Chapter
1. "I Knew in a Moment It Must be Saint Nick"
Santa
Claus, Last of the Wild Men is the first true
history of America's Jolly Old Elf, the history of a god who was worshiped
before Rome, before Greece, and before Egypt. This book, by Phyllis Siefker,
is for adults, not children. How did this ancient beast-man
end up as Santa, Robin Hood, the Pied Piper, the April Fool, and even the
Christian Satan? Santa Claus, Last of the Wild Men tells you that
... and the beginnings of other famous figures:
Santa's
predecessors came to America in many forms, but he made his way to our
fireplaces through Pennsylvania's Pelzichol or Bellsnickle.
Pelzichol and Santa are the descendants of a long line of fur-covered Wild
Men, like this character from the 15th Century Nuremberg Carnival.
Because he was the core of a popular pagan rite, the old god found himself in increasing trouble with the growing Christian Church. After the church tapped the Wild Man to be its Satan, the Wild Man decided to follow other, more respectable paths. In this way he evolved into some of our best-known folk figures -- Santa, the Pied Piper, Robin Hood, and Puck, to name a few.
Santa's
history is truly ancient, perhaps 70,000 years old. Santa Claus, Last
of the Wild Men traces this creature from the prehistoric High Alps
through the Middle Ages and into the 20th Century. The book takes us to
19th and 20th century bear festivals that continue even today. The
author artfully weaves together threads from the past to take Santa from
worshiped bear to bearer of gifts.
Hood
began as Robin Wode, Wode or Hode, also known as Robin Goodfellow. The
only acquaintance most of us have with Robin Goodfellow is in Shakespeare's
Midsummer
Night's Dream as Puck, a leaf-clad scamp. This woodcut of Robin from
The
Mad Pranks shows Robin as the ultimate Wild Man. You see, in an even
earlier woodcut how Wode was pictured before he became our less hair-ied
Robin Hood.
Before pursuing a career in the legitimate theater, Harlequin, like Santa, led a pack of revelers that terrified more sedate folks on certain nights. In fact the first written mention of Harlequin, in the 11th century, finds him leading the notorious Wild Horde.
Chapter
1. "I Knew in a Moment It Must be Saint Nick"
The myth of Saint Nicholas, including the "schoolboy stories"
Where the myth came from and why it falls apart under inspection.
2. "His Clothes Were All Tarnished with Ashes and Soot"
Pelznichol of Pennsylvania and how he became America's Santa.
Pelznichol's cousins Papa Bois of Trinidad and the Janneys of Canada..
Who really wrote "A Visit From Saint Nicholas/'Twas the Night Before Christmas?"
3. "He Was Dressed All in Fur from His Head to His Foot"
The Wild Man figure and his rituals throughout Europe, from cave paintings, through Babylon, Greece, Rome, Europe, and others.
Wild Man festival survivals in the 20th Century
4. "Satan Dons Furs"
Pope
Gregory the Great taps the Wild Man as Satan.
Boy Bishop festivals and the Medieval morality plays with the Devil as the clown, with his "devil's bluster," "Ho! Ho! Hoh!"
5. "Merrie Olde England: From Pagan to Puck"
The Wild Man pursues other, less Hellish, paths to keep in favor.
Robin Goodfellow, Robin Hood, and Father Christmas.
Mumming plays and village festivals.
6. "When Out on the Lawn There Arose Such a Clatter"
The Wild Horde and Wild Hunter.
Harlequin leaves his Wild Horde to become a stage performer.
7. "On Board the Ship of Fools"
The Wild Man becomes the Fool.
The Nuremberg Carnival.
The Wild Man becomes a Noble Savage
Modern-day survivors of the Wild Man and his horde, from Greece to Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and Russia.
8. "European Gift Givers"
Pelznichol's' German cousins
Sweden's Saint Lussi and Star Boys, Norway's Julsvenn,
Finland's Yule Pixie (Joulpukki), Lapland's Stallo, Perchta - to name a
few.
9.
"A Right Jolly Old Elf"
Who were the elves and fairies?"
An updated look at carbon dating, prehistoric European civilizations, and the German gods.
How Lady Godiva became associated with a disreputable Coventry ride.
Why Santa lives in the north, is associated with reindeer and gift-giving, and slides down chimneys.
Chapter 10. "The Fairy and the Wild Man"
Bear worship in the High Alps 75,000 years ago.
Twentieth-century survivals in the Arctic Circle and Japan.
The aboriginal Ainus of Japan, last of a vanishing people?
This web page is the author's. We can't order books for you through the page, but encourage comments and questions. Contact Phyllis Siefker at santaquest@mailcity.com. And have a very and Yule and ... and ......