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The cherished heroes of folklore share a common fate: sooner or later they must relinquish their historical character-armor to stand revealed in all the nakedness of a tragic hero. Now it is St. Nicholas' turn to face up to the imperishable Repressed. Professor De Groot has written a fascinating analysis of the historical and psychological sources of the modern Santa Claus figure. High in originality and resourceful in his use of concepts derived from the fields of myth, folklore, psychoanalysis, and religion, the author has created a monographic tour de force.
De Groot's study is an important contribution to our understanding of the significance of archaic symbols in modern consciousness. His thesis is that St. Nicholas is a latter-day embodiment of a sublimated pagan fertility god, the erstwhile patron of lawful sexuality and childbirth, worldly prosperity, and a variety of productive workaday activities. The historic link between Artemis as prototypic fertility goddess and the contemporary Santa Claus is provided by the semilegendary St. Nicholas of Myra. In the role of miracle maker, and specifically, as magical intercessor in cases of shipwreck, unjust imprisonment, imminent death, and other desperate situations, St. Nicholas personifies the spirit of life-giving and regeneration. The author traces the process by which the medieval saint gradually was secularized, paradoxically retaining and enlarging his hold on the popular imagination as he lost his sacred charge as the “Second Savior” of Greek provenance.
The book is divided into three parts. Part One describes the background of St. Nicholas Day celebrations in Holland and elsewhere in