As into the music of Christmas as I am, I find the mythology (or mythologies) fascinating. I've watched numerous movies and documentaries (and, of course, the highly educational Rankin-Bass films, which we all know to be the most historically accurate) on the derivations of Santa and Reindeer and other holiday ephemera. Somehow, this alleged tale of Solstice celebration among Shamanic tribes in ancient Siberia has escaped me all these years.
Interesting, too, that I learn of it via an Indie Folk tune from Indiana's Lovely Houses (David Campbell).
But, just for kicks and giggles, I decided to look around a little bit and see what I could see. And, as it turns out, there's actually been a lot of scholarly work done of this very theory of the derivation of Santa Claus and the reindeer. Going back several decades, at least. This, for example, is a fairly recent piece written by Holly McWhorter, but I link you to it because it lays it out in simple non-archeological English. Things that make you go 'shroom. Kids, don't try this at home. And I mean it. Just enjoy "Siberian Solstice". It's free at Bandcamp.
Interesting, too, that I learn of it via an Indie Folk tune from Indiana's Lovely Houses (David Campbell).
But, just for kicks and giggles, I decided to look around a little bit and see what I could see. And, as it turns out, there's actually been a lot of scholarly work done of this very theory of the derivation of Santa Claus and the reindeer. Going back several decades, at least. This, for example, is a fairly recent piece written by Holly McWhorter, but I link you to it because it lays it out in simple non-archeological English. Things that make you go 'shroom. Kids, don't try this at home. And I mean it. Just enjoy "Siberian Solstice". It's free at Bandcamp.
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