There are numorous traditions, myths, legends and religious
associations
concerning reindeer, here are just a few of them beginning
with the well known western tradition, which as you will
see may have its roots in older cultures and
mythologies.
Santa Claus and his flying reindeer
The most well-known tradition in western countries
concerning reindeer is of course the story of Santa
Claus/father Christmas and his sleigh pulled by flying
reindeer with Rudolf as the lead. This tradition began
in the 19th century, although Rudolf was not a part of
this myth until 1939. The tradition as we know it
today began with a poem written by Clement C Moore for
his children. An expert on the subject of Dutch Folk
law, in 1822 he wrote the poem , A visit from St
Nicholas, more commonly known as The night before
Christmas.
Cover of
"Twas the Night Before Christmas" (1912
edition)
'Twas the night before Christmas, and all
through the house,
Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.
The stockings were hung by the chimney with
care,
In the hope that St. Nicholas soon would be
there.
The children were nestled all snug in
their beds,
While visions of sugar-plums danced in their
heads.
And mamma in her kerchief, and I in my cap,
Had just settled our brains for a long winter's
nap;
When out on the lawn there arose such a
clatter,
I sprang from the bed to see what was
the matter.
Away to the window I flew like a flash,
Tore open the shutters and threw up the
sash.
The moon on the breast of the
new-fallen snow
Gave the lustre of midday to objects
below—
When what to my wondering eyes should
appear
But a miniature sleigh and eight tiny
reindeer.
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! Now, Vixen!
On, Comet! On, Cupid! On, Dunder and
Blixen!
To the top of the porch, to the top of
the wall!
Now, dash away! Dash away! Dash away!
All!"
As dry leaves before the wild hurricane
fly,
When they meet with an obstacle, mount
to the sky,
So up to the house-top the coursers they
flew
With the sleigh full of toys, and St.
Nicholas, too.
And then in a twinkling
I heard on the roof
The prancing and pawing of each tiny
hoof.
As I drew in my head, and was turning
around,
Down the chimney St. Nicholas came with
a bound.
He was dressed all in fur from
his head to his foot,
And his clothes were all
tarnished with ashes and soot;
A bundle of toys he had flung on
his back,
And he looked like a pedlar just
opening his pack.
His eyes—how
they twinkled! His dimples, how
merry!
His cheeks were like roses, his
nose like a cherry;
His droll little mouth was drawn
up in a bow,
And the beard on his chin was as
white as the snow.
The stump of a pipe he held tight in his teeth,
And the smoke, it encircled his head like a
wreath.
He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf,
And I laughed when I saw him, in spite of
myself.
A wink of his eye, and a twist of his head,
Soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread.
He spoke not a word, but went straight to his
work,
And filled all the stockings—then turned with a
jerk,
And laying his finger aside of his nose,
And giving a nod, up the chimney he rose.
He
sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a
whistle,
And away they all flew, like the down of a
thistle;
But I heard him exclaim ere he drove out of
sight,
"Merry Christmas to all, and to all a
goodnight!"
The poem is a mix of European legends, Norse mythology
and aspects of the story of the Christian Saint
Nicholas, considered the precursor of Santa Claus, and
the Dutch feast of Sinterklaass. The poem was an instant
success in America and remains so today.
The poem
features a sleigh pulled by eight Reindeer : Dasher,
Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet,
Cupid, Dunder and Blixen. But no mention of Rudolf the
most popular reindeer in the present Christmas
tradition. The additon of Rudolf came much later in 1939
when the Montgomery Ward Group of department stores in
the USA commissioned Robert R. May to write a
promotional story for the Christmas season, thus Rudolf
the Red-Nose Reindeer was born. It became an instant
success with 2.5 million copies being handed out during
the first year. The story, written as a poem, so well
known by children right to the present day, is about a
young reindeer who was very different to the other
reindeer in the herd to which he belonged, and who was
teased by his peers because he had a shinny red nose.
Rudolf lived with his loving parents, who did not
consider him an embarrassment, in a village far from the
North Pole, he was not then one of Santa's reindeer.
Even though he was lonely, shunned by the other
reindeer, he wanted to do good. One Christmas eve he got
his opportunity when Santa Claus arrived just as it was
getting very foggy. Santa seeing a red glow from
Rudolf's room discovered the Red-nosed reindeer by
accident while he was delivering presents to Rudolf's
house.
Seeing Rudolf's shinny read nose he asks for his help
in leading the sleigh safely through the dense fog,
after which Santa says to him:
"By You last nights journey was actually bossed.
Without you, I am certain we would all have been lost"
Afterward Rudolf was accepted by his peers
It is thought that May based his story on the Hans
Christian Anderson fairy tale the ugly Ducking and also
on his experiences as a child when he was teased because
of his small stature.
The original Rudolph lived in the woods with his
loving parents far from the North Pole. Although
he was lonely because he was ostracized by the
other little reindeer, he was an optimist who
wanted to help others.
The original Rudolph lived in the woods with his
loving parents far from the North Pole. Although
he was lonely because he was ostracized by the
other little reindeer, he was an optimist who
wanted to help others.
In 1949 a song about Rudolf was recorded by Gene
Autry, the lyrics written by Johnny Marks, May's
brother-in-law. There are though significant differences
from the original story written by May. In the song
Marks introduces the eight reindeer from Clement Moore's
poem thus completing the present day tradition of Santa
Claus and his sleigh pulled by Nine reindeer with Rudolf
the red-nose reindeer in the lead bringing presents to
children all over the world on Christmas Night.
Below are the lyrics to the song Rudolph the
Red-Nosed Reindeer
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
Had a very shiny nose,
And if you ever saw it,
You would even say it glows.
All of the other reindeer
Used to laugh and call him names;
They never let poor Rudolph
Join in any reindeer games.
Then one foggy Christmas Eve,
Santa came to say,
Rudolph with your nose so bright,
Won't you guide my sleigh tonight?
Then how the reindeer loved him
As they shouted out with glee,
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,
You'll go down in history.
You know Dasher and Dancer and Prancer and
Vixen,
Comet and Cupid and Donner and Blitzen.,
But do you recall?
The most famous reindeer of all?
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
Had a very shiny nose,
And if you ever saw it,
You would even say it glows.
All of the other reindeer
Used to laugh and call him names;
They never let poor Rudolph
Join in any reindeer games.
Then one foggy Christmas Eve,
Santa came to say,
Rudolph with your nose so bright,
Won't you guide my sleigh tonight?
Then how the reindeer loved him
As they shouted out with glee,
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,
You'll go down in history.
The
Finnish translation of
the song Petteri Punakuono has resulted in
Rudolph's general acceptance as the lead
reindeer in the mythology of Joulupukki the
Finnish version of Santa Claus, a figure from
old Scandinavian tradition which is now merged
with his American version with whom he
shares many similarities with the exception that
his work shop is situated in the mountains of
Korvatunturi, he enters by the door rather than
down the chimney and his reindeer do not fly.
It is
has been suggested that the idea of flying
reindeer may have resulted from the Shamans use
of magic mushrooms. For more information
concerning this idea, watch the video below
Reindeer feature on ancient mysterious stones called the
Deer Stones, Mongolian ancient megaliths carved
with symbols.
An air of mystery surrounds the deer stones as very
little is known about their meaning or function,
although some scholars speculate that they may have been
created to represent important people
Worldwide there are over 700 of these stones,
500 of which are found in the in the Darkhat Valley, in
northern Mongolia near the Siberian border.
Although there is no definitive information concerning
their origin the standing stones, erected in about 1000
BC, are thought to be connected with Shamanism and may
mark the graves of important personages. In
the midsection of some of the stones are cravings of
flying deer and other animals. It is a traditional
Mongolian
Bronze age deer stones are Mongolian
ancient megaliths carved with symbols.
The name comes from their carved
stylised depictions of flying deer.
belief that animals carry the sprits of the dead to the
after life. Similar stones have been found also in The
Cimmerian sites, Cimmerians were ancient equestrian
nomads of Indo-European origin- in central Asia.
The flying deer stones have been
incorporated into present day Buddhist rituals by the
Tsaatan a small group of reindeer herders in Northern
Mongolia
*
In Greek mythology a deer, the Cerynian Hind, a large
beautiful hind (female deer), is particularly associated
with Artemis in her role as virginal huntress. Artemis,
the chaste goddess of the moon, the hunt, animals and
unmarried women, was one of the most widely venerated of
the Ancient Greek deities.
The description of the Cerynian Hind, suggests this
animal was a reindeer rather than another species of
deer. The hind, a fabulous animal, with golden antlers
like a stag and hooves of bronze or brass, was said to
be able to outrun an arrow in flight. As a hind bearing
antlers was unknown in Greece, the story suggests a
reindeer; unlike other deer reindeer females bear
antlers.
Legend has it that the third Labour of
Heracles (Roman Hercules),a penance set by Eurystheus
king of Tiryns, was to capture the Cerynian Hind sacred
to Artemis and deliver her briefly to his
Hercules
capturing the Ceryneian Hind. Detail of The Twelve
Labours Roman mosaic from Llíria (Valencia, Spain).
patron, then rededicate it to Artemis. The swift
flight of the creature made the task a formidable one
for Heracles who once he had found the deer had to chase
it throughout the Greek world for more than a year.
Exhausted by the chase the reindeer looked for a resting place on a mountain
called Artemisius, and came to the river Ladon. As she
was about to cross Heracles shot and immobilised her.
After capturing the hind as Heracles made his way back
to Eurystheus when he met Artemis and Apollo,
god of the sun, of shepherds and musicians. It had been
Eurystheus plan that this meeting should take
place, he had assumed that Artemis would punish
Heracles for stealing her precious
hind. Heracles explained the situation promising to
return the deer to her with the result that Artemis
forgave Heracles and healed the deer's wound.
Heracles continued his journey to the
kingdom of Eurystheus whereupon he offered him the
Cerynian Hind. In a rather devious move to ensure the
return of the hind to Artemis he agreed to give
Eurystheus the animal only on the proviso that he should
came out to get her himself, to which Eurystheus
fortunately agreed. As Heracles released the deer, she
promptly turned and with swift haste returned to
Artemis. This it seems fulfilled the obligations of the
third labour.
The myth relates to Hyperborea, a mythical northern land
that would be a natural habitat for reindeer which from
the description may have been Siberia or other arctic or
subarctic region.
The legends
of Nomadic
reindeer herders
Reindeer have
been not only a source of food, clothing and shelter
from time immemorial, but also as an inspiration occupying
a central position in ancient
Sami shamanism and
iconography. The Sami people, are the arctic indigenous people
inhabiting Sápmi, which today encompasses parts of far
northern Sweden, Norway, Finland and the Kola Peninsula
of Russia, but also in the border area between south and
middle Sweden and Norway.
In Norway early huntsmen carved images of reindeer as a
symbol of force and power.
The Koryaks are an indigenous people of Kamchatka Krai
in the Russian Far East, they have a legend that tells
how the creator journeyed to the stars to bring back
reindeer for the people. Elwen' kyen, which means wild
reindeer buck is one of the names that the Koryak people
give to the constellation we call Ursa Major. Among the
most scared of possessions that these people have is a
drum made of reindeer hide. It is used whenever a shaman
is required who uses the household drum to cast out evil
forces.
Reindeer in Religion
Ancient rituals and ceremonies
Reindeer featured in religious practices of Asian and
Northern European upper Palaeolithic
and Mesolithic peoples. Despite the
importance of reindeer to the lives of Palaeolithic and
Neolithic Reindeer people, reindeer mostly feature in
their animistic religious practices as a means of
sacrifice rather than veneration.
These rites were undertaken at the beginning of the
hunting season and consisted of a sacrifice to their god
of the hunt. The sacrifice involved burying or
submerging a young calf in a pond or Lake.*2)
Ceremonies amongst the nomadic reindeer herders
involving reindeer included the wolf sacrifice which was
looked on as a preventative measure. For
this ceremony both a reindeer and a wolf were killed and both their
bodies placed on a high platform. This symbolised that their god is propitiated and will not
allow wolves to attack reindeer. Sacrifices
were
not always blood sacrifices, reindeer were
consecrated to the gods without being killed. Thereafter
they were exempt from anyone making use of them.*3)
Another
ceremony, which took place annually each spring,
involving reindeer was the changing the sledges
upon which images of the gods were kept. The Shaman
usually lead these ceremonies, the most elaborate one of
which was the one for the god Yahammu. It is
considered a privilege to make a section of the sledge.
The ritual which takes place only while the sun is
shinning requires that each man who has made a part of
the sledge to smear it with the blood of a reindeer whom
he has killed for this purpose. The ritual was done to
glorify the deity. Further shamanistic practices took
place during the evening to which women and children,
exempt from the sledge ceremony, attended.
*4)
Biannually an
important ceremony lasting nine days was held when the
sun returned in January. The shaman practiced ritual for
the first six days, after which time a dance began
which celebrated the sun's first appearance. Sexual
freedom was observed between young man and women.
The shaman took part in the dance laying aside his drum
and some of his important clothes. As the ceremony drew to its conclusion the shaman practiced
ritual to heal the sick and to predict the future. These
practices took place in a conical tent called the chum, made from reindeer skin, specially reserved for the purpose of
shamanic ritual.*5)
Among some
nomadic reindeer herders it was believed that the land
of the dead existed near the mouth of a river. The
deceased person received all his belongings for use in
the after life which it was believed is similar to this
life. Antlers from one or two of his reindeer which have
been sacrificed are hung on the tomb which was comprised
of a wooden box made of drift wood and some of his tent
poles. Also included was a pouch made of reindeer skin
into which was placed paper money. *6)
Reindeer as
part of the religion of the Sami
The Sami,
already referred to above are perhaps the most well
known of the nomadic reindeer herders .
The religion
of the Sami is animistic, certain aspects of which
involve reindeer
Sieidis,
Seita
or
Storjunkare,
depending on local dialect, are the sacred places of the
sami, and are located where there are
unusual landforms which are noticeably different from
the surrounding landscape, prominent
places of high elevation such as the mountain in the
photograph
Here flickr.com/photos
or in
a meadow.
Some Sieidis were man made and may be comprised of
unusually shaped stones some aspect of which may bear
some likeness to animals, a man or a god.
It is believed
that a stone taken from such a place will grow lighter
when the bearer guesses what the place wants.
*7)
Found
throughout Northern Scandinavia, Sieidis were often
located near caves, hunting grounds or bodies of water
where the Sami fished or set up on a mountain top.
Sieidis were considered by Sami religious shamanic
beliefs to be spiritual "focal points" and were worshiped
as gateways that lead into the spirit world. Sacrifices
of animals including reindeer, antlers have been found
at these sites, and other objects were made at the site
of Sieidis. Clans gathered round these sacred places.
Each
Sami family or clan had its own Siedis in
the area in which they lived and every
settlement also. Sometimes a private individual
had his own Sieidis to which he prayed for good
fortune. It had no regular shape and in addition
to large stones as in the photograph here:
archaeologydaily.com,
where
you can also read an interesting article
about Sieidis and the new
interest in them.
In
addition to the rock forms mentioned above
Seitas were comprised of smooth or unusual stones
from a streams, a tree stump or even just a
simple pole. During the summer time honour
was done to them by spreading fresh green
leaves while in the winter time they were
strewed with green fir twigs. it was believed
that the Siedis had power over all animals and
gave luck to anyone who hunted. At siedis
sacrifices were made to the spirits for
protection against ill fortune befalling the
herds of reindeer and were believed to
provide instruction concerning methods of
catching reindeer. The hide and hooves of
reindeer, along with the occasional sacrifice of
a dog were given as offerings in return for
these favours.
Sami ritualistic drums
The
drums the Sami Shaman used in their rituals were
made of reindeer skin which the noaidi, Sami
shaman, used to enter a trance and travel to the
spirit realm. The drum which was decorated
with symbols of both the mundane and the divine
was hand held, small and light, it was beaten
with a drum stick carved from reindeer bone.
Reindeer sinews were used to attach the hides to
the frame of the drum. The world view of the
Sami was animistic by nature, with shamanistic
features . The sami believed that the two worlds
of existence the physical, earthly world and the
spiritual world were bridged by special men or
women, the noaidi or shaman. The drum was a
means by which the noaidi entered an
ecstatic trancelike state, this was achieved by
beating the drum in a rhythm which brought about
ecstatic excitation. While in such a state it
was believed that the noaidi were able leave the
body and take another form, moving as a spirit
they had the ability to change into a wild
reindeer or hide under a reindeers' neck or
hoof, or travel over treetops or underground or
swim in the form of a fish *8)
The
sami believed in different worlds through which
the noaidi could travel, an underworld where
everything was more whole than our earthly
reality. It was the place were people went
after death to continue their lives. The sami
shaman travelled to these other realities in
order to restore harmony, to heal people and
control nature.
The following description
explains how a noaidi could use his ability to
travel to spiritual levels to heal people and
control nature:
Shamanistic activities were related to crisis
situations in a village or family; the noaidi
attempted to find a remedy. The greatest crises,
for this people dependent on nature, were
illnesses and problems concerning obtaining a
livelihood. Illness is a disturbance of the
balance between the two souls and between the
two realms of reality. The noaidi, in spirit
form, leaves and goes to ‘the other side’ to
restore harmony. Innumerable tales relating to
obtaining a livelihood and epic poems tell that
a “trance noaidi” was able to control the
movements of a whole reindeer herd. (Lehtola
28-29)
The sami drum
symbols show important features of the Sámi way of life
and reflect the Sámi ideal of living in harmony
with nature. Many symbols represent animals with
Reindeer being the most common representation.
Reindeer also feature in a Sami epic that
traces Sami ancestry to the sun. According to mythical
poems the Daughter of the Sun favoured the Sami and
brought reindeer to them.
In more recent time
most Sami have become Christians and practice the
Lutheran Religion which is the dominant religion of the
Nordic countries in which they live.
Illustrations of Sámi drums
showing symbols of reindeer. Click the graphics to view
a larger image.
Reindeer as
Totems
Firstly what
is Totemism? Totemism is an ancient belief system, a
religious or world view in which human beings, either as
individuals or as a clan, have a spiritual relationship
or kinship with a spirit being, natural object, a plant
or an animal, an animal being the most common. This
being is called a totem, as for example a reindeer
totem. Sometimes an inanimate object, such as the sun,
the wind or a rock, is chosen as a Totem. The
totem is believed to be united with the gods. The totem
is the centre of this belief system. If the kinship
exists between an individual and his or her Totemism, we
have individual Totemism. When the relationship exists
between a clan we have clan Totemism and likewise a
family totem. A totem is
regarded as mystically related to the individual, family
or clan and as such should be respected and therefore
not hunted if an animal.
Honouring the
totem in turn honours and influences the god.
The totem is
considered to interact with an individual, group or clan
and serves as their emblem or symbol and spiritually
represents a person, family or, more likely, a clan.
Totemism is
practiced amongst tribal people such as Pacific
Islanders and Australian Aborigines. It was formerly
prevalent throughout Europe, Africa, and Asia and most
native Americans. Totemism varies in form between these and
other groups, and indigenous peoples.
Reindeer were
adopted as totems by the Kyrgyz tribes, Turkic ethnic
group found primarily in Kyrgyzstan. Totemism was a
belief system which predated their contact with Islam.
Reindeer were
amongst the many totems of the The native American tribe
the Ojibways
It has been
suggested that the
rock carvings from the stone and Bronze ages in
central Norway of animals including reindeer are clan
totems and are depictions of spiritual animals seen in a
trance.
Totemism
continues today as part of the new age world view. What
follows are examples of qualities assigned to reindeer
from various on-line totem dictionaries.
Reindeer-Caribou
Reindeer teaches endurance, strength,
fortitude and perseverance in going the
distance. He will teach the power of
adaptability in adversity, caution in
surroundings and tenacity to get things
accomplished. Reindeer will show how to take
on the roles of duality, the male and female
qualities that you possess. Is it time to
take a more dominating role in life and work
or perhaps a softer subtler stance in
situations? Reindeer/Caribou will also aid
in spiritual transitions, communication and
social abilities and skills. Caribou will
show how to keep moving onward and flowing
with the group. Reindeer/Caribou is about
movement and finding your inner peace and
your place as you walk through life. starstuffs.com/animal_totems/dictionary_of_animals.html
The reindeer
is a family-oriented totem, skillful in communication
and social activities. This totem is a born-leader and
welcomes any opportunity to guide others in his herd
into new directions. Reindeer has an innocent demeanor
and is helpful to friends and family members. Receptive
to the needs of others this totem teaches how to adapt
to community concerns. "All for one, and One for all"
could easily be the motto for this totem. If a reindeer
makes its appearance in your life the lesson may very
well be that it is time for you to step up and take an
active role in caring for the herd. If you have become
isolated it may be asking you to take on a leadership
role in getting everyone to work as a team. Or, if you
currently have a domineering role, you may need to look
and see if you are overshadowing others with your
ideals, in that case, step back a bit. Guidance is a key
role for this totem. Be a kind and helpful teacher, not
a bossy one. healing.about.com/od/animaltotems/ig/Animal-Totems-Photo-Gallery/Reindeer.htm
Caribou teaches endurance, strength, fortitude and
perseverance in going the distance. He will teach the
power of adaptability in adversity, caution in
surroundings and tenacity to get things accomplished.
Caribou will show how to take on the roles of duality,
the male and female qualities that you possess. Is it
time to take a more dominating role in life and work or
perhaps a softer subtler stance in situations? Caribou
will also aid in inspiritual transitions, communication
and social abilities and skills. Caribou will show how
to keep moving onward and flowing with the group.
Caribou is about movement and finding your inner peace
and your place as you walk through life.
