was known as Yalka
or Jule and his month was called Jultid from which Yuletide derives.
The Vikings believed that Odin visited Earth during Jultid on Sleipnir,
his eight-legged horse. He would be disguised in a long blue hooded
cloak and carrying a staff and a satchel of bread. His companion was
either a Raven or Crow. He was said to join groups around their fire and
listen to their conversations to see if they were content. He would
sometimes leave the bread as a gift at poor homesteads. [14]
Most
Santa researchers agree that some traits of Santa [including the
reindeer?] was borrowed from Norse [Scandinavian] mythology.
Prior
to the Germanic peoples' Christianization, Germanic folklore contained
stories about the god Odin (Wodan), who would each year, at Yule, have
a great hunting party accompanied by his fellow gods and the fallen
warriors residing in his realm. Children would place their boots, filled
with carrots, straw or sugar, near the chimney for Odin's flying
horse, Sleipnir, to eat. Odin would then reward those children for
their kindness by replacing Sleipnir's food with gifts or candy
[Siefker, chap. 9, esp. 171-173]. This practice survived in Germany,
Belgium and the Netherlands after the adoption of Christianity and
became associated with Saint Nicholas. [15]
Most
of the stories originate with in the European culture, primarily that
of the Nordic traditions of Northern Europe. The Norse god Odin rode on
a white eight legged horse and delivered either presents or
punishments. The eight legged horse may be the origins of the eight
reindeer that we know of today along with the naughty or nice list is
constantly checked. [16]
[Santa
Originally had eight reindeer. Rudolph, the ninth reindeer and son of
Donner, was the result of a verse written by Robert L. May for
Montgomery Ward in 1939 and published as a book to be given to children
in the store at Christmas.]
“It
is held by some scholars that the legends of Nicholas as gift-giver
drew in part from pagan, pre-Christian sources. For example, the
Teutonic god of the air, Odin, would ride through the air on a gray
horse (named Sleipnir) each Autumn - so did Nicholas; Odin had a long
white beard - so did Nicholas; a sheaf of grain was left in the field
for Odin's horse - children left a wisp of straw in their shoes for
Nicholas. [McKnight, 24-25, 138-139]
Others
claim that attributes of the Germanic god Thor, the god of thunder,
were transferred to Nicholas. Thor was supposedly elderly and heavy
with a long white beard; he road through the air in a chariot drawn by
two white goats (called
Cracker and Gnasher); he dressed in red; his
palace was in the "northland;" he was friendly and cheerful; he would
come down the chimney into his element, the fire. [17]
No
definitive correlation has ever been found between the "visit of St.
Nicholas" and pagan gods such as Odin and Thor. However the similarity
is striking and some relationship seems likely”. [18] Emphasis Added]
Encyclopedia Britannica describes the role of Nordic mythology in the life of Santa:
Sinterklaas
was adopted by the country's English-speaking majority under the name
Santa Claus, and his legend of a kindly old man was united with old Nordic folktales of a magician who punished naughty children and rewarded good children with presents. [19]
Some
Santa researchers associate Santa with the Norse "god" of Odin or
Woden. Crichton describes Odin as riding through the sky on an
eight-legged, white horse name Sleipnir. (Santa originally had eight
reindeers, Rudolph was nine). Odin lived in Valhalla (the North) and had
a long white beard. Odin would fly through the sky during the winter
solstice (December 21-25) rewarding the good children and punishing the
naughty. [20]
Mythologist Helene Adeline Guerber presents a very convincing case tracing Santa to the Norse god Thor in Myths of Northern Lands: [Thor being a son of Odin with Thursday (Thor’s Day) being named after him. [21].
Thor was the god of the peasants and the common people. He was represented as an elderly man, jovial and friendly, of heavy build, with a long white beard. His element was the fire, his color red.
The rumble and roar of thunder were said to be caused by the rolling of
his chariot, for he alone among the gods never rode on horseback but drove in a chariot drawn by two white goats (called Cracker and Gnasher). He was fighting the giants of ice and snow, and thus became the Yule-god. He was said to live in the "Northland" where he had his palace among icebergs.
By our pagan forefathers he was considered as the cheerful and
friendly god, never harming the humans but rather helping and
protecting them. The fireplace in every home was especially sacred
to him, and he was said to come down through the chimney into his
element, the fire. [22]
In the Handbook of Christian Feasts and Customs, author Francis Weiser traces the origin of Santa to Thor:
After listing some the common attributes of Thor and Santa, Weiser concludes:
Here,
[Thor] then, is the true origin of our "Santa Claus." . . . With the
Christian saint whose name he still bears, however, this Santa Claus
has really nothing to do. [24]
In the words of Dr. Terry Watkins in Santa Claus The Great Imposter … “The unusual and common characteristics of Santa and Thor are too close to ignore.
- An elderly man, jovial and friendly and of heavy build.
- With a long white beard.
- His element was the fire and his color red.
- Drove a chariot drawn by two white goats, named called Cracker and Gnasher.
- He was the Yule-god. (Yule is Christmas time).
- He lived in the Northland (North Pole).
- He was considered the cheerful and friendly god.
- He was benevolent to humans.
- The fireplace was especially sacred to him.
- He came down through the chimney into his element, the fire”.
The Tomte/Nisse
The
tomte/nisse is a mythical creature of Scandinavian folklore
originating from Norse paganism and in ancient times was believed to be
the "soul" of the first inhabitor of the farm. The tomte/nisse was
usually described as a short man (under four feet tall) wearing a red
cap with a tassel. Nisse were believed to take care of a farmer’s home
and children and protect them from misfortune, in particular at night,
when the house folk were asleep. Despite his smallness, the tomte/nisse
possessed an immense strength. Even though he was protective and
caring he was easy to offend, and his retributions ranged from a stout
box on the ears to the killing of livestock or ruining of the farm’s
fortune. A particular gift was a bowl of porridge on Christmas night.
If he wasn’t given his payment, he would leave the farm or house, or
engage in mischief such as tying the cows’ tails together in the barn,
turning objects upside-down, and breaking things. The tomte was not
always a popular figure: Like most creatures of folklore he would be
seen as heathen and become connected to the Devil and having a tomte on
the farm meant you put the fate of your soul at risk.
In the English editions of the fairy tales of H. C. Andersen the word nisse
has been inaccurately translated as "goblin". A more accurate
translation is "brownie"... the Scottish counterpart of the
Scandinavian tomte. Since there is a Tomtar & Troll shop in Stockholm Sweden, I assume Tomtar is closely related to a Troll.
In
the 1840s the farm's "nisse" became the bearer of Christmas presents
in Denmark, and was then called "julenisse". In 1881, the Swedish
magazine
Ny Illustrerad Tidning published Viktor Rydberg's poem
Tomten,
where the tomte is alone awake in the cold Christmas night, pondering
the mysteries of life and death. This poem featured the first painting
by Jenny Nyström of this traditional Swedish mythical character which
she turned into the white-bearded, red-capped friendly figure
associated with Christmas ever since. Shortly afterwards, and obviously
influenced by the emerging Father Christmas traditions as well as the
new Danish tradition, a variant of the tomte/nisse, called the
"jultomte" in Sweden and "julenisse" in Norway, started bringing the
Christmas presents in Sweden and Norway, instead of the traditional
julbock Yule Goat. [25]
Jenny
Nyström is mainly known as the person who created the Swedes’ image
of the “jultomte” on numerous Christmas cards and magazine covers
[illustration on the right], thus linking the Swedish version of Santa
Claus to the gnomes of Scandinavian folklore. [26]
The Jultomten brings gifts in a sleigh driven by the goats of Thor..
Swedish children wait eagerly for Jultomten, a gnome whose sleigh is drawn by the Julbocker,
the goats of the thunder god Thor. With his red suit and cap, and a
bulging sack on his back, he looks much like the American Santa Claus.
[27]
In
some areas of Sweden, Jultmoten the Gift-Bringer is a gnome whose
sleigh is drawn by the Julbocker, goats which are the property of Thor,
God of Thunder. Julmoten dresses in red and carries a b
ulging sack upon his back. [28] Emphasis Added].
The Long Leap
It
has been oft claimed that Santa Claus was introduced to America by the
Dutch, who settled in what was known as New Amsterdam.. now New York.
Apparently this story is without much, if any merit. The St, Nicholas
center tells us that….[All Emphasis Added]
Although
it is nearly universally reported that the Dutch did bring St.
Nicholas to New Amsterdam [Now New York], scholars find limited
evidence of such traditions in Dutch New Netherland. Colonial Germans in
Pennsylvania held the feast of St. Nicholas, and several accounts do
have St. Nicholas visiting New York Dutch on New Years' Eve. [29]
This
was not a saintly bishop, rather an elfin Dutch burgher with a clay
pipe. These delightful flights of imagination are the origin of the New
Amsterdam St. Nicholas legends: that the first Dutch emigrant ship had
a figurehead of St. Nicholas; that St. Nicholas Day was observed in the
colony; that the first church was dedicated to him; and that St.
Nicholas comes down chimneys to bring gifts. Irving's work was regarded
as the "first notable work of imagination in the New World." [29]
Other Sources [All Emphasis Added ]
The
claim that Dutch settlers, in 1626 introduced Sinter Claes to New
Amsterdam (to be New York) is an invention of Washington Irving (History of New York,
started in 1809). Charles W. Jones states (1954, Knickerbocker Santa
Claus, New York Historical Society Quarterly, Vol. 38, No. 4, pp.
357-383, see pp. 367-71) that no documentary evidence has ever been
found of a Dutch Santa Claus cult in New Amsterdam or in the [pre-1773,
BKS, see below] British colonial period in New York. The settlers of
New Amsterdam were Protestants, not Catholics, with little St. Nicholas
tradition. [30]
Nearly everyone repeats this story [the Dutch-Santa]. . . But when we look at the evidence—that is, the newspapers, magazines, diaries, books, broadsides, music, sculpture, and merchandise of past times, the picture is not substantiated. [31]
There is no evidence that it [Santa Claus] existed in New Amsterdam, or for a century after occupation. . . ([31]
I have not found evidence of St. Nicholas in any form—in juveniles or periodicals or diaries—in the period of Dutch rule, or straight through the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries to the year 1773. [31]
Years of research confirmed that initial doubt: Santa Claus is an Americanization, all right, but not of a Catholic Saint. . . Despite a century of repetition, this story is simply untrue. . . [32]
The
dilemma was solved by transferring the visit of the mysterious man
whom the Dutch called Santa Claus from December 5 to Christmas, and by
introducing a radical change in the figure itself. It was not merely a
"disguise," but the ancient saint was completely replaced by an
entirely different character. . .With the Christian saint whose name he
still bears, however this Santa Claus has really nothing to do. [33]
The truth is that the modern day Santa Claus bears little resemblance to the Catholic Saint and has almost enti
rely replaced him.
The Development of Santa Claus in America
The following is a short summation of the development of Santa Claus in America..
In 1804,
the New York Historical Society was founded with Nicholas as its
patron saint, its members reviving the Dutch tradition of St. Nicholas
as a gift-bringer. In 1809, Washington Irving published his satirical A History of New York, by one "Diedrich Knickerbocker," a
work that poked fun at New York's Dutch past (St. Nicholas included).
When Irving became a member of the Society the following year, the
annual St. Nicholas Day dinner festivities included a woodcut of the
traditional Nicholas figure (tall, with long robes) accompanied by a
Dutch rhyme about "Sancte Claus" (in Dutch, "Sinterklaas"). Irving
revised his History of New York in 1812, adding details about Nicholas'
"riding over the tops of the trees, in that selfsame waggon wherein he
brings his yearly presents to children." [14]
Two quotes from Washington Irving’s A History of New York
And
the sage Oloffe dreamed a dream,–and lo, the good St. Nicholas came
riding over the tops of the trees, in that self-same wagon wherein he
brings his yearly presents to the children. . . And when St. Nicholas
had smoked his pipe, he twisted it in his hatband, and laying his
finger beside his nose, gave the astonished Van Kortlandt a very
significant look; then, mounting his wagon, he returned over the
treetops and disappeared. [34]
At
this early period was instituted that pious ceremony, still
religiously observed in all our ancient families of the right breed, of
hanging up a stocking in the chimney on St. Nicholas Eve; which
stocking is always found in the morning miraculously filled; for the
good St. Nicholas has ever been a great giver of gifts, particularly to
children. [35]
“In 1821,
a New York printer named William Gilley issued a poem about a
"Santeclaus" who dressed all in fur and drove a sleigh pulled by one
reindeer. Gilley's "Sante," however, was very short.
On
Christmas Eve of 1822, another New Yorker, Clement Clarke Moore, wrote
down and read to his children a series of verses; his poem was
published a year later as "An Account of a Visit from St. Nicholas"
(more commonly known today by its opening line, "'Twas the night before
Christmas . . ."). Moore gave St. Nick eight reindeer (and named them
all), and he devised the now-familiar entrance by chimney. Moore's
Nicholas was still a small figure, however -- the poem describes a
"miniature sleigh" with a "little old driver."
In 1863, a caricaturist for Harper's Weekly named Thomas Nast began developing his own image of Santa.
Nast gave his figure a "flowing set of whiskers" and dressed him "all
in fur, from his head to his foot." Nast's 1866 montage entitled "Santa
Claus and His Works" established Santa as a maker of toys; an 1869
book of the same name collected new Nast drawings with a poem by George
P. Webster that identified the North Pole as Santa's home. Although
Nast never settled on one size for his Santa figures (they ranged from
elf-like to man-sized), his 1881 "Merry Old Santa Claus" drawing is
quite close to the modern-day image”. “ [14]
Harper’s Weekly online provides a little more insight.
While
setting the national standard, Nast’s own depiction of Santa Claus
changed over the years. He began his almost-annual contribution of
Christmas illustrations when he joined the staff of Harper’s Weekly in 1862 during the Civil War. [Nast contributed 33 Christmas drawings to Harper’s Weekly
from 1863 through 1886, and Santa is seen or referenced in all but
one. His first Santa (in the postdated January 3, 1863 issue) is a
small elf distributing Christmas presents to Union soldiers in camp.
[36]
From
1866-1871, Nast continued to elaborate upon the image of Santa Claus
portrayed in “Santa and His Works.” As in the featured cartoon, he
also emphasized during this period Santa’s disciplinary role in judging
whether the behavior of children during the past year warranted
Christmas rewards or punishment. In an 1870 cartoon, Santa surprises two
naughty children by jumping out as a jack-in-the-box clutching a
switch for spanking. In 1871, Santa sits at his desk reading letter
from parents chronicling their children’s good and bad acts, with the
“letters from naughty children’s parents” far outnumbering the “letters
from good children’s parents.” [36].
Incidentally
the tradition of decorating a Christmas Tree originated in Germany,
and arrived on American shores in the ‘40’s. Time Magazine reported..
“even
before the arrival of Christianity, Germans decorated evergreen trees
to brighten the dark, gloomy days of the winter solstice. The first
"Christmas trees" appeared in Strasbourg in the 17th century and spread
to Pennsylvania in the 1820s with the arrival of German immigrants.
When Queen Victoria married Germany's Prince Albert in 1840, he brought
the tradition to England. Eight years later, the first American
newspaper ran a picture of the royal Christmas tree and Americans
outside of Pennsylvania quickly followed.” [36b]
Santa’s CompanionThis section is almost entirely excerpted from Santa Claus The Great Imposter by Dr. Terry Watkins.)
There
is a little-known piece in the life of Santa that time and tradition
has silently erased. Few people are aware that for most of his life,
St. Nicholas (Sinter Klaas, Christkind, et. al.) had an unusual helper
or companion. This mysterious sidekick had many names or aliases. He was
known as Knecht Rupprecht;
Pelznickle; Ru-Klas;
Swarthy;
Dark One; Dark Helper; Black Peter; Hans Trapp; Krampus; Grampus;
Zwarte Piets; Furry Nicholas; Rough Nicholas; Schimmelreiter;
Klapperbock; Julebuk; et. al.
Though his name changed, he was always there. Some other well known titles given to St. Nick’s bizarre companion is a demon, evil one, the devil and Satan. One of his dark duties was to punish children and "gleefully drag them to hell."
The
following references are provided to demonstrate the "devil" who
accompanies St. Nicholas is a well documented fact. In every forerunner
of Santa this dark and diabolic character appears.
It is the Christkind who brings the presents, accompanied by one of its many devilish companions, Knecht Ruprecht, Pelznickle, Ru-Klas. . . [37]
In many areas of Germany, Hans Trapp is the demon who accompanies Christkind on its gift-giving round. . . [38]
Another Christmas demon from lower Austria, Krampus or Grampus, accompanies St. Nicholas on December 6. [39]
Like Santa, Sinterklaas and the Dark Helper were also supposed to have the peculiar habit of entering homes through the chimney. . . [40]
In Sarajevo in Bosnia, Saint Nickolas appears with gifts for the children in spite of the war and shelling. He is assisted by a small black devil who scares the children. [41]
Ruprecht here plays the part of bogeyman, a black, hairy, horned, cannibalistic, stick-carrying nightmare. His role and character are of unmitigated evil, the ultimate horror that could befall children who had been remiss in learning their prayers and doing their lessons. He was hell on earth. [42]
In Holland, Sinterklaas (Santa Claus) wore a red robe while riding a white horse and carried a bag of
gifts to fill the children's stockings.
A sinister assistant called Black Pete proceeded Sinterklaas in the Holland tradition to seek out the naughty boys and girls who would not receive gifts. [43]
The
Christian figure of Saint Nicholas replaced or incorporated various
pagan gift-giving figures such as the Roman Befana and the Germanic
Berchta and Knecht Ruprecht. . . He was depicted wearing a bishop's
robes and was said to be accompanied at times by Black Peter, an elf
whose job was to whip the naughty children. [44]
Christmas
historian Miles Clement relates that no "satisfactory account has yet
been given" to the origins of these demons and devils that appear with
St. Nicholas.
It
can hardly be said that any satisfactory account has yet been given of
the origins of this personage, or of his relation to St. Nicholas,
Pelzmarte, and monstrous creatures like the Klapperbock. [45]
Maybe a satisfactory account has been given. Let us keep reading.
Previously,
we established the peculiar fact that today’s Santa Claus and St.
Nicholas are not the same. They never have been. Santa Claus is dressed
in a long shaggy beard, furs, short, burly and obese. The legends of
St. Nicholas portrayed a thin, tall, neatly dressed man in religious
apparel. You could not possibly find two different characters.
If Nicholas, the ascetic bishop of fourth-century Asia Manor, could see Santa Claus, he would not know who he was. [46]
So
the legends of Saint Nicholas afford but a slight clue to the origin
of Santa Klaus,–alike, indeed, in name but so unlike in all other
respects. [47]
The Model For Nast’s Santa..
The startling fact is, Santa Claus is not the Bishop St. Nicholas – but his Dark Helper!
In
certain German children’s games, the Saint Nicholas figure itself is
the Dark Helper, a devil who wants to punish children, but is stopped
from doing so by Christ. [48]
Black
Pete, the ‘grandfather’ of our modern Santa Claus. Known in Holland as
Zwarte Piet, this eighteenth-century German version, is—like his
ancient shamanic ancestor—still horned, fur-clad, scary, and less than
kind to children. Although portrayed as the slave helper of Saint
Nicholas, the two are, in many villages, blended into one character.
This figure often has the name Nikolass or Klaus, but has the swarthy
appearance of the Dark Helper. [49]
Artist
Thomas Nast is rightfully credited for conceiving the image of our
modern day Santa, but Nast’s model for Santa was not the Bishop St.
Nicholas but his dark companion, the evil Pelznickle.
[IPS Note: Nast was an immigrant from Bavaria and was familiar with Pelznickle]
The
Christmas demon Knecht Rupprecht first appeared in a play in 1668 and
was condemned by the Roman Catholic as being a devil in 1680. . . To
the Pennsylvania Dutch, he is known as Belsnickel. Other names for the
same character are Pelznickle, "Furry Nicholas," and Ru-Klas, "Rough
Nicholas." From these names, it is easy to see that he is looked upon as
not merely a companion to St. Nicholas, but almost another version of
him. [50]
In Thomas Nast: His Period and His Pictures, biographer Albert Bigelow Paine, documents that Nast’s Santa was Pelznickle.
But
on Christmas Eve, to Protestant and Catholic alike, came the German
Santa Claus, Pelze-Nicol, leading a child dressed as the Christkind,
and distributing toys and cakes, or switches, according as the parents
made report. It was this Pelze-Nicol – a fat, fur-clad, bearded old
fellow, at whose hands he doubtless received many benefits – that the
boy in later years was to present to us as his conception of the true
Santa Claus – a pictorial type which shall lone endure. [51]
Santa
historian and author, Tony van Renterghem also documents Nast’s Santa
Claus was not Saint Nicholas, but the evil Black Pete–the devil.
Thomas
Nast was assigned to draw this Santa Claus, but having no idea what he
looked like, drew him as the fur-clad, small, troll-like figure he had
known in Bavaria when he was a child. This figure was quite unlike the
tall Dutch Sinterklaas, who was traditionally depicted as a Catholic
bishop. Who he drew was Saint Nicholas’ dark helper, Swarthy, or Black
Pete (a slang name for the devil in medieval Dutch). . . [52]
Santa researcher, Phyllis Siefker, echoes Renterghem’s conclusion:
It
seems obvious, therefore, that Santa Claus can be neither the alter
ego of Saint Nicholas nor the brainchild of Washington Irving. . . If
we peek behind the imposing Saint Nicholas, we see, glowering in the
shadows, the saint’s reprobate companion, Black Pete. He, like Santa,
has a coat of hair, a disheveled beard, a bag, and ashes on his face. .
. In fact, it is this creature, rather than Irving’s creation or an
Asian saint, who fathered Santa Claus. [53]
By
the way, St. Nicholas did not come down the chimney. It was his
fur-clad, dark companion that came down the chimney. One of the reasons
his sidekick was called the "Dark One" or "Black Peter" was because he
was normally covered in soot and ashes from his chimney travels. The
"dark companion" also carried the bag, distributed the goodies and
punished the bad boys and girls.
Children
[in Holland] are told that Black Peter enters the house through the
chimney, which also explained his black face and hands, and would leave
a bundle of sticks or a small bag with salt in the shoe instead of
candy when the child had been bad. [54]
It
is significant that Black Peter, Pelze-Nicol, Knecht Rupprecht and all
of St. Nicholas companions are openly identified as the devil.
To
the medieval Dutch, Black Peter was another name for the devil.
Somewhere along the way, he was subdued by St. Nicholas and forced to
be his servant. [55]
In Denmark, Sweden, and Norway creatures resembling both the Schimmelreiter and the Klapperbock
are or were to be met with at Christmas. . . People seem to have had a
bad conscience about these things, for there are stories connecting
them with the Devil. A girl, for instance, who danced at midnight with a
straw Julebuk, found that her partner was no puppet but the Evil One himself. 56]
Thus,
in parts of Europe, the Church turned Herne into Saint Nicholas’
captive, chained Dark Helper, none other than Satan, the Dark One,
symbolic of all evil. [57]
One of the bizarre jobs of St. Nick’s devilish helper was to "gleefully drag sinners" to hell!
On
the eve of December 6, the myth told that this bearded, white-haired
old ‘saint,’ clad in a wide mantel, rode through the skies on a white
horse, together with his slave, the swarthy Dark Helper. This reluctant
helper had to disperse gifts to good people, but much preferred to
threaten them with his broom-like scourge, and, at a sign of his master,
would gleefully drag sinners away to a place of eternal suffering.
[58]
The shocking truth is Santa Claus originated from a character identified as the devil or
Satan.
Read more at -
http://www.inplainsite.org/html/santa_claus.html#Popularity
Notes:
[13] Anise Hollingshead. St. Nicholas: The Story of Santa Clause.
http://holidays.kaboose.com/christmas/traditions/st-nicholas/xmas-around-stnicholas.html
[14] http://www.time4me.com/card/legend/SantaClaus.html
[15] http://www.statemaster.com/encyclopedia/Santa-Claus [16]
[16] Diana Tierney. Jolly Old Saint Nicholas The evolution of an Icon http://folktalesmyths.suite101.com/article.cfm/jolly_old_saint_nicholas
[17] Francis X. Weiser, Handbook of Christian Feasts and Customs. New York: Harcourt, Brace, and Company, 1958, 113-114
[18] Dr. Richard P. Bucher. The Origin of Santa Claus and the Christian Response to Him.
[19] "Santa Claus" Encyclopaedia Britannica 99. As Quoted in Santa Claus The Great Imposter by Dr. Terry Watkins.
[20]
Crichton, Robin. Who is Santa Claus? The Truth Behind a Living Legend.
Bath: The Bath Press, 1987, pp. 55-56. As Quoted in Santa Claus The
Great Imposter by Dr. Terry Watkins.
[21] As Quoted in Santa Claus The Great Imposter by Dr. Terry Watkins
[22] Guerber, H.A. Myths of Northern Lands. New York: American Book Company, 1895, p. 61
[23] Weiser, Francis X. Handbook of Christian Feasts and Customs. New York: Harcourt, Brace & World, Inc., 1952, p. 113
[24] Ibid. p. 114
[25] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tomte
[26] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jenny_Nystr%C3%B6m
[27]
Barth, Edna. Holly, Reindeer, and Colored Lights, The Story of the
Christmas Symbols. New York: Clarion Books, 1971, p. 49. As Quoted in
Santa Claus The Great Imposter by Dr. Terry Watkins.
[28] http://www.novareinna.com/festive/gift.html
[29] St. Nicholas Center. Saint Nicholas and the Origin of Santa Claus. http://www.stnicholascenter.org/Brix?pageID=35
[30] B. K. Swartz, Jr. The Origin Of American Christmas Myth And Customs. http://www.bsu.edu/web/01bkswartz/xmaspub.html
[31]
Jones, Charles. W. "Knickerbocker Santa Claus." The New-York
Historical Society Quarterly, October 1954, Volume XXXVIII Number Four,
p. 362. As Quoted in Santa Claus The Great Imposter by Dr. Terry
Watkins.
[32]
Siefker, Phyllis. Santa Claus, Last of the Wild Men: The Origins and
Evolution of Saint Nicholas. Jefferson: McFarland & Company, Inc.,
1997, pp. 5,7. As Quoted in Santa Claus The Great Imposter by Dr. Terry
Watkins.
[33]
Weiser, Francis X. Handbook of Christian Feasts and Customs. New York:
Harcourt, Brace & World, Inc., 1952, p. 114. As Quoted in Santa
Claus The Great Imposter by Dr. Terry Watkins.
[34]
Irving, Washington. A History Of New York From The Beginning Of The
World To The End Of The Dutch Dynasty: Paperback edition (2004) from
Kessinger Publishing. p. 88-89
[35] Ibid. p. 98
[36] Robert C. Kennedy. Santa Claus and His Works.
http://www.harpweek.com/09Cartoon/BrowseByDateCartoon.asp?Month=December&Date=25
[36b] http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,1868506_1868508_1868530,00.html
[37] Del Re, Gerard and Patricia. The Christmas Almanack. New York: Random House, 2004, p. 70
[38]Ibid p. 75
[39] Ibid p. 94
[40] Renterghem, Tony van. When Santa Was a Shaman. St. Paul: Llewellyn Publications, 1995, p. 102
[41] Ibid Renterghem, Tony van. When Santa Was a Shaman. St. Paul: Llewellyn Publications, 1995, p. 102
[42]
Siefker, Phyllis. Santa Claus, Last of the Wild Men: The Origins and
Evolution of Saint Nicholas. Jefferson: McFarland & Company, Inc.,
1997, p. 155
[43] "History of Santa Claus," www.christmas-decorations-gifts-store.com/history_of_santa.htm?
[44] "Santa Claus" Microsoft Encarta Encyclopedia 99)
[45]
Miles, Clement A. Christmas in Ritual and Tradition Christian and
Pagan. New York: Frederick A. Stokes Company, 1912, p. 232
[46] Del Re, Gerard and Patricia. The Christmas Almanack. New York: Random House, 2004, pp. 138,141
[47] Walsh, William S. The Story of Santa Klaus. Detroit: Gale Research Company, 1970, p. 54
[48] Renterghem, Tony van. When Santa Was a Shaman. St. Paul: Llewellyn Publications, 1995, p. 105
[49] Ibid p. 98
[50] Del Re, Gerard and Patricia. The Christmas Almanack. New York: Random House, 2004, pp. 93,94
[51] Paine, Albert Bigelow. Thomas Nast: His Period and His Pictures. New York: Chelsea House, 1980, p. 6
[52] Renterghem, Tony van. When Santa Was a Shaman. St. Paul: Llewellyn Publications, 1995, pp. 95-96
[53]
Siefker, Phyllis. Santa Claus, Last of the Wild Men: The Origins and
Evolution of Saint Nicholas. Jefferson: McFarland & Company, Inc.,
1997, p. 15
[54] "Saint Nicholas," Wikipedia Encyclopedia. < en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Nicholas>
[55] Del Re, Gerard and Patricia. The Christmas Almanack. New York: Random House, 2004, p. 44
[56]
Miles, Clement A. Christmas in Ritual and Tradition Christian and
Pagan. New York: Frederick A. Stokes Company, 1912, p. 202
[57] Renterghem, Tony van. When Santa Was a Shaman. St. Paul: Llewellyn Publications, 1995, p. 97
[58] Renterghem, Tony van. When Santa Was a Shaman. St. Paul: Llewellyn Publications, 1995, p. 111
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