Music: Dance of the Reed Flutes
Santa's Elves
In the pagan times of Scandinavia, people believed that elves & house gnomes guarded their homes against evil. The elves & gnomes were benevolent, but it is said that they quickly turned spiteful when not treated properly. Throughout the centuries, they were either loved or despised. The perception of elves largely depended on whether a person was naughty, or nice. In Scandinavia, the God Thor was thought to be the origin of the Yule Elf; while in Norway, Sweden & Denmark it was thought that the God Odin was the original "Alf" or gift-giving "Elf"
Coca Cola and classic American writers gave us our present day Santa and his elves.
The picture below is an advertisement for �Coca-Cola, painted by Chicago artist Haddon Sundblom in 1961.
