Information about Santa Claus' Reindeer

Santa Claus' reindeer are a team of reindeer which pull his sleigh and help him deliver Christmas gifts. According to Kris Kringle (Miracle on 34th Street), they only fly on Christmas Eve. Taken from the 1823 poem A Visit from St. Nicholas, which led to the popularity of reindeer as Christmas symbols.^[1] The poem reads in part:

With a little old driver so lively and quick,
I knew in a moment it must be St. Nick.
More rapid than eagles, his coursers they came,
And he whistled and shouted and called them by name:

Now Dasher! Now Dancer! Now, Prancer and Vixen!
On, Comet! On, Cupid! On, Donder and Blitzen!
To the top of the porch! To the top of the wall!
Now dash away! Dash away! Dash away all!

Over time, another reindeer has been added: Rudolph, a well-known name due to the popular Christmas song Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.

According to the poem, the appearance is a "miniature sleigh, and eight tiny reindeer" and they are "more rapid than eagles". The poem does not describe them, nor their positions in the sleigh-team, but does say they fly.^[2]

In some countries, such as Sweden and Finland, Santa's reindeer traditionally do not fly (but they are sometimes depicted flying due to American cultural influence).^[3]

The Christmas Mountains of New Brunswick, Canada are named after the original eight reindeer.

Origins

In old European lore, St. Nicholas traveled with a horned creature that would not only bear the load for its master, but also punish naughty children. In many depictions this creature resembled a goat (which varied in form, sometimes being a very demonic looking goat, at other times the Devil, complete with pitchfork and tail). In Austria, this goat/demon creature is still known as Krampus. The transformation of Christmas to the New World (specifically the United States) was one in which numerous customs related to Christmas which had obvious pagan roots and/or involved various forms of debauchery were abandoned (and in some cases made illegal). Other customs were merely changed to something more acceptable to the puritan population. It is believed that the Reindeer as they appeared in the poem A Visit From St. Nicholas were a safer and more benign version of Krampus, the demonic goat which accompanied St. Nick in earlier traditions.

• The original eight reindeer are drawn from the 1823 poem A Visit From St. Nicholas.
• Rudolph was added following the publication of Robert L. May's Christmas story in 1939
• Robbie was added by BBC television in aid of Comic Relief, around 1999.

The reindeer

Original eight

Sleigh order

The original eight reindeer are arranged as follows on Santa's sleigh, assuming that the reindeer are named in the poem from front to back, with the reindeer on the left being male, and the reindeer on the right being female.

Front
Dasher	Dancer
Prancer	Vixen
Comet	Cupid
Donner	Blitzen

(In the film Santa Claus: The Movie, the arrangement is reversed, with Donner and Blixem/Blitzen (Claus' two reindeer from his mortal life) in the lead.)

^† The last two reindeer names were 'Donner' and Blixem when the poem was first published anonymously in the Troy, New York Sentinel on 1823-12-23.[1] When Moore later published the work as his own (Poems, 1844), the names were spelled Donder and Blitzen.[2] In a number of later reprintings, name is further simplified to Donner.[3]

In An American Anthology, 1787–1900, Edmund Clarence Stedman reprints the 1844 Moore version of the poem, including the German spelling of "Donner and Blitzen", rather than the earlier Dutch version from 1823, "Dunder and Blixem". Both phrases translate as "Thunder and Lightning" in English, though German for thunder is now spelled Donner, and the Dutch words would nowadays be spelled Donder and Bliksem.

According to the Donner Home Page,[4] Robert May used Donner and Blitzen in his 1939 story "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer." The sheet music for Johnny Marks' 1949 song "Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer" also uses Donner and Blitzen.

Descriptions

• Dasher - The first reindeer and the right-hand leader of the sleigh before Rudolph was included. He is the speediest reindeer.
• Dancer - The second reindeer and the left leader before Rudolph was included. She is the graceful reindeer.
• Prancer - The third reindeer and on the right in the second row. He is the most powerful reindeer.
• Vixen - The fourth reindeer and on the left-hand side in the second row. She is beautiful, and also powerful like her companion Prancer.
• Comet - The fifth reindeer and on the right-hand side in the third row. He brings wonder and happiness to children when Santa flies over everyone's houses.
• Cupid - The sixth reindeer and on the left-hand side in the third row. She brings love and joy to children when Santa flies over everyone's houses.
• Donner - The seventh reindeer and on the right-hand side in the fourth row. His original name is Donder, meaning "thunder" in Dutch.
• Blitzen - The eighth reindeer and on the left-hand side in the fourth row. Though female, she is frequently portrayed as a male in American pop culture. Her original name is Blixem. She is known as the lightning reindeer because the word 'Blitz' is German for lightning, as is 'bliksem', her original name, in Dutch.

Additional reindeer since the writing of the poem

Rudolph (the red-nosed reindeer)

Main article: Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer

Rudolph's story was originally written in verse by Robert L. May for the Montgomery Ward chain of department stores in 1939 and published as a book to be given to children in the store at Christmas time.

According to this story, Rudolph was the son of Donner, and was born with a glowing red nose, which made him a social outcast among the other reindeer. However, one Christmas eve it was too foggy for Santa Claus to make his flight around the world. About to cancel, Santa suddenly noticed Rudolph's nose, and decided it could be a makeshift lamp to guide his sleigh. Since then Rudolph has been said to be a permanent member of Santa's team, and leads them on their way.

Rudolph's story is a popular Christmas story that has been retold in numerous forms including a popular song, a television special, and even a feature film.

Robbie

Main article: Robbie the Reindeer

Robbie is Rudolph's son. He was created as part of an animated BBC Christmas comedy television special, that was made in aid of the charity Comic Relief.

Olive, the Other Reindeer

Main article: Olive, the Other Reindeer

In Vivian Walsh and J. Otto Seibold's 1999 Christmas special Olive, the Other Reindeer, the new character is added to the team to lead Santa's sleigh, at least temporarily. The name is a pun on the line, "All of the other reindeer." in the Rudolph poem.

Santa Claus is Watching You

In the song "Santa Claus is Watching You" by Ray Stevens, the reindeer include the traditional ones plus "Bruce, Marvin, Leon, Cletus, George, Bill, Slick, Do-right, Clyde (who's actually a camel borrowed from Stevens's previous song Ahab the Arab), Ace, Blackie, Queenie, Prince, Spot, and Rover." What happened to Rudolph? In the original 1965 version of the song, Rudolph "dislocated his hip in a Twist contest", so Clyde is his replacement. In a later version of the song, in which the singer is talking to his lover, Rudolph is "on a stakeout" at the lover's house (making sure said person remains true to the singer).

Leroy the Redneck Reindeer

In the song "Leroy the Redneck Reindeer" sung by Joe Diffie, the title character fills in for an ill Rudolph. Clad in overalls and a John Deere tractor hat, his customs surprise the other reindeer. However, Leroy saves Christmas by hooking Santa's sleigh up to his truck and team eventually accepts him.

Prancer

The 1989 film, Prancer tells of a young girl who finds one of Santa's reindeer.

Robert Hannah The Red-Nosed Reindeer

The original "Red Nosed" reindeer was Robert Hannah the Red-Nosed Reindeer. In 1937 Robert L. May first had the idea of a shiny-nosed reindeer for Montgomery Ward, but was later changed to Rudolph in 1939.

Shadrack, the Black Reindeer

Loretta Lynn's 1974 single "Shadrack, the Black Reindeer" introduced this speedy character. In the song, Rudolph has gotten older and slower. An already late Santa threatens to leave him behind, but the other reindeer suggest that they will complete their rounds on time if Shadrack and Rudolph lead the team side by side. They manage to deliver all the gifts on time!

South Park

In The South Park Christmas Special Red Sleigh Down, the traditional reindeer are killed when the sleigh is shot down as Santa tries to bring Christmas to Iraq. When the main characters rescue him by using the alternative reindeer named Steven, Fluffy, Horace, Chantel, Skippy, Rainbow, Patches and Montel. Their names are sung in a similar fashion in order to make them fly. It is assumed that they take over as replacement for the lost reindeer.

See also

• Christmas
• Christmas Mountains
• Folklore
• Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer

External links

• The Legendary Role of Reindeer in Christmas
• History of Rudolph
• Bluey Santa's New "kangaroo" reindeer Recruit!

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