The Santa Map: A Cultural Geography of the World’s Most Beloved Man published by Hedberg Maps, Inc. in 2001 and held in the Geography and Map Division contains a wealth of information on this gift giving figure that has had a long history and varied geography. According to Hedberg, he/she has had many names such as Grandfather Frost, Generous Pho Pho, Father Christmas, Saint Nicholas, Kris Kringle, La Befana, Joulupukki, Sinterklaas, Pelznickel, Jultomten, Pere Noel, and Wotan. One of the earlier versions of the gift giver was the white-bearded Odin or Wotan, the main deity of Norse mythology who was said to lead the Wild Hunt in the sky during the winter solstice (Yule) on his eight-legged horse Sleipnir who could leap great distances. Boots filled with hay would be left near the chimney by children for Sleipnir and replaced with gifts by Odin. The map below depicts Scandinavia, the geography associated with Norse mythology.
The Santa Map also reveals another significant gift giver figure in Saint Nicholas of Myrna (current day Demre, Turkey), coming out of the 3rd century Roman province of Lycia. Hedberg reveals that Saint Nicholas was credited with tossing “anonymous gifts into poor homes and reputedly saved three dowryless girls from prostitution with stealthy deposits of gold.” Adding to his legend was the bringing back to life of three boys pickled in brine, granting food to three beggars during famine, and tour by horse across Europe leaving gifts for good children, leading to his veneration as the patron saint of not only children, but of sailors, travelers, and bakers as well. The map below depicts the Mediterranean Roman province of Lycia on the southwestern coast of Anatolia between the islands of Crete and Cyprus.
Being the patron saint of sailors, Saint Nicholas was displayed on the prow of the lead ship of a Dutch fleet of settlers who left Holland in 1626 and founded the city of New Amsterdam (current day New York City) in colonial America. The Dutch name for Saint Nicholas was Sinterklaas, which eventually morphed into Santa Claus. The 1639 map below by Vinckeboons depicts the freshly established Dutch settlement of New Amsterdam.
The Santa Map also points out another early arrival of the gift giver to colonial America with the German settlement of Pennsylvania starting in 1681. The Germans brought Belznickel and Christkindl, which eventually morphed into Kris Kringle. The Thomas Holme map below shows the early settlement of Pennsylvania in 1681.
In a section of The Santa Map called Santa Claus, An Unauthorized Biography, Hedberg reveals the early literature and media appearances of the gift giver, starting with St. A. Claus in a 1773 issue of the New York Gazette, as well as Washington Irving’s (writing under the pseudonym Diedrich Knickerbocker) mention of Saint Nicholas’ flying wagon in an 1812 revision of A History of New York, Clement C. Moore’s poem “A Visit from St. Nicholas” aka “Twas the Night Before Christmas” in 1822, Charles Dickens’ 1843 novel A Christmas Carol, and Thomas Nast’s 1863- 1890 Santa illustrations in Harpers Weekly (see featured image above titled Merry Old Santa Claus.)
Hedberg also divulges that Thomas Nast was the one to suggest that Santa Claus lived at the North Pole after the news was filled with the international competition to reach the North Pole after the U.S. Government sponsored expedition by Adolphus Greely in 1882. See the Greely papers for more information on his expeditions. The 1903 map below shows the North American Polar regions with expeditions by Greely and other explorers of the time.
Finally, The Santa Map reveals the origins perhaps the most iconic and well-known gift giver of all time. In 1931 Coca-Cola hired artist Haddon Sundblom to illustrate Santa Claus in a red suit to advertise their soft drink for a campaign that lasted for 35 years. Compared to Thomas Nast’s earlier illustration of Santa Claus as an elf-like figure, Sundblom’s Santa Claus was a larger-than-life. According to Hedberg, after entering World War II in 1941 Coca-Cola made it their policy to “see every man in uniform get a bottle of Coca-Cola for five cents wherever he is and whatever it costs.” The U.S. Government helped by funding the installation of 64 bottling plants behind allied lines and by the end of the war Coca-Cola became a global icon along with Sundblom’s Santa Claus. The 1944 Navy map below shows the global extent of U.S. forces at the time.
In conclusion, Hedberg’s The Santa Map is a great resource for learning about the history and geography of the gift giver beyond what I have highlighted here. The map can be viewed in the Geography and Map Division’s Reading Room by request.
Comments
Well-timed, bringing a wealth of map references not usually seen together.