REINDEER
If you read the blog yesterday you will know that there are parallels to be drawn between Santa and Odin, and these continue when we look into the origins of Santa's reindeer.
As we know Santa's sledge is pulled by eight flying reindeer, travelling around the world and leaving gifts for children. Odin had an eight legged horse called Sleipnir which he rode across the sky in the Wild Hunt, carry the souls of the dead to the Underworld. Children would leave out sugary treats for Sleipnir in exchange for small gifts from Odin. Very similar to children today leaving a carrot for Santa's reindeer.
The reindeer could also have represented the stags that drew the Norse Goddess, Freya chariot. She is also said to be a gift giving Goddess
And while on the subject of female energy, all of santas reindeer had to be female. This is because it is only the female reindeer that still have their antlers during the winter. They kept them longer than their male counterparts so they could protect their young.
But where does the flying part come into it? Well I think it may come from the shamanic peoples of Scandinavia. This is the territory of the modern day reindeer, and they have discovered a secret. In these regions also grows the
hallucinogenic fly agaric mushrooms which is toxic to humans, but not to the reindeer. It has been discovered that if a human drinks the urine of a reindeer who has consumed the mushroom, they can absorb the hallucinogen but not the toxin. Who first discovered this and what they were doing drinking reindeer urine is anyone's guess though. But a shaman could drink this to embark on his journeying (where his astral body
would leave and return his abode through the smoke hole in the roof)
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