#2 from “The Truth About Santa Claus”
by Robert Jackson Bennett - December 21st, 2010
Mr. Bennett addresses the myth that "Santa Claus lives
in a workshop at the North Pole:"
"This is not
quite correct. Reports indicate that the Yule King does not live at the North
Pole, but rather underneath a frigid mountain that forms the top of the world.
It is similar to Olympus, but much starker and with much more brutal weather.
And the King does not actually live there, but instead sleeps in an enormous
cavern in the very heart of the peak. The nature of the cavern is a subject of
some debate: some believe it is like an ornate tomb or dour cenotaph, while others
claim it is filled with the statues of the King’s many servants, while others
contend that it is filled with gears and machinery. Some suggest it is a bit of
all of them. This can easily be believed, as the Country in the North (as it is
called) is reported to be a very strange and dangerous place; some reckless
adventurers who traveled there returned years later full of confusing stories,
yet the strangest thing was that they did not seem to have aged a day.
Wayland’s Smithy, which is believed to be similar to Santa's
chamber.
The Yule King’s beard, oddly enough, is
closely linked to his chamber: as he sleeps for the remaining 361 days of the
year, the beard continues to grow, eventually filling the entire room and
providing much-needed insulation against the bitter winds that swirl throughout
the Country in the North. When he wakes, his servants trim it back. The
insulation is not actually necessary – the Yule King would sleep anyway – but
it ensures that he will be well-rested, putting him in a good mood and making
his Yuletide foray much better for everyone. For example, there have been only
two known instances of the Yule King killing anyone on his Yuletide foray since
his servants started allowing his beard to grow out in 1351.
The idea of Santa’s workshop probably
comes from some confusion over the nature of his sleeping chamber. A very
popular record says that the snowy peak on his mountain stays frozen throughout
the year until the winter solstice approaches. When the light begins to fade
from the sky, the snow there does the precise opposite of what you would
expect: rather than staying frozen, it is melted by the growing dark.
Illustration from: http://www.megaliths.net/photobank.htm
(Some sources indicate that it is melted by a particular
blend of starlight, created only when certain constellations are arranged above
the mountain, which happens only at the solstice; regardless, the effect is the
same.)
The melted water then runs down
the mountain and is funneled into many carven flutes and passageways, which
eventually end in the Yule King’s sleeping chamber..."
Enjoyed this immensely! Thank you. Solstice Blessings.
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