In the Saga of Hrolf Kraki, the king refuses gifts of hospitality, armor, and weapons from an old, bearded man missing an eye. In the Volsunga Saga, Odin in his disguise as a wanderer gives Sigmund a magic sword that helps him successfully complete his quests. Surely Odin did not go around giving gifts to good children and punishing bad children like Santa? Well, no, but he was known to be a gift giver and would often show up in disguise to give gifts to worthy people who would need them. Santa was also initially described as riding a horse, and Odin used the same mode of transport. This description is very similar to the disguise that Odin took on when he decided to wander the world in pursuit of knowledge. While these days we imagine Santa Claus in his fluffy red fur-lined suit given to him by Coca-Cola, he was originally described as a gaunt older man with a long white beard and wearing a fur coat and wide-brimmed hat.
Similarly, you could earn the favor of Odin overhead.Īs the leader of the hunt, the All-Father creator deity, and the most important deity in the Viking pantheon, Odin was known as the Yule father. This could be a perilous time for humans, as if you provoked the wrath of the passing gods, they might just strike you down. What did the gods do at Yule? Odin led a group of gods, elves, and ancestral spirits on a great hunt against the ice giants to defeat the forces of chaos and darkness. It was also at this time of year, when there is very little sunlight in Scandinavia, that the walls that divide the worlds were considered to be at their weakest, and gods and men were most likely to interact. The period would include shared hospitality, plenty of feasting and drinking, and even the exchange of gifts between loved ones. Over a 12-day festival known as Jul, family and friends would gather to reinforce the bonds that connected them. Yule time was an important period in the Viking calendar. Most of our sources for Norse practices at Yule come from the Christian period when the lines between old traditions, new practices, and where they meet were already very blurred.īut, with all that said, let’s take a fun look at some of the striking similarities between Odin the All-Father and Yule Father, and Jolly Old St Nicholas, and Norse Yule practices and modern Christmas traditions. It is also worth bearing in mind that cultural influence is multidirectional, and “histories” say just as much about the time in which they were written as the time that they were written about. Modern ideas of Father Christmas are clearly a complex amalgamation of traditions. Let’s not forget that similar and often stronger arguments can be made for the connections between the Greek Saint Nicholas of Myra and the Dutch Sinterklaas and Santa. Also, many Christmas-time rituals can be traced back to pagan practices.īut it is worth treating this “evidence” with healthy scepticism when suggesting that the image of Santa is based on Odin.
If you look at traditions surrounding Santa Claus, especially before Coca-Cola reimagined him for their brand in the 1920s, it is not hard to see similarities.
I have heard quite a few people suggest that the image of Santa Claus, an important character in the Christain Christmas festival, is based on Odin, the All-Father and principal Viking god.
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