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If you grew up in a place where Christmas is celebrated, chances are good that you’ve heard the song – or at least the story – of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. But it turns out that Rudolph is just one of the more recent additions to mythology, dating back to a time before Christmas was celebrated. The story of how Santa and his famous reindeer retinue became a key part of Christmas traditions is more confusing than you might think.
Reindeer in the old world
Many of the old Christmas traditions we celebrate today were not created from scratch, but were instead developed as a synthesis of Christian doctrine with the pagan traditions that preceded them. Deer are often found in the mythology and history of the Arctic peoples. The reindeer, also known as caribou, was often treated with reverence and a sense of secrecy as it was one of the most amazing food sources and one of the last animals to be truly domesticated in the north. In cultures stretching as far as Mongolia, Canada and Scandinavia, reindeer figure prominently in their legends and stories – and it is through a secondary understanding of these tales that reindeer have become closely associated with Santa Claus.
The origins of Santa Claus
While the idea of Santa Claus as a jolly elf in red is a relatively recent invention, a similar character has much more ancient roots. The leaders of the early Christian church, seeking to convert the Gentiles to their faith, more readily decided to combine the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ with the existing pagan holidays. The Germanic and Nordic peoples often celebrated the winter solstice as a tribute to God at the head of their pantheon.
Odin – or Voten – was a paternal god and mythical hunter who, at the time, led his warrior on the Wild Hunt, and he did so on the back of an eight-legged horse named Sleipner. The children left Sleipner with boots filled with hay and carrots, and Odin was said to leave gifts for them in return. Over time, these ideas will merge with the revered Saint Nicholas, and a vision of the Merry Saint Nick will begin to form in the public consciousness.
Santa’s reindeer first appearance
While Santa Claus-like characters circulated around the world in the following centuries, the idea of a reindeer sleigh did not become popular until the 19th century. It was during this time that America and England were experiencing a resurgence of Christmas holidays after a period of Puritan opposition to the holiday. Washington Irving mentioned Santa Claus “riding the treetops in the same cart” in 1812, without mentioning the horses pulling the cart.
Nine years later, the first known association between reindeer and Santa Claus appeared in an anonymous poem called “A New Year’s Gift.” Nameless deer are mentioned briefly and in only one line. The author’s name remained anonymous, but the publisher of the poem said that the author learned about the deer through his mother, who passed on local stories about these creatures.
Two years later, the reindeer mythology will be expanded. The poem “The Night Before Christmas” was written by Professor Clement Clarke Moore. Originally written as a story for the entertainment of his daughters, Moore hesitated at first to send it to the publisher, fearing that it would be too stupid. In fact, he kept his authorship of the poem a secret for decades, fearing it would ruin his reputation as a professor of ancient languages. But the poem soon became a hit, and these eight reindeer remained recognized members of Santa’s team for over a century.
The original reindeer of Santa Claus
Christmas Eve originally identified the eight reindeer who drive Santa’s sleigh every holiday. And although the deer in the poem were male, biology tells us that this is not the case. Male reindeer lose both a lot of body weight and antlers after the mating season, and this coincidentally falls just before winter. Only the deer would have antlers – and the stamina to pull a sled with one jolly fat man – in the deepest days of winter.
While others anthropomorphize deer to give them more distinct personalities, the names seem to have been chosen not so much to match the rhythm of the poem as to give them a deeper personality. Many of the names come from the German language. Dasher actually comes from the German word for wallet maker. Donner and Blitzen – sometimes spelled as Dunder and Blixem – come from the German word for thunder and lightning. These are the eight original deer as depicted in Clement Moore’s poem.
- Dasher
- Dancer
- Prancer
- Vixen
- Comet
- Amur
- To give
- Blitzen
Rudolph the red-nosed deer
While other authors will try to create their own mythology surrounding Santa’s reindeer, it will take over a century for another reindeer to be added to the roster and recognized globally. Despite being named “the most famous reindeer” in the song named after him, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer was actually the result of a well-thought-out advertising campaign.
Fizzy drink maker Coca-Cola made great strides in the 1920s with a holiday ad that depicted the jolly old Saint Nick drinking their brand of soda. Chicago department store Montgomery Ward saw the potential for a Christmas campaign to expand its business and commissioned copywriter Robert L. May to create a character that could be used in free coloring books given to children. May’s character worked in part because it came from personal experience: May drew from his own experience, when he was bullied as a child, to imagine a lone deer whose unique glowing nose offered a way to save Christmas.
The character – along with the poems that Ward wrote about him – became a big hit. In the decades to come, the character will receive a song, a movie, and countless different merchandise. Rudolph was not only the official representative of the local department store, but the most famous deer of them all. Despite attempts to introduce members of the Rudolph family, including a brother named Rusti and a son named Robbie, no one has achieved the same level of fame as Rudolph.
The true origins of Santa’s reindeer are a mixture of ancient mythology and cunning marketing, but the inner strength of these creatures continues to hold our imaginations. Their prolific proliferation in the world’s tundras, as well as their natural athleticism and grace, have made them a permanent presence in countless mythologies. But deer in the real world are just as adorable. Find out more about them here.
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