Julenisse : The Norwegian Santa Claus
We are in the midst of Christmas period and I still have not written about Norwegian Santa. Shame on me! So today I’ll catch my mistake and tell you a bit about him.
Julenisse, the Christmas gnome.
Here in Norway, Santa Claus is called Julenisse, which could be translated as “Christmas gnome”, or “Christmas elf”. It is thought that this term comes from Saint-Nicholas: Nils is the Scandinavian equivalent of Nicolas. However, this tradition has existed long before the birth of Jesus Christ. A nisse is a small bearded man wearing a red pointed cap (it’s the gnome’s archetype we are all aware of), usually old and with the size of a child.
Julebukk, the Christmas goat.
Another tradition completes the one we just talked about: julebukk (Christmas goat). The julebukk tradition was to bring people together during the Christmas period. In ancient times, Scandinavian used to sacrifice a goat for Christmas.
Another pagan tradition was that a man wearing a cape and a mask-shaped goat’s head was knocking on every door to fetch gifts from the villagers, who thanked him for his protection against ghosts. Christians then seized this tradition and called it Julebukk, which has now become the equivalent of Halloween. In Sweden, Julenisse is pulled by goats. They not only represent the mounts be used by the god Thor to pull his cart, but they are also the symbol of Lucifer chained by the good Saint-Nicholas to go and offer gifts to good children.
To make it simple, the Norwegian Santa is kind of a hybrid between a farm gnome and Saint-Nicholas. I prefer not to imagine the love scene between those two protagonists to make him real… I’m sorry, I had to do this (stupid) joke! :)
-ju
Sources:
http://www.ingebretsens.com/
http://www.santas.net/
http://www.stavanger-web.com/
http://mylittlenorway.com/
Siegfried: Twilight of the gods – Alex Alice
I’m a bit late for this piece of news, but I wished to take advantage of the release of Alex Alice’s 3rd and last volume of “Siegfried” to write about one of my favorite comic books. And as this comic book speaks about scandinavian mythology, this post has its place in this blog!
Siegfried (also called Sigurðr) is a hero of the scandinavian mythology which appears within the Völsunga Saga. He is also known as the killer of the dragon Fáfnir and was made famous by Wagner’s “Der Ring Des Nibelungen” opera.
Alex Alice was mostly inspired by this opera (he also took some liberties in the story) to tell us this fabulous story: a child brought up by a dwarf among the wolves who decides to set off in search of adventure. Allright, it’s not that great when I try to summarize it, but it has been a long time since I read the first two volumes and I still have not the 3rd one… Thus thank you for your understanding! :)
Whatever, drawings are gorgeous (some double spreads made me tremble with!), the scenario is really fascinating, the characters are charming and everything is looked after in the slightest detail. Roughly, if you’re into comics, mythology or just if you are curious, do not hesitate! (The special edition is worth it, would that only be for the incredible illustrations).
I almost forgot, an animated movie is on its way too. It should be out for 2012, but I don’t know if I’m still up to date … I hope you’ll like it!
-Ju
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