I have been excited to write about this since I started blogging here for the juggler back at Beltane. It is a little piece of Americana that might be the single most important Pagan story that most people don’t know about.
In 1902 L. Frank Baum, of Wizard of Oz fame, wrote a little story called The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus. His intention was to create a uniquely American version of the origin of Santa Claus. Problem was that it never really caught on, but it should have. I think the group that needs to reclaim it is us, the Pagans.
The story follows the life of Santa Claus when he is found as a baby in the Forest of Burzee by the Great Ak, a master woodman and a kind of horned god/father god figure. He is raised in this magical forest by the nymphs and gnomes and other fantastical forest creatures. But the child, named Neclaus or just Claus for short, is mortal and Ak decides that he really needs to see the world of humans. He takes him on a journey and Claus is saddened by the ways of the mortals. He is told he can’t reject them and that he can’t live in the magical forest forever, so he moves nearby to the valley of Hohaho.
Soon, Claus embraces a life of doing good deeds and he becomes known for being kind to the children. This kindness leads him to the creation of toys, including a special toy cat.
Point by point, Baum goes through the story of Santa Claus and gives every bit of it a new twist; from the traditions of stockings to the reindeer that pull the sleigh.
The Great Ak and other immortals recognize their prodigy and the good he has done and rather than letting him grow old and die, they present him with the mantle of immortality
The book is amazing and should absolutely be on the bookshelf of any Christmas-loving pagan. But there is another interpretation that was my introduction to this story and still has a very special place in my heart.
In the height of their career stop action animation company Rankin/Bass, best known for Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, made a version of The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus in 1985. It might not be one of their more popular titles, but it is an incredible special with amazing pagan imagery. In fact, it was in the movie version that I really connected the Great Ak to the Horned God. In the interest turning the rich Baum story into a television Christmas special, they made some changes to the story. It begins with the council of the immortals meeting to determine if Claus is, in fact, worthy of receiving the mantle of immortality. He is, of course, found to be so and becomes the Santa Claus that we know and love today. The stop motion animation is so nostalgic and has such great imagery from the nymph filled Forest of Burzee to the first foray into toy making – including a delightful musical number about a little toy cat with yellow green eyes that is truly infectious in a kitschy kind of way. The television special is still aired on ABC Family Channel during their 25 Days of Christmas and I usually set up the DVR to record it so I can watch it several times throughout the season.
[...] The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus [...]