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Sleipdin, the legendary eight-legged steed, was the Norse god Odin's means of travelling between the world of the gods and the world of mankind. The eight legs probably symbolised compass points or the eight spoked solar wheel, relating in turn to an early characterisation of Odin as a sun god.

The image of Odin riding through the skies on a magical horse is not far removed from the Orthodox Christian image of St.Nicholas, and the imagery is completed by Odin and St.Nicholas each sporting large white beards and accompanied by helpers carrying large sacks to capture naughty children.

The more benevolent Santa Claus' in modern Christianity (though from Pagan origins) substitutes the sack for naughty children for a sack to bring gifts for good children and the flying horse is substituted for a team of reindeer but the legend hasn't really moved on so very much in just a few hundred years. Oh and the use of mistletoe as Christmas decoration also comes from the pagan tradition.

This similarity is not coincidental. Christmas or its equivalent had been celebrated as a feast in the pagan calendar long before the advent of Christianity. As in Christianity, Jesus' birth was believed to have occurred during the same period of the year. What better then, than to usurp the Pagan festival, change names and events round a little and call it Christmas?

A flight of fancy? I think not. Just where do the Christian scriptures introduce Santa Claus and his reindeer? What religious significance does mistletoe hold in Christianity? (Predominantly Catholic countries such as France and Spain eschew the use of mistletoe to this day as a pagan practice not to be tolerated by Christians)

So as you roast your turkey next Christmas (compare and contrast Odin's feeding of the wolves with meat!), kiss under the mistletoe, hang up your stocking for the bearded man to visit with his reindeer (of whom incidentally, there are eight) spare a thought for ancient Norse mythology and poor Odin, whose credibility has been so badly damaged over the past two millennia!

There is no firm evidence that all these beliefs stem from the same root, but the similarities are such that the premise must surely be given some credence.

Other religious beliefs, whilst having no equivalent for Christmas, retain a penchant for characters riding winged creatures in a similar vein. Islam sees the prophet Mohammed after being enlightened by Allah, travelling from Mecca to Jerusalem on a winged creature called Buraq. Hinduism sees the creature Garuda , with the body of a human and the head of an eagle carrying the god Vishnu and his wife. Shinto has the mysterious Oni, a three-eyed creature, winged but basically human in form, representing disaster, disease and misfortune.

Does all this symbolism and mythology simply represent man's obsession with flight? Or is there something more spiritual involved?

For further reading:
altreligion.about.com/ library/glossary/symbols/bldef ssleipnir.htm
en.wikipedia.org/ wiki/Sleipnir
www.geocities.com /Area51/Dungeon/4785/Norse.htm l
www.zindagee.co.uk/religion/f estivals.htm
www.mythencycloped ia.com/Be-Ca/Birds-in-Mytholog y.html
www.paralumun.com/mystic creat.htm

Learn more about this author, Colin Morley.
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