Rumors that connect Odin to Santa Claus run rampant on the Internet in the Old Norse loving communities, but at least one expert in Norse mythology and literature says that Odin has no relationship to jolly old St. Nicholas. Jackson Crawford has translated many of the most important documents in Norse mythology, and says in his video that he has no idea where the connection between Odin and Santa Claus come from.
False Connections
Crawford’s video takes each point of some Internet articles that connect Odin to Santa Claus and disputes them with logic and knowledge. The eight legs of Odin’s horse Sleipnir are based on coincidence. The number eight can be found a lot of places, and one of Crawford’s research assistants traces the tradition back to 1823’s The Night before Christmas.
Odin does not wear read. He wears blue, gray, or spotted clothing.
Some Internet memes will say that Odin used to leave children gifts. This isn’t the case. Generally, the gifts that Odin gives are to men, who he wants to see in Vahalla. They are gifts of weapons, armor and other things useful in battle. These men will be part of his army at Ragnarok.
Other Connections?
Crawford says that Odin does have a connection to the holiday of jol, which is the Winter Solstice pagan holiday of the Viking age. People now associate jol with yule. One of Odin’s many names from the pre-Christian era is Jolnir, or the “Yuler.”
Odin’s presence in the Wild Hunt may have something to do with the Odin to Santa Claus connection. In the Wild Hunt, Odin rides through the night at jol, but he is the terror of the season. Santa Claus represents the happier and more generous spirit of the season.
Crawford’s arguments make it clear that Odin is no Santa Claus. Trying to draw connections between the two is a fool’s errand.
About Jackson Crawford
Jackson Crawford received his Ph.D. in Scandinavian Studies from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He got his M.A. in Linguistics from the University of Georgia. He was a professor of Norse language, myth, and sagas at UCLA from 2011 to 2014, UC Berkeley from 2015 to 2017, and the University of Colorado from 2017 to 2020. His YouTube channel has over 250,000 subscribers. He has consulted on multimedia projects since 2013 including Ubisoft Montréal’s Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla and Disney’s Frozen. Several of his translations of Norse myth have become bestsellers.
Sources: https://youtu.be/_o5ih9WuCxQ?si=nOzwIid4ga4lt95u
https://sonsofvikings.com/blogs/history/viking-origins-of-christmas-yule-traditions
https://talesoftimesforgotten.com/2021/12/27/no-santa-claus-is-not-inspired-by-odin/
