Cary G Dean.
Dial-the-Truth Ministries
Where did Santa come from?
Nearly all Santa researchers agree that some traits of Santa were borrowed from Norse [Scandinavian] mythology.
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, aka ( Satan Lucas ).
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.
("Santa Claus" Encyclopaedia Britannica 99)
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.
(For all you Futurama fans, their idea of Santa is very close to this one, but without the machine gun and heat seeking missile's)
(Crichton, Robin. Who is Santa Claus? The Truth Behind a Living Legend).
Bath: The Bath Press, 1987, pp. 55-56) Mythologist Helene Adeline Guerber presents a very convincing case tracing Santa to the Norse god Thor in Myths of Northern Lands:
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. (Guerber, H.A. Myths of Northern Lands. New York: American Book Company, 1895, p. 61)
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 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.
Even today in Sweden, Thor represents Santa Claus.
The book, The Story of the Christmas Symbols, records:
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. (Barth, Edna. Holly, Reindeer, and Colored Lights, The Story of the Christmas Symbols. New York: Clarion Books, 1971, p. 49)
Thor was probably history's most celebrated and worshipped pagan god.
His widespread influence is particularly obvious on the fifth day of the week, which is named after him
Thursday (a.k.a. Thor's Day).
( Also Note It's saying here that Thursday is the Fifth day of the week, not the fourth, which means Sun-day is not the seventh day, but the first ).
It is ironic that Thor's symbol was a hammer.
A hammer is also the symbolic tool of the carpenter
Santa Claus.
It is also worth mentioning that Thor's helpers were elves and like Santa's elves, Thor's elves were skilled craftsman.
It was the elves who created Thor's magic hammer.
In the Handbook of Christian Feasts and Customs, author Francis Weiser traces the origin of Santa to Thor:
"Behind the name Santa Claus actually stands the figure of the pagan Germanic god Thor." (Weiser, Francis X. Handbook of Christian Feasts and Customs. New York: Harcourt, Brace & World, Inc., 1952, p. 113)
After listing some of 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 nothing to do with Christ's Birthday, The Nativity, or Religion (Weiser, Francis X. Handbook of Christian Feasts and Customs. New York: Harcourt, Brace & World,
Inc., 1952, p. 114)
Another interesting trait of Thor is recorded by H.R. Ellis Davidson in Scandinavian Mythology,
"It was Thor who in the last days of heathenism was regarded as the chief antagonist of Christ."
(Davidson, H.R. Ellis. Scandinavian Mythology. New York: Peter Bedrick Books, 1982, p. 133)
In case you are not aware, an "Antagonist" is an enemy, adversary or replacement.
The bizarre and mutual attributes of Thor and Santa are no accident.
While the pagan brush strokes of Norse mythology has painted some of the traits of Santa Claus, there exists another brush stroke coloring Santa that bids our close inspection.
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?.
( Hence the Anagram of SANTA'S name "SATAN LUCAS" )
One of his dark duties was to punish children and
("Gleefully drag them to HELL!!!.")
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, aka ( Satan Lucas ).
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.
("Santa Claus" Encyclopaedia Britannica 99)
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.
(For all you Futurama fans, their idea of Santa is very close to this one, but without the machine gun and heat seeking missile's)
(Crichton, Robin. Who is Santa Claus? The Truth Behind a Living Legend).
Bath: The Bath Press, 1987, pp. 55-56) Mythologist Helene Adeline Guerber presents a very convincing case tracing Santa to the Norse god Thor in Myths of Northern Lands:
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. (Guerber, H.A. Myths of Northern Lands. New York: American Book Company, 1895, p. 61)
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 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.
Even today in Sweden, Thor represents Santa Claus.
The book, The Story of the Christmas Symbols, records:
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. (Barth, Edna. Holly, Reindeer, and Colored Lights, The Story of the Christmas Symbols. New York: Clarion Books, 1971, p. 49)
Thor was probably history's most celebrated and worshipped pagan god.
His widespread influence is particularly obvious on the fifth day of the week, which is named after him
Thursday (a.k.a. Thor's Day).
( Also Note It's saying here that Thursday is the Fifth day of the week, not the fourth, which means Sun-day is not the seventh day, but the first ).
It is ironic that Thor's symbol was a hammer.
A hammer is also the symbolic tool of the carpenter
Santa Claus.
It is also worth mentioning that Thor's helpers were elves and like Santa's elves, Thor's elves were skilled craftsman.
It was the elves who created Thor's magic hammer.
In the Handbook of Christian Feasts and Customs, author Francis Weiser traces the origin of Santa to Thor:
"Behind the name Santa Claus actually stands the figure of the pagan Germanic god Thor." (Weiser, Francis X. Handbook of Christian Feasts and Customs. New York: Harcourt, Brace & World, Inc., 1952, p. 113)
After listing some of 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 nothing to do with Christ's Birthday, The Nativity, or Religion (Weiser, Francis X. Handbook of Christian Feasts and Customs. New York: Harcourt, Brace & World,
Inc., 1952, p. 114)
Another interesting trait of Thor is recorded by H.R. Ellis Davidson in Scandinavian Mythology,
"It was Thor who in the last days of heathenism was regarded as the chief antagonist of Christ."
(Davidson, H.R. Ellis. Scandinavian Mythology. New York: Peter Bedrick Books, 1982, p. 133)
In case you are not aware, an "Antagonist" is an enemy, adversary or replacement.
The bizarre and mutual attributes of Thor and Santa are no accident.
While the pagan brush strokes of Norse mythology has painted some of the traits of Santa Claus, there exists another brush stroke coloring Santa that bids our close inspection.
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?.
( Hence the Anagram of SANTA'S name "SATAN LUCAS" )
One of his dark duties was to punish children and
("Gleefully drag them to HELL!!!.")
About the Author:
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Dr. Terry Watkins, Th.D.
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Dr. Terry Watkins, Th.D.
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