A little open thread for Christmas Eve.
Is it cold where you are? It’s really cold where I am.
As an early Christmas gift, here are some cats in flying saucers:
That is all.
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@Lumipuna
My understanding of nisser (which I am only qualified to comment on second-hand, my closest friend for 20 years is Norwegian), is that that if you don’t leave out rice pudding, they get mad and party in your house and trash it. If you do and they like it, they fix your stuff and leave little gifts in appreciation. I imagine that since nisser, trolls, huldra , etc. have been around forever, these aren’t the local version of Santa’s elves, but Santa’s elves are the local version of nisser.
@Allandrel
I prefer
https://youtu.be/s9coPzDx6tA
Big Titty Demon:
You mean local, as in English-speaking countries?
I don’t actually know where it was first proposed that Santa or equivalent character has an army of little folk at his service – I just assumed it wasn’t in Scandinavia or Finland. It was certainly younger than the traditional concept of nisse or tonttu, but probably older than the modern Finnish concept of tonttu. Probably there have been nisser-like household spirits in Britain (where the English names “elf” and “gnome” originate), and certainly in central Europe.
Yes, specifically England and then filtering to America, as it’s old enough that that’s how Santa’s elves got to America, I reckon.
According to Wikipedia, in the Christmas Elf article marked for expansion since 2020 and citing the esteemed resource Box Office Mojo (?), it’s younger than both and Louisa May Alcott started it in 1850 (uh-oh, there goes my England-> America theory), but it didn’t take off until Godey’s Lady’s Book picked it up in 1873. However, the question would have to be, did Alcott know about nisser when she wrote about elves or not? There’s zero elf tradition in America except Christmas elves: did she talk to an immigrant and go, hey hey, what an amazing concept, I’ll just borrow it, as so many have done? Or did she come up with it clean slate? She definitely didn’t travel Europe until after that time period.
@FM Ox: smacks self in head Duh, of course. Just like Thor’s goats and the ever-renewing boar in Valhalla. Good solid northern mythology.
I LOL at that picture. It really is a perfect illustration of the phrase.
@BTD: Alcott was famously well-read, so she could have picked it up on her own.
Anyone up for endless kittens?
@Full Metal Ox: Yes, you would be correct re: that spoiler. Really drives home a point about ‘ubj pbyyhqvat jvgu lbhe bccerffbef bayl jbexf nf ybat nf lbh ner hfrshy gb gurz.’
I’m doing a lot better health-wise. My partner was snuggly and I’ve been playing some solo board games to keep myself busy.
It occurs to me that the Norse concept of dwarves as master crafters is also likely to have informed the concept of Santa’s elves.
@Full Metal Ox
How did all those kittens even get in there?
FYI, getting a new fridge on Wednesday 28th.