After the Protestant Reformation was over, the new leaders of Protestant Christianity made more than a few changes. The one that is important here is the condemnation of Christmas. The Protestant Church had no problem pointing out that Christmas was a Heathen holiday. Protestant adherents were forbidden for many years to celebrate Christmas for this very reason. The Roman Catholic Church never denied what they appropriated, even to this day, despite the biblical warning to not adopt Heathen customs (Deuteronomy 12:29 – 32). page 11
The sun God Mithra, a Persian import, had many followers in the Roman Army. Mithra’s followers believed that the god had incarnated as a man from a heavenly realm, was born of a virgin on December 25 for the purpose of human salvation. Egyptians who lived in Rome at that time celebrated the birth of Horus, a God said to be of virgin birth by the Goddess Isis. Depictions of Horus in the Egyptian temples were that of a babe in a crib with his virginal mother, Isis looking on. At the other end of town were the gladiators, many of them Germanic prisoners of war. The Germanics celebrated Yule, the turning of the wheel and the rebirth of the God (Balder) as a babe from the Goddess (they also noted with great respect that the days became longer - the return of the Sun, reborn in the sky and life). page 27
In the basic context of the
Klaus myth, it’s pretty much the stuff of Indo-European myth and
legend. The God Thor flew across the sky in his wagon powered and pulled
by two magical goats. Woden (Wotan/Odin), the primary Germanic/Norse God,
rode on his magical horse and was accompanied by his minions during what was
known as the 'Wild Hunt.' This 'Hunt' happened during the
winter solstice/Yule period. And, Woden was also known to grant
wishes to those who deserved them. page 65
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