Introduction
So who am I, now that is a question I am often asked. My most popular modern name is Santa, but I am known by many names across the world. Santa Claus, Père Noël, Papá Noel, Pai Natal, Babbo Natale, Daidí na Nollag, Weihnachtsmann, Siôn Corn, Joulupukki, Mikulas, Sinteklaas, the list goes on. If, like me you travel the world and get known by enough people they will all focus on an aspect of who you are and a name will grow accordingly. Almost like a nickname for a person you know well but have forgotten their real name, and that really doesn’t matter. Another common question is how old are you, many have their own ideas and many of them are not that far from the truth, but often the idea of how old I am falls a little short, well, very short to be honest. So lets start from the beginning and try and make a little sense of this book of me.
So where do I come from, when did I start, that is the hardest question. I am more ancient than even I can imagine and predate time itself, very much like others that started their journey in the same way. Once again, we have many names; celestial, deity, god (with a small g) angel, malaikah, devas, the list goes on but all our purposes are the same. We were created before time itself to accompany and support the one true God (you know the guy with a big G), Allah, Brahma/Vishnu/Shiva, Yahweh, Elahah. As cultures and people expanded through history new languages and names have been created and added. Our role hasn’t really changed throughout time, but how we are seen by many has, we were assigned to provide guidance and protection and assurance of his divine presence, offer comfort and protection. In this role we all have particular duties that vary and adapt with the growth of humanity, whispering in the ears of those who will listen and try to guide and offer options in line with his plan.
My most notable role in the distant past was to assist those that had died, to help them find their way to the afterlife, inspire development and consideration for others and an understanding of faith and hope. It was in this role that I started to leave gifts for children when times were tough and hope was needed.
As the human race grew and developed it became more beautifully diverse and the needs of the people changed from place to place. Over time the ideas of what I did adapted and changed with it. But lets look at when this all really began for me, my role as Wodan, Wooden or Odin and further east Veles or Volos.
People had spread further around the world and many had settled in the more Northerly Parts of what is now Europe. Faiths, opinions and beliefs started to change and it was my task to keep people on the right track. As they evolved in the colder regions the people started to put a lot of faith in their ancestors, asking for support and favor, leaving gifts and prayer toward Mother Earth and Father Sky. This could make separate tribes of people quite insular so it was encouraged for them to join beliefs together. My role of Father Sky moved to the god(remember that is with a small g) of the underworld, livestock, protector of Heros and I stood over the other deities that provided support for him in the human realm. Mother Earth became the goddess of motherhood and marriage, prophecy and rain, the merging of water and land and fertility, she was known as my wife and was called Frigg, the wife of Odin. or Avovushka the wife of Veles.
It was noticed that over time the people grew a bit over focused on the gods of the time, which was not the plan, so whispers were whispered and ideas were planted. Those that listened became prophets and new religious beliefs were born, all very similar with common beginnings focusing on the one true God, this, over time allowed us to step back and focus on our core roles of providing hope and support for the developing populations. Judaism, Islam and later Christianity just to name a few of the religions grew in their own way and many stepped away from the old pagan ways but still value charity, giving and kindness. Later I had to change my form again to fit in with the new order of things but the customs of giving gifts to children and instilling hope in the cold winter months pushed through, along with other more obscure traditions. Such as decorating trees and singing. Here is where I started to be recognised in my role of St. Nicholas, as well as others.
Why am I writing this book? It is not for a religious reason and it is not for gratitude towards the work that I and others do. This book is to recognise the consistency of human nature that, especially when times get hardest, hope and kindness push through. Every year I am constantly impressed at the charity, selfnessness and underlying caring nature of people. People who often don’t see it in themselves, thinking that as a species they are selfish and mean, which in reality could not be farther from the truth. After all, how could a species that did not have goodness at its core be so passionate about making sure the young the sick and the old were so well looked after and at least once a year the children could look forward to gifts from a kindly stranger. This itself encourages them to think about others as they get older.
So here are a few stories of myself and my friends taken through time by way of saying thankyou to you all and keep up the good work.
Santa. X
Chapter one
Odin’s Story
To tell this part of my story I must take you right back, over a couple of thousand years I must guess. Back to a much more ancient time, a time where the new cutting edge technology was just that, something that could cut edges better. I suppose to put a name to it we would have been at the end of what would have been referred to as the Bronze age. The world was a very different place back then, pockets of people living, at many times, very remotely from others. Family units had grown into villages and small cultural groups and were ruled by elders and chieftains. Although there was a lot of separatism caused by distance between groups they had all evolved from related family overtime, as have all the people across the world today. To help with diversity of goods, food, textiles and tools, trade had developed and was a large part of the social calendar. The passing of each year, times to meet and trade, share ideas and make new alliances reflected this. During the summer tribes from far and wide would meet, often at small stone or wood circles, to give thanks for the animals and the land that sustained them. The longest day, the summer solstice was a time to get together, enjoy the warmth of the sun and generally revel in everything that was good that nature gave and to make offerings to bid favour to the ancestors and mother earth and father sky to bring the same and push back the inevitable winter months yet to come.
The shortest day of the year was a similar affair, villages, tribes and groups would gather, with the prolonged nights around the winter Solstice stories of the ancestors would be told, stories of ghosts and a belief that the spirits of the dead were somehow closer. This started to develop not a time of mystery and sometimes fear. Offerings were made once again to mother earth, father sky and the ancestors, who the people thought would hear them clearly as they would be closer in the dark. The people of the time would chant and sing and pray the cold and dark would pass and once again the spring would come brining with it new life and warmth.
During this time I took on the role of father sky and my companion, my other half if you like, became mother earth. In the mental meaning we all have two halves the logical, calm and considered side, also the more dreamer, the imaginer, the inner child. This can often be said about our physical nature, during our time we often gravitate to that special someone who compliments us as a being and make us whole, that other being or person makes us whole as they are often quite different, hence the saying opposites attract, mother earth was and is the other half of me.
I was given this role, very much because of the natural characteristics he had given me, some may say a bit of a wild card, passionate and playful. As such I am the helper of heroes, encouraging bravery and the value of self sacrifice for others, this passed on to being referred to and considered the god of war. I would like to take the opportunity to explain this as war is not really something that I advocate and war in this sense is not what it at first appears. The word war comes from a very old words, in old English, wyrre and were, the old Saxon and Old High German it was werran, proto Germanic werzo and modern German verwirren. The meaning of these words is to confuse or to perplex and to bring confusion. This would often describe the weather and day / night patterns of the winter, when clear sky becomes dark. Peaceful skies become confused and angry, making noises and winds change strengths and direction without warning. The words also became associated and then stood for conflict as in any battle the only constant is confusion.
Through time my partner, my wife, mother earth would be known as Frigg and as such she governed marriage, family, stability and prophecy and therefore order. My role also changed and molded into a character they called Odin, the all father, guide of the underworld helping the dead find their way to the afterlife, champion of heroes, god of war, magic and tricks, (confusion), creativity and poems, this is how stories were told for many a millennia before the written word. With the stability of Frigg and the confusion of Odin there is balance to our partnership.
Each winter the people would talk about how I would lead the great hunt, a war against the ice giants in the north who were trying to take over the realm of man, and each year we would push them back to allow in the spring and the easier times. All very exciting and all very dramatic. Frigg would support me looking forward, ensuring people and animals alike would find each other and ensure new life and the plans for later gatherings, farming and harvests could be made.
In my form of Odin one of my roles was to push back the winter weather. The people of the time told stories of how I led the great hunt, pushing back the ice giants, this caused weather disruption, storms and bitter cold. The people of the North would join together in their villages and family groups, sing and be merry. In preparation of this they preserved and made sweet food and mead and during the mid-winter they would celebrate and look forward to the spring as the days stopped getting shorter and started to get longer. It was at this time the people would tell tales of how I would ride out on my eight-legged horse, Sleipnir, and visit the homes of the children. If they had been good I’d leave little gifts, something for them to look forward to over this cold and hard time. A little break to help them on the way to spring. Sleipnir was the fastest of all horses and could travel faster than the wind itself, having the ability to travel between the realm of the gods and the human realm. This meant that I could move freely between the heavens and earth without the need of the Bifrost bridge, a creation of the elves. Sleipnir is an impressive beast, to look at him you would think him wild, even dangerous, but like in many situations looks can be very deceiving as he is a kind and thoughtful sole, but he is fast, very fast and when he runs he can distort even time itself. He is a horse born of what the people thought to be magic and his supernatural speed attributed to his having eight legs.
During my time as Odin the gatherings slowly took on an added dimension and overtime the winter solstice period was called Yule. A large tree would often be selected and the trunk lit and left to burn throughout the period of festivities. Other trees in the forest, often furs, revered because of their ability to stay green during the winter when other trees go brown and loose all foliage, were decorated and gifts hung from their branches. During this time the people would often refer to me as the Yule Father. Dark stories were still told and I used to love listening in. One of the freedoms I have always been permitted is the one to walk among the people. I can dress as the people and walk amongst them undiscovered. Have you ever walked past someone in the park or on the street, you might see them and give a smile and walk by thinking it is someone you know but later not remember where from. Maybe see the same person again some time later, again smile and forget to ask them who they are. But feel totally safe around them and at ease. That could possibly be me in one of my many disguises that I use to get to know the people. I can be anything from Santa to a child, an old lady to a soldier. It has always been important to me to know what was happening so I can help guide good and positive thought. I cannot get directly involved with the religions and politics of man but the right word in the right ear can do wonders. Even back then the world was starting to get larger and I had two little helpers, Huggin and Munnin, my raven friends who would watch and listen, and they would let me know if further investigation from me was needed.
While adults looked forward to the winter solstice and Yuletide celebrations, it was often difficult for children, especially the younger ones. The constant changes from warm to cold and light to dark were unsettling. Adults enjoyed the festivities and anticipated spring, viewing it as a brief period.
For children, however, the winter seemed endless and frightening with stories of ghosts, ancestors, and the threat of punishments for misbehaviour. This always bothered me, as children are innocent and must accept these harsh realities imposed on them. I consulted Frigg, as she is wise and very good with these things, and she suggested treating the children. Give the children something positive to look forward to in the midst of this dark time of mid-winter. Just something small, a gift of some sort. After consulting the rules of my role and checking no rules were being broken it was decided and a new annual task was undertaken. During the great hunt Sleipnir and I would slip away, using his great speed and ability to bend and warp time we visited the children, leaving simple gifts of wooden balls, play swords and carts etc. Giving the children something to look forward to, a positive reason to try and stay good during the long nights, something other than punishment. Simple gifts, but the children cherished them.
Now it has to be said that I tried my best but I am no toy maker, back at my home of Asgard I had to seek a little help for this task. Did you know that much of what we take for granted was considered magic? Some still is. Think about how you would explain a mobile phone or virtual reality to someone from the middle ages or an x-ray machine or contactless charging to someone from the 1700’s. In Asgard our technology was and still is maintained by the Elves and Dwarfs. There are many types of both and these predate even the earliest humans. Some Dwarfs are master forgers and experts in construction, creating fantastic structures that would and still sometimes do, boggle the minds of modern engineers. Elves tend to come in two variations, often referred to as good and bad Elves. Although they are almost indistinguishable the bad Elves can be selfish, arrogant and seek power where as the good Elves have focused their minds on Elvish technology. Some Elves live amongst humans, and if you know what to look for you might be able to spot one, these will often help with technical development. Making sure that technological growth matches human responsibility. This is not an exact science and sometimes some advancements are seen before time, often referred to as magic, and sometimes a human will discover something fantastic and brilliant but too early. Sadly this can often lead to mis-use and that can set things back many years.
Some of the structures the Elves and Dwarfs have created that are still in use today are, amongst other things; levitation and flight, space and size distortion and re-allocation, time manipulation (for very short periods) and the technology that powers and runs the Bifrost bridge – trans dimensional and faster than light travel. All of which I now use as it has been built into my sledge. As I said the Elves and Dwarfs are hugely gifted but kind and were really keen to help the human children and eagerly set up a factory to ensure all the children could get a gift, Always remember magic is often confused with technology we don’t understand. Do you know someone who is good at building things, construction, engines, buildings or scaffolding? Then they might be part Dwarf. Do you know someone who is great with technology, maths, science or medicine? Then they may be part Elf. Have a little think. It could be you.
Over time the children spoke excitedly about this dark time and fear was replaced with hope, enough hope to get them through the worst of the winter and start to look forward and hope for a warm spring. During the week before I would arrive the children would get excited about the visit from me, Odin the Yule Father on my magical horse Sleipnir, trying to guess what gift they may receive that year.
Then a strange thing happened, as if from no where, all over the world children started to have the same conversation. They were worried that Sleipnir would get tired and struggle to see them all, and suddenly one winter, during our Yule trip Children took to leaving straw and vegetables in their tiny boots and a bowl of water, set outside their houses for Sleipnir. Sometimes a little something for me, just to say thank you and keep Sleipnir’s energy up as he rode through the sky from village to village. So I started leaving the gifts in the tiny boots. This tradition has been going on now for thousands of years in one form or other and I love it. The boots have changed to stockings, but I will tell you more about that later. I often talk to Frigg and compliment her on her fantastic idea, the best job I have ever had.
Chapter Two
The Stone Circle
Back in the Pagan days and during my time as Odin I used to join the people as they made there way in what is now England, down toward the South West of the country. Each winter, during the solstice, many families and tribes would make there way to the great stone circle, now known as Stonehendge. Made thousands of years before and still a mystery to the modern archeologists and scientists on how people built it, you can probably guess it was the work of the ancient Dwarfs. Once part of a much larger and long gone structure, but left behind by the Dwarfs. First ignored and then adopted by the people. Its alignment with the stars and the movement of the sun, making out both the longest and shortest days of the year encouraged the first understandings of the solar system and offered pivotal reference points to the year, when the light would change and a point of reference between summer and winter.
I enjoyed observing the Winter Solstice gatherings and would often make a point of joining the event in one of my many disguises. Listening to the stories, enjoying the chatter and watching friends, new and old meet and greet each other.
This story starts along the road, an old worn track leading to the stone circle from the north. I would sit by the side of the road and as the people passed I would join their group. People would greet me like an old forgotten friend and I would join in their conversations and jokes, listen to their stories and learn more of where they were from and how their year had been. Then after a few miles I would drop back and leave them unnoticed and unmissed.
On this particular day many of the conversations started to follow the same pattern. “Did you see that family near the river?” or “If that mother and her children don’t pick up the pace then they will be caught out by the cold.” These were a few of the common comments and concerns shared. I could not have been far from the stone circle when I started to pick up more concerning news. “She must have spent all night by the river with those children, we gave her some food but she seemed very sluggish.” And “The little girl was doing her best to help her mother look after her little brother, but she can’t be more than six years old and she looked very tired”. I decided to investigate and started to make my way back northwards along the track. The stories became more and more concerning, and I have to admit that I regretted asking Sleipnir to leave me and return after 12 nights. I thought his extra legs might draw a little too much attention, I had even let Huggin and Munnin take some time to themselves so I could not send for help. So here I was, in the human realm, disguised in human form with all the limitations that brings ,needing to cover many, many miles worried something might be wrong.
The closer I got the worse the stories got until. “Yes, some of the men have stayed with them. They have lit a fire and are trying to keep her warm.” ‘oh, no’ I thought, ‘the mother must be really ill, what about the children, who will care for them.’ But it was worse than that. The little girl had gone to get some water from the river and was followed by her little brother. As little brothers do, he started to play and mess around by the rivers edge, his sister fearing he would fall ran to pull him back but herself slipped and fell into the icy cold water which instantly pulled her under. The boy cried out as his siter was pulled down stream away from him. It was only good fortune that saw another family group on the opposite bank and the men ran down the rivers edge managing to stop the girl and pull her into safety. The men took the girl back to her mother, collecting her brother enroute. It was clear that the child’s mother was not well as at some point an irritant or poison had got into her diet. Whatever she had eaten had not been digested by the children as they were not showing any signs of sickness. Two of the men told their family to keep moving and they would try to warm the girl and tend to the mother.
When I turned up the fire was lit and burning well, a shelter had been constructed for protection from the freezing rain that had started, again, and the girl was wrapped in a fur, but still very, very cold and not at all well. As I approached I called out, “Hello”. Clearly everyone thought they new me but very quickly the smiles of recognition from the men turned to angry. Where had I been? How could I leave the family etc. Natural assumptions from concerned men, which wasn’t eased when the little girl said, “Hello Grandfather, where have you been, we have been waiting for you.” In her confused state she recognised me and the emotion was that of a child toward a loved grandparent. “I’m sorry Granddaughter, I got a little lost.” I replied and sat and accepted the barrage of abuse issued to me by the heroic strangers who gathered their possessions and left.
I turned to the mother, now I am no Elf physician but I do know a few things. I took a bowl and scooped some of the stones out of the fire to place into and heat the water to boiling point. I also pulled some wood out of the fire and ground the charcoal to mix with the water. Once the mixture had cooled I woke the woman, and despite her objections got her to drink the cool, black liquid. Before she fell asleep again the mother asked after her children, “How is my boy Beorma, and my girl Isolde?” she mumbled as she slowly drifted into sleep. The true of it was the boy, about 2 years old was once again looking for mischief and if it wasn’t raining then I would have had quite the job to keep him in one place but the little girl was not well at all.
As the long winter night drew on the small boy cuddled in next to his mother and fell asleep. I don’t sleep like humans do and this often gives me more time for adventures but I have to admit this was one of the longest and hardest nights of my life. With every passing minute, every passing hour I could quite literally see the mother getting better. I could see the warmth returning to her body which was starting to relax and showing signs of real sleep. The same could not be said of the little girl, Isolde, who was slowly loosing the battle. Her skin was cold and her breathing was getting very shallow. Her limbs were limp and now she could not be woken to sip the warm nettle tea. I really feared that this would be the end of the brave young girl that had tried to save her mother and protected her brother, it seemed so unfair. Why should she suffer with so much to offer, why should she suffer when all she has done in her short hard life was think of others.
In that moment I felt I had only one option, and that was to break a few rules and cross the line between man and celestial. It is common thought that we are eternal, and for the most part we are, but we can be killed, its hard, but we can. Our body tolerances are much higher than the mortality of humans but we do have our limits. One of which is the incredible cold of tridimensional and faster than light travel, such as using the Bifrost bridge or when I ride Sleipnir. To counter this the Elfic physicians had developed a serum. To counter the cold and to keep me safe I need to take two big gulps from my flask before I travel. I knew that this much would probably kill a human, let alone a human child. But as the night drew on the more worried I became. I had lived thousands of years, but never have I experienced the slowness of time as I did as I sat, worrying about this little girl. The little girl that called me grandfather.
‘It couldn’t be long until dawn now,’ I thought to myself as ‘Granddaughter’s’ breathing became more laboured. Her head limp and her little body cold and lifeless. She was really starting to struggle, this was the end and I had never felt so heartbroken. It was more than I could stand, just a drop, the tiniest bit of a drop. ‘Surely it wont do any harm, what could be worse that her imminent fate anyway,’ I thought.
So I took some of the water, and in the dim glow of the fire I added the tiniest drop. Placing the cup against her tiny lips I gently poured the liquid into her mouth, gently rubbing her throat to encourage her to swallow. Much of the water was lost but at least she swallowed some. I wrapped Isolde, my new-found Granddaughter, tightly in her fur and placed her near the fire. All I could do now was to sit and wait and see what the new day would bring and invest in a little hope of my own.
As the days slowly presented itself the mother started to stir. “Good morning Grandfather.” She said to me as she woke. Clearly the same emotion of recognition that her daughter felt when she first saw me. “Good morning,” I replied. As I offered her some dried fruit and nuts. By now the force of nature that was Beorma was awake. Jumping around, getting into things and wanting the attention that a 2 year old needs. The mother went over to where Isolde lay. “Wait.” I said, let me. I was so worried it had not worked and my stomach ached with fear as I went to the little body wrapped in fur. If it had not worked I really did not want her mother to find out in that way. As I got closer to the furry bundle it twitched, then it wriggled and finally it moved with an explosive kick and up jumped Isolde. “Mother, Grandfather, its morning”, she shouted as he flung her arms around her mum, “What’s for breakfast? Nuts and berries again I bet! Will we make it to the stone circle today? It has stopped raining and its nice out.” She continued as she threw herself into my lap. As a tear ran down my cheek mother asked me what was wrong, “oh, its nothing, just the smoke from the fire.” I said as I stoked it to start it up again to heat some water.
At this point I would just like to point out being called grandfather is not unusual for me, nor is uncle or even dad or daddy. When in human form, as previously mentioned, I give off the aura of someone you know. The young or the sick will often confuse this as a family member, because that is how they feel safest. I will often go along with this as it helps to keep the mystique. Especially if a parent says “isn’t it nice to see Santa.” When I visit to a child who replies, “But its just daddy silly”, just as the real daddy walks into the room. Priceless.
For the rest of the day we walked toward the stone circle, meeting others on the way and chatting. Granddaughter clearly enjoyed the company of others and I smiled as she ran and played with the other children. I watched as she played with one eye on her little brother, clearly enjoying herself but mindful of the attention he needed. Showing the playfulness of a child her age but the maturity of a much older sister. A very impressive and loving little girl. As the day drew on the light started to drop and we made camp again as we shared food snow started to fall and we talked into the night until eventually the family fell asleep. I sat and watched over them for a while before taking myself for a stroll.
As the sun started to rise and the family still slept all huddled in a ball I took the animal skin bags and went to the river to collect some water. As I was filling the first bag I could hear something behind me and as I turned I could see Granddaughter stood in the water behind me, bear footed as casual as if it was a summer day. “Where are your boots Granddaughter?” I asked, you will get cold again, “There is snow on the ground and you will make yourself unwell.” Isolde put her little hands on her hips and smiled. “But its not cold today Grandfather, “ she laughed, “The snow feels warm and the water is lovely.”
As we continued our walk toward the Stone circle I continued to watch Isolde. The children were throwing snow and playing amongst it, their energy and youth keeping them warm for a bit but all having to return to their parents periodically to dry and warm hands and feet, collect warm drinks and the occasional cuddle, but not Granddaughter. She played out all day, only returning when mother called her back. Playing with one group of children followed by the next, clearly showing that the cold meant nothing to her, and I remember thinking that this was the effect of the serum and would probably wear off but it was good she could enjoy her newfound freedom for now.
Once at the stone circle I helped the mother and her children find her people and made my leave. Over the remainder of my time I kept my distance and watched from afar. As usual within minutes of me leaving I was just the flavour of a memory to her, in fact most of her trip to the stone circle was a bit of a blur but she dismissed it as she recalled being ill and attributed it to just being tired. The day of my leaving I watched Granddaughter from across a clearing in the shelters and tents, she was sat on a rock and talking with her mother. “But where is Grandfather?” She asked, “Oh really Isy, stop this,” her mother replied, “You know he is too old and weak to come.” You will see him when we get home. I remember thinking that this was unusual, for a human to make such an attachment but as I left I thought that it wouldn’t be too long before this would pass.
