Re: OT The historic roots of Santa Claus

["Per Boysen" <perboysen@gmail.com>]

On Thu, Dec 25, 2008 at 1:08 PM, Rick Walker <looppool@cruzio.com> wrote:
> So again we find that
> much of what we consider to be strictly a Christian phenomenon... is 
>again, based in Pagan reality


Thank you for that highly instresting story! Around here I  see an
increased interest in the original Swedish/Nordic culture that was
almost wiped out by the Christian "movement", beginning in 829 (first
Christ rep Ansgar showed up here then, from France,  and started out
spreading the ideas among slaves) . It's fun to find out how smart
those early Christians were, they simply changed the names on many of
the local  traditions in order to let people get on with their normal
life and crating the impression to outside onlookers and later
generations that the culture was fully "christened". The Santa Claus
character is to be found here in the original culture (pre
chistianity) as a sort of "forest gnome". Still in the ninetieth
century some people at non urban areas believed that you have to put
out a plate of porridge on the outer doorstep to feed the "forest
gnome" before going to bed at x-mas night. If remembering to do so,
nothing would happen and life would go on as usual - but if you forgot
to put out his stuff this little guy might get annoyed and cast a bad
spell at your animals, resulting in that you may be stroke with a dead
cow or pig when waking up the next morning. Actually, people believed
that these gnomes were friends with the animals and helped the farmers
to look after them every day and night - no only at Christmas time. So
they were actually regarded as "friends" if treated properly.

Greetings from Sweden

Per Boysen
www.boysen.se (Swedish)
www.looproom.com (international)
www.ubetoo.com/Artist.taf?_ArtistId=6550