Odin and Santa Claus

I've been scrolling on my facebook, and I've seen some things about Santa being Odin. I personally don't know lots on the subject, and I was wondering if someone can tell me about Odin, who he is, how he got to be Santa, and so on.

Thanks!

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Santa Claus is actually a combination of Odin and Thor. But before I get into that, you need to know that Coca Cola created the signature "look" of Santa Claus as he is depicted today as well as the poem the Night Before Christmas. Previous to that he was Father Winter or Old Man Winter that is directly related to Odin.

Thor wore red and drove a chariot in the sky pulled by goats. Odin rode a flying eight legged horse. Mix that together and you get an old man (Odin) in a sleigh with eight hooved animals.

It changed a lot through the years, which is why the "origin" is Odin, not the final product. I tell my daughter that Santa Claus is a "jolly old elf" which explains exactly why he is so sneaky getting presents into the house unseen.

Thank you, Raven.

actually the origin of santa has nothing to do with odin or thor. he was a kid that grew up carving figures and giving them as presents on christmas. he was said to have lived longer than anyone else and still gave out his presents. i will respect what you put rav3n if that is what you believe but this is what i know.

Odin was indeed the first legend of Santa Claus and is renowned in Norse Mythology, for Odin was before Saint Nick he would go around and hand out coal for a fuel source to keep people warm in the winter as the times where harder back in that era. Saint Nick took the idea and gave coal to the naughty kids to destroy the real meaning of the original Christmas and also so the children would fear saint Nick and strive to be good throughout the year. Odin and Freyja, (Freya) would give out wood carvings for the children to keep them happy through the grueling winter. Odin also would decorate pine trees which is popular in Germany to keep the spirit up of the people as death was more common in winter and was renowned for the original sleigh which was indeed pulled by reindeers it is this generosity that has been adapted and changed to suit Christmas as we know today.