Re: How Odin Became Santa Claus: Symbolism and Pagan Origins of a Gift-Giving Saint
wis...@yahoo.com
<zzzxtyry...@googlemail.com> wrote:
>How Odin Became Santa Claus: Symbolism and Pagan Origins of a Gift-
>Giving Saint
>by Anja Heij
>
>http://www.odins-gift.com/poth/1imoth/wildhunt2.gif
>http://img510.imageshack.us/img510/9748/santasleigh800ip3.jpg
>
>The story begins in the northern regions of Europe where the supreme
>god Odin, also known as Wodan among the German tribes, reigned. (He
>still lives among us in Wednesday, which is Wodan’s day). Odin/Wodan
>was the god of wisdom, magick and occult knowledge, runes, poetry and
>war. His name means “the inspired one”. Like a shaman he could travel
>in other worlds to gather more insight while his two black ravens
>Huginn (Thought) and Muninn (Memory) kept him informed about the news
>in the world. Odin was depicted as a tall, old man with a white beard
>and wearing a cloak. He rode the skies and the seas on his fast white
>horse Sleipnir with his 8 (the number of transformation) legs, while
>carrying his never missing spear Gungnir (clear and focused intent) in
>his hand. He had one eye, for he had offered the other eye in exchange
>for gathering wisdom at the well of the head Mimir (Norse
>representation of the Source) and with that he became a shapeshifter,
>able of seeing in the outward world with his normal eye and
>understanding the inward worlds with his black, removed, eye. He was
>very beloved among his friends and followers who felt happy and
>energized in his surroundings (an enlightened being?). His enemies
>however he could paralyze or kill with his sight (insight, the truth).
>Odin trained many men and women as warriors for the final battle
>against the forces of destruction in the underworld at Ragnarok (the
>Norse judgement day). His fearless warriors often painted their bodies
>black and fought in the middle of the night.
>
>The story of Odin/Wodan is the battle between good and evil which will
>stop when we finally realize that black and white are two sides of the
>same coin. Odin is a mythical representation of goodness with his
>wisdom, white beard and white horse (in New Age terms we would depict
>him as ‘white divine light’). And he is wise enough to understand that
>‘black’ is not similar to ‘dark’ in the sense of ‘evil and taboo’ for
>his helpers are black ravens and black (spiritual) warriors. The evil
>he fights is the underworld dragon of false beliefs, untruth and
>selfishness (in New Age terms we would call this ‘ego’).
>(So now we have a wise, good man performing magick/miracles with a
>white horse riding the skies, a white beard, a cloak, a spear and
>black advisors/informers/helpers and he is also god of poetry).
>
>Next we go to the Roman empire where between December 17 and 24 the
>pagan Saturnalia were celebrated, big feasts with a lot of
>merrymaking, dancing, gambling, sensuality and the exchange of gifts.
>This festival was meant to celebrate the return of the sun on the
>shortest days of the year and to counteract the depression due to lack
>of sunlight.
>(Here we find December celebrations with gifts.)
>
>Time goes by. Christianity develops itself. In the 4th century in
>Myra, Turkey, a Christian bishop named Nicholas lived with a great
>reputation for goodness, benevolence and performing miracles for the
>poor and unhappy. He miraculously supplied gold to three (number of
>manifestation) girls as marriage dowries so they did not have to
>become prostitutes and he brought three children back to life who had
>been chopped by a butcher. It is not difficult to understand that
>during the poverty of the Middle Ages (also called Dark Ages) this
>bishop became extremely popular as Saint Nicholas in all parts of
>Europe. His feastday, it was said to be his birthday, was December 5
>or 6, nobody knows. There is no historical evidence however for the
>true existence of this saint.
>(So now we see a benevolent, miracle performing bishop with a white
>dress and a red cloak.)
>
>After the Reformation Saint Nicholas became forgotten in all the
>protestant countries of Europe except Holland. There he became
>Sinterklaas; a kind and wise old man with a white beard, white dress,
>red cloak, a crosier and riding the skies and roofs of the houses on
>his white horse, accompanied by his Black Jacks. Sinterklaas will
>visit you on his birthday December 5 or 6 and donate gifts. His Black
>Jacks have miraculously gathered information about your behavior
>during the last year; if it were good you will now be rewarded with
>presents, if it were bad you will be punished by the Black Jacks who
>will beat you with their rods or even worse: put you in a big bag and
>take you with to Spain, said to be the residence of Sinterklaas. The
>last thing seems to be a Christian influence: punishment by a severe
>father if you don’t behave morally just. On the other hand: if you do
>behave nice you will be rewarded with sweets and gifts accompanied by
>humoristic poems that give insight in your weaknesses.
>(Here the mix becomes clear between Odin the good magician god and the
>miracles of the benevolent Sinterklaas. They both ride a white horse
>in the skies,wear a white beard, a cloak and a spear/cosier. They both
>have black helpers. They try to support goodness and dispel evil
>through knowledge. And remember the poetry part? And the blend with
>Roman influences shows itself in a December feast with gaiety and
>presents.)
>
>In the 17th century Dutchmen emigrated to Northern America and brought
>their tradition of Sinterklaas with. In the new English speaking world
>the name changed into Santa Claus. In 1930 a designer for the Coca-
>Cola Company was asked to draw attractive advertisements for this
>drink that did not sell well in wintertime. He had to use the company
>colors red and white and create some cosy type. He remembered the
>Dutch Santa Claus with his white dress, red cloak, long white beard,
>kindness and benevolence. The eight-legged horse was replaced for
>eight flying reindeer. A punishing Black Jack was inappropriate in
>this concept, so he disappeared. This new Santa Claus became a big
>hit. He became so popular that right now in Europe he is serious
>competition for Sinterklaas. That’s understandable: no more fear for
>punishing Black Jacks, and you no longer have to sweat on suitable
>poetry for your gifts. And the search for human perfection of Odin?
>Well, can’t we just have that as a Christmas present from Santa Claus?
>
>http://www.stormfront.org/forum/showthread.php?t=535855
James Hatten
pyotr filipivich
<photoni...@earthlink.net> wrote on Tue, 9 Dec 2008 04:17:27
-0800 in talk.politics.guns :
>More of your Neo-Nazi weirdness again.
And worse of all, he's wrong.
Santa Claus is a corruption of "San Nicolas" - Saint Nicholas.
Nicholas was a wonderworking bishop in the 4th century, and became
associated with gifts for children. The custom was brought to Neuw
Amsterdam by the Dutch, and when the English took over, the custom
continued, and eventually was merged with the celebration of
Christmass.
The contemporary image of a"fat old elf" is based in equal parts
Thomas Nash and Coca-cola advertising. Santa Claus is a "Madison
Avenue" merchandising figure for their annual festival of Mammon.
St Nicholas still brings gifts to good girls and boys. Not to
mention interceding before Almighty God for those who rightly ask.
He's considered the patron saint of Greece, Russia, sailors and
pawnbrokers. Go figure.
tschus
pyotr
--
pyotr filipivich
"Quemadmoeum gladuis neminem occidit, occidentis telum est. "
Lucius Annaeus Seneca, circa 45 AD
(A sword is never a killer, it is a tool in the killer's hands.)
Heidi Graw
><wis...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
>news:24erj41mg9okhqn37...@4ax.com...
> On Mon, 8 Dec 2008 02:10:24 -0800 (PST), LOVE Europe HATE the EU
> <zzzxtyry...@googlemail.com> wrote:
>
>>How Odin Became Santa Claus: Symbolism and Pagan Origins of a Gift-
>>Giving Saint
>>by Anja Heij
I think Odin as Santa Claus is a bit of a stretch.
However, Odin as Yule-Father handing out gifts
to those worthy of them is very much an ancient
heathen tradition.
http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=H-vvAGxCwf8
Happy Holy Nights!
Heidi
wis...@yahoo.com
wrote:
Thanks for your comments Heidi. Note the weirdo who
posted some gibberish about neo-nazis!
ted
>
>