Tag: Christmas

Festive Finds: PAS Christmas Countdown #3

Posted on by Katie Bishop

STAG HARNESS PENDANT

Stag Harness Pendant
Medieval Copper alloy harness pendant. (SF5207) Copyright: The Portable Antiquities Scheme. License: CC-BY

Reindeer and Christmas. The two words are so entwined and seem to fit together perfectly but reindeer haven’t always been associated with Christmas, so why are they today?

In early versions of the legend, Santa Claus rode a white horse to deliver presents, but as the Saint Nicolas myth merged with local folktale, other aspects were included in the myth. In Norse and Germanic mythology, Thor (God of Thunder) flies through the sky in a chariot pulled by two magical goats. It is possible the Saint Nicholas myth was combined with the well-known local myth of a chariot pulled by animals.

1804 a miniature representation of a reindeer and sleigh accompany Santa Claus, possibly taken from the Russian winter folk spirit, Father Frost, who drives a sled drawn by reindeer. In 1812 Washington Irving refers to St. Nicholas as:

“Riding over the tops of the trees, in that self-same wagon (sleigh)

wherein he brings his yearly presents to children.”

Ten years later in 1821, printer William Gilley published a booklet by an anonymous author where reindeer are introduced with Santa Claus for the first time,

“Old Sante Claus with much delight,

His reindeer drives this frosty night.

O’er chimney tops, and tracks of snow,

to bring his yearly gifts to you”.                

Names are given to the reindeer in 1822/23 in the poem ‘A Visit from St. Nicholas’ [or ‘’Twas the Night Before Christmas’] where it states that Santa drives a sleigh pulled by eight reindeers [Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donder (Donner) and Blixem (Blitzen). Rudolph wasn’t introduced until 1939, the creation of Robert L. May.

This explains how reindeer came to guide Santa’s sleigh but not why reindeer were picked in the first place. During the 18th century in Scandinavian and Eastern European countries, reindeer were domesticated and often used (and still are today) for transportation like pulling sleds and sleighs. They were seen as mysterious creatures, suitable companions for the magical Santa Claus.

A harness pendant recorded on the database depicts a stag (SF5207), although with its protruding horns and slightly red nose, shares similarities to Santa’s reindeer. Stags were important during the medieval period and were described in bestiaries as an enemy of snakes. Because snakes were seen as a symbol of Satan, the stag became the symbol of Christ. The stag is associated with the soul wishing to become pure, with the white stag becoming the emblem of King Richard II.

Wilton Diptych Left Panel
Left panel from the Medieval Wilton Diptych, King Richard II wears a robe with his white stage emblem. Unknown Master, English or French [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons.

Festive Finds: PAS Christmas Countdown #1

Posted on by Katie Bishop

THE ANNUNCIATION

The Annunciation
Angel Gabriel announcing to Mary that she is with child. Paolo de Matteis [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons.

Christmas celebrates the birth of Christ as told in the Nativity, with a key scene being when the angel Gabriel tells Mary that she will give birth to the son of God. This is known as the Annunciation and is mentioned in the Bible, the Dead Sea scrolls and the Qur’an; In Islam Jesus is a prophet of God, not the son.

The story was popular during the medieval period, with pilgrim badges and rings making reference to it. A pilgrim badge on the database depicts the Annunciation (BH-199D37), with Mary on the left, represented by a cross and Gabriel on the right, depicted with wings; although the Bible states that Gabriel appeared to Mary as a man, not an angel. The central column most likely represents a lily, given to Mary as a symbol of her purity. A medieval stirrup finger ring that makes reference to the Annunciation is also recorded on the database (LON-121037). The ring shows a pair of clasped hands and inscribed around the outside is [A V E M(?) A R I A: G], this would have originally read AVE MARIA  GRACIA PLENA (Hail Mary, full of grace). These represent the words spoken by Gabriel to Mary during the Annunciation and were a popular inscription.

This scene signifies the start of the nativity story and makes the perfect start to our series of festive finds blogs.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gabriel Ring
14th century Silver ring with Inscription. (LON-121037) Copyright: Museum of London. Licence: CC-BY.
14th century copper alloy pilgrim badge depicting the Angel Gabriel and Mary. (BH-199D37) License: CC-BY
14th century copper alloy pilgrim badge depicting the Angel Gabriel and Mary. (BH-199D37) Copyright: St Albans District Council. Licence: CC-BY.

 

Introduction to the Festive Finds: PAS Christmas Countdown

Posted on by Katie Bishop

Introduction to the Festive Finds

Festive Finds Countdown logo
Festive Finds Countdown logo, Copyright: Portable Antiquities Scheme

Starting on Sunday 13th December and running for 12 days, a series of blogs entitled ‘Festive Finds’ will be posted onto the County Pages of the PAS (Portable Antiquities Scheme) database. Each day a new festive object from the database will be discussed, along with the history and wider context of the part of the holiday it represents.

Katie, PAS Volunteer
Katie, PAS Volunteer. Copyright: Katie Bishop

My name is Katie Bishop and I am a volunteer with the PAS, working with the Essex Finds Liaison Officer, Ben Paites. Having been a volunteer with the PAS for four months, I have become more familiar with the work they do, which isn’t just identifying and recording objects. The database is a tool which contains a variety of information, with the ‘festive finds’ series just one small example in which the PAS records can be used to help further research.

This time of year is thought of as a time for joy and goodwill. We thought the PAS should do its part in spreading a little of the festive cheer. Although the original idea was to celebrate Christmas, it is not the only festival being celebrated around this time and we wanted to highlight this diversity; by changing the concept from ‘Christmas’ to ‘Festive’. We began looking through the records on the database for any festive themed finds; not as simple as I thought it would be! At times we really had to use our imagination and think outside the box, resulting in a wide range of finds. We used the finds from the database to conduct further research into the wider context of these objects and the festivals to which they link; an extremely interesting process. We found out new facts about well-established stories, learnt about the origins of world famous myths and discovered the truth about some popular misconceptions.

We hope you enjoy reading these ‘Festive Finds’ blog posts and join us as the PAS counts down to Christmas.