From grandiose beginnings as the Norse god Odin to the Symbol of a holiday Santa Clause has slowly evolved over time into the jolly old man that we know today.
“His eyes- how they twinkled! His dimples how merry! His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry his droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow and the beard of his chin was as white as the snow” – Clement Clark Moore
This is the description given by Clement Clark Moore in his famous poem “T’was the night before Christmas.” However, this description of Santa Clause is not the first nor is it the product of Moore’s imagination when he wrote this poem in 1823. The legend of Santa Clause is not based on one single myth but on several which have cumulated over time to form the gift giving man that we know today. The image that we have of Santa Clause today is based off a virtual hodgepodge of gift giving old men.
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. The Dutch also internalized the gift giver myth into their culture. They dubbed the man Sinter Klaas, he was an old man that wore bishop’s robes and rode on a white horse. Saint Nicholas as we all know as the alternative to the Santa Clause name originated in an area that is now known as Turkey. Nicholas was a very wealthy man that enjoyed sharing his wealth with the poor in his community. He was known for throwing small bags of gold in through windows of good children. His good nature and extraordinary kindness is what elevated him to saint hood he is also considered to be the only saint that died of natural causes.
Jolly old Saint Nicholas didn’t come over to the United States until the Dutch began to settle in what is now New York in the 17th century. The story of Saint Nick became a literary figure in 1809. Under the penname Dietrich Knickerbocker “A history of New York” in this satiric history of the Dutch regime of New York the Eccentric Knickerbocker gives the format for the modern Santa that we know today arriving on horseback on each eve of St. Nicholas. The penname of Knickerbocker was for Mr. Washington Irving, the same author of “Sleepy Hollow” and "Rip Van Winkle". Irving is considered the father of the American Short Story. Which brings us to Clement Clark Moore’s poem based on Irving’s writing which also adds the names of the reindeer to the legend.
This image was perpetuated by Thomas Nast for Harper’s Magazine in the mid 1800’s. Nast included into the legend Santa’s workshop at the North Pole and the standard Naughty and nice list. However through all of this Santa clause remained an elf until the Coca-Cola Company saw an excellent opportunity for advancing their product during the Christmas season. Here they turned him human size and only made his workers elves.
Through out the evolution of Santa Claus one thing has remained the same. A spirit of goodwill and the childlike wonder that is associated with this character has been carried through the ages.
