Santa and His Reindeer, Goats and Donkeys

Christmas and Santa have long been associated with many animals. From reindeer to turkeys, from goats to geese, and from robins to partridges there are all kinds of wildlife to explore in the study of Santa and Christmas.

Animals date right from the story of the Nativity. Legends abound of the stable animals speaking on the night that Jesus was born. But Santa’s use of animals in his part of Christmas have always fascinated the kid in all of us. Clement Moore, author of A Visit from St. Nicholas, talked of Santa’s “eight tiny reindeer”. That 19th century imagery has spawned a whole industry in American culture celebrating reindeer in song, verse, story, movie and play.

But Santa did not begin with reindeer. Ancient Nordic and Germanic societies started Santa off with goats.

Yes, goats.

~ Yule Goats of Thunder and Lightning ~

There have been many types of animals in the service of Santa during the years of his legendary ascension. Goats were just a beginning that were borrowed from Norse legends. Further south in Europe, in particular Italy, Santa would use a donkey to get around “because the hills of Italy are too steep for reindeer”.

Santa has also been known to use camels in the Middle East and kangaroos in Australia. Donkeys and camels could be a nod to the Nativity story as Joseph and Mary took a donkey to Bethlehem and Jesus made his triumphant entry into Jerusalem on a donkey.

But none of these alternatives enjoy the longevity of goats in Christmas tradition and reindeer in Christmas culture.

There have been many types of animals in the service of Santa during the years of his legendary ascension.

The Yule Goat, known as Julbock in Sweden, Julebukk in Norway, and Olkipukki in Finland, is a significant Christmas symbol in Nordic countries. Its origins trace back to pre-Christian paganism and have evolved through various representations throughout Scandinavian history.

Goats are a favorite in Scandinavia because they can be large and menacing or small and cute. Children in some Dutch areas enjoy leaving hay and treats out for visiting Yule Goats.

Like nearly every symbol of Christmas the Yule Goat has evolved. In places in Northern Europe where still celebrated the goat is made of either wood or straw and it known to watch over seasonal preparations and festivities.

Friends and neighbors will hide the goats with the intention that their residency is only temporary and meant to be passed on to another home. It is seen as a Christmas ornament or decoration of sorts, often finding its way underneath the Christmas tree. They sometimes are credited with passing gifts to children on Christmas Eve.

Since the late 1960s from a Swedish town called Gavie comes the annual tradition of a giant Yule Goat statue right in the middle of the town square. Every year someone tries to burn the large goat down and often they succeed (at least 35 times in the past 50+ years). The burning goat always makes international headlines when it happens.

For all the love of Yule goats – as well as the debates about pagan or even Satanic origins of goats in the Christmas story – they have taken to a backseat in most parts of the world to Santa’s reindeer.

~ Rudolph to the Rescue ~

Santa’s reindeer get their natural ties from Nordic regions where reindeer are used as draft animals.

The first known written account of Santa’s reindeer occurred in 1821.

That year, New York printer William Gilley published a sixteen page booklet titled A New Year’s Present, to the Little Ones from Five to Twelve Number III: The Children’s Friend by an anonymous author.

In the book, reindeer are introduced into the Santa Claus narrative:

Old Santeclaus with much delight
His reindeer drives this frosty night.
O’er chimneytops, and tracks of snow,
To bring his yearly gifts to you.

In an 1822 interview published in New York’s Troy Sentinel, Gilley elaborated on the booklet’s author and the topic of reindeer. Though he did not identify the author, Mr. Gilley responded:

“Dear Sir, the idea of Santeclaus was not mine nor was the idea of a reindeer. The author of the tale but submitted the piece, with little added information. However, it should be noted that he did mention the reindeer in a subsequent correspondence. He stated that far in the north near the Arctic lands a series of animals exist, these hooven and antlered animals resemble the reindeer and are feared and honored by those around, as you see he claims to have heard they could fly from his mother. His mother being an Indian of the area.”

Coincidentally, Moore’s poem of A Visit from St. Nicholas, had just been shared and was passed every Christmas season by newspapers from coast to coast. The tale in rhyme captured the hearts and imaginations of young and old alike – painting a clear and lasting image of Santa Claus and his eight tiny reindeer.

~ Is It Donner or Donder? ~

All of this is a long winded way of solving one of the most enduring debates of Christmas: is it Donner or Donder?

Moore’s poem famously names all of Santa’s reindeer. While Moore drew liberally in Dutch traditions to craft his imagery of Santa, his sleigh and his reindeer, the names he chose were drafted straight from traditional Norse legends, particularly the names of Donder and Blixem. Donder, Santa’s 7th mentioned reindeer, was a name Moore stayed with. But Blixem was awkward and unfamiliar, so he changed it to Blixen to make it rhyme with Vixen.

But Donder was Dutch and he stayed Donder for more than a century. Then came Rudolph – first the story book, as handed out as a Christmas giveaway at the department store known as Montgomery Wards, then came the song made famous by Gene Autry, and later came the television special by Rankin Bass. Sometime between the 1930s and the late 1940s, Donder became Donner.

Why?

Let’s just say Americanizing names was a long tradition among those generations with immigrant parents, who changed names upon entering the United States. Like them, Donner’s name change was a matter of convenience and relatability.

If goats can be changed to reindeer, why couldn’t Donder change to Donner?

In Dutch, Donder means Thunder. And Blixem means Lightning.

Not coincidentally, the original names assigned to the goats first associated with Santa came from those flying goats pulling the chariot of Thor – whose names were Tanngrisnir and Tanngnjóstr.

Tanngrisnir, the first of the two goats, derives its name from Old Norse words “tönn,” meaning “tooth,” and “grisnir,” which can be translated as “snarler” or “barer.” Tanngnjóstr, has a similarly intriguing meaning. Its name is a compound of the Old Norse words “tönn,” again meaning “tooth,” and “gnjóstr,” which translates to “grinder.”

The fierce imaging of Thor’s goats speak to their power, majesty and resiliency – attributes loved of the Norse people, whose image of Thor was nothing but power so great that smoke, sparks and flames erupted from the wheels of his goat-powered chariot.

Does Santa really have anything to do with Thor? No, not directly. But given the holiday seasons of ancient areas of Northern Europe, it’s mighty coincidental that gift brings and gods shared long white beards and flying transportation. The mix of the two has always been connected by historians looking to explain where Santa, and his animals, came from to deliver Christmas.