Folklore of Santa Claus and His Connection to the Realm of the Fae

There have been many figures and customs throughout history that have contributed to the folklore of Santa Claus since ancient times. Santa Claus is known for wearing a red suit with white trim and a red and white hat. However, some say that in the original folkloric tales of Santa Claus, he is wearing a green suit and hat because one of the earliest versions of Santa Claus was the Celtic Holly King that wore green with red embellishments to represent holly leaves and berries. St. Nicolas, the Christian saint, which Santa Claus was also based on, was said to wear red and white like the modern-day version of Santa Claus.

Santa Claus is often referred to as a jolly old elf. The connection between Santa Claus and the fae most likely originated from folklore from ancient pagan beliefs.  Denmark’s version of Santa Claus was a small elf-like or gnome-like creature called a Tomte in the 1840s, which wore a red hat and had a white beard. A Tomte was originally a gnome-like creature that lived in or under a house unbeknownst to the people that also lived there before it transformed into a version of Santa Claus. It was sometimes thought to be the deceased human spirit of the original owner of the land and builder of the home it inhabited. It would help with chores and protect the animal if it was kept happy. Instead of cookies, people would leave it food offerings of porridge with a pat of butter. However, the earlier folklore of the Tomte has a dark side, so you don’t want to be on its naughty list. If the pat of butter was missing from its porridge it would become angered. When it  became angered or offended by the homeowners, it stole from them and even killed the livestock. According to folklore, an extremely enraged Tomte might even bite a person, which could be deadly because its bite is poisonous. 

There is also folklore of another mythical creature from the realm the fey that wears red. The gnome-like creature called the redcap is known for wearing an infamous red hat dyed with the blood of its victims. It has to continue to kill and soak its hat in the blood of its victims because if its hat dies out, it will die. In folkloric depictions, redcaps also have beards like Santa Claus, but that is where their similarities end.

Let's hope you are not on the naughty list and Santa Claus is in a jolly mood this Christmas because if he is anything like the tomte or redcap, your fate may be much worse than receiving a lump of coal in your stocking!