Nothing But Rain, Dear

Dasher and Dancer and Prancer and Vixen
Comet and Cupid and Donner und Blitzen

Yes, we're all familiar with these, from that silly commercial Rudolph song.

But here are some things to think about, although they might be nothing but reindeer.

1. Dasher, Prancer, Comet and Donner are male; Dancer, Vixen, Cupid and Blitzen are female. Yes, some don't seem to have their gender right. But then Donner is the Teutonic Thunder-God, not the Italian 'Donna'. And Blitzen is of course Lightning. Cupid ought to be male though. And Comet (from Latin coma, 'hair') ought to be female.

2. Why are there eight? There is a simple answer to this, of course. The whole of the Northern European Christmas symbology comes from Norse myth. Odin, the All-Father, is both a Christ figure (he hung upon Yggdrasil, the World-tree so that he would receive the wisdom to save the world from destruction) as well as the White Rider on the eight-legged conquering steed, Sleipnir. It's hard to believe in an eight-legged flying horse. I suppose eight flying reindeer must make better sense.

3. Midwinter is traditionally a gateway between the death of the old year and the life of the new year. Odin, white-bearded and one-eyed, is a power of gates and of death. He is also a power of winter and of storm. One of the older Norse deities was Üller, whose name is commemorated in the word 'Yuletide'. The time we call Christmas is an attempt to sanctify pagan winter rituals all over Europe by the power of the name of Christ, just as Easter is an attempt to sanctify pagan spring rituals.

And a Happy New Year to all!