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No one is positive why reindeer lead Santa's sleigh, but there are some interesting theories.

In Norse and Germanic mythology, Thor is the God of Thunder and soars through the sky in a chariot pulled by two magical goats. Thor was highly revered and was arguably the most popular of Norse gods in ancient times. Images and stories of Thor soaring the skies in his sleigh pulled by two large, horned goats may have influenced the creation of Santa's sleigh and flying, antlered reindeer by those in the west familiar with Dutch or Germanic mythology.

The first known written account of reindeer in association with the legend of Santa Claus occurred in 1821. That year, New York printer William Gilley published a sixteen page booklet titled A New Year's Present, to the Little Ones from Five to Twelve Number III : The Children's Friend by an anonymous author. In the book, reindeer are introduced into the Santa Claus narrative:

Old Santa Claus with much delight

His reindeer drives this frosty night.

O'er chimneytops, and tracks of snow,

To bring his yearly gifts to you.

And now, one from the lighter side: During these these recent WikiYears, it has been brought to my attention that only the female reindeer would still have their antlers in late December. Every single depiction I've ever seen in my life shows Santa's sleigh being drawn by reindeer with antlers. In light of the fact that us men (yes, of ALL species) are world-renowned for never pulling over to ask for directions, PLUS the fact that the female of ANY species is responsible for the survival of their respective species, AND the fact that reindeer are very hardy animals, I would feel remiss if I did NOT opine that the reindeer are Santa's best choice. And they work for oats.

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13y ago

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