Ancient Myths of Santas Flying Reindeer

I shall be using this post to comment upon a number of links I have found today, which touch upon what Herodotus described in his History of the Persian Wars, regarding ancient burial practices now confirmed by archeologists

I might as well get right to the point, up front, of what is on my mind, and then below are various supporting links.

If we look at ancient texts like Herodotus and Homer, and compare them with recent archeological findings, we can begin to see how many things evolved, from simple popular notions such as Santa Claus and his flying sleigh drawn by eight reindeer (Rudolf being the most famous, but Donner [thunder] and Blitzen [blitskreig; lightening] being also noteworthy) ... not only such popular recent legends, but also the Islamic account in Hadith of the Prophet Mohammad flying upon the winged beast Buraq on his "night of power", .. and connect it with theology in Homer, and the development of Greek Christian notions of a divine incarnation of Christ the Logos as God-Man (theanthropos), together with a substitutional atonement of the Crucifixion and a Resurrection. I feel there is some connection with Patroclus donning Achilles armor, becoming the likeness of Achilles, being slain by Hector in Achilles stead, and then Hector donning Achilles armor and, also as a likeness of Achilles, being slain by Achilles, so that Achilles symbolically slays himself. Now, combine this with the fact that in the Iliad, the gods (especially Zeus, head god) are NOT portrayed as omniscient (for Zeus is tricked and distracted by Hera-Juno), but in the Odyssey, the gods ARE described as omniscient. Also, consider the scene where immortal goddess Circe OFFERS TO MAKE ODYSSEUS IMMORTAL, if only he will give up his desire to return to Ithaca and his mortal wife Penelope. Odysseus turns down the opportunity to become immortal.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pazyryk_burials

of the ancient notions of flying reindeer and horses

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5199713

of the Vedic Horse Sacrifice

and of the Islamic account in Hadith of Prophet Muhammed's Night of Power when he is transported on a winged beast named Buraq (Arabic: البُراق‎ al-Burāq "lightning")

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buraq

I have posted some of this material in Facebook, and am making certain observations in a private (St. John's alumni only) seminar on Homer's Iliad and Odyssey.

Facebook has some limitations on how much one can post in any day, and so I shall gather my ideas here in blogspot, and may refer to them as I add to this post with one link, in PLURK, and elsewhere, for those who may be interested in following these ideas.

The following link will allow you to view a text book with photos regarding Herodotus on Scythian burial practices and archeologist's findings

http://penn.museum/documents/publications/expedition/PDFs/17-4/Rubinson.pdf

Here is the complete text of Herodotus

http://www.gutenberg.org/files/2707/2707-8.txt

Here is an excerpt from Herodotus regarding the preparation of a body for burial:

These, whenever a corpse is
conveyed to them, show to those who brought it wooden models of corpses
made like reality by painting, and the best of the ways of embalming
they say is that of him whose name I think it impiety to mention when
speaking of a matter of such a kind;[73] the second which they show is
less good than this and also less expensive; and the third is the least
expensive of all. Having told them about this, they inquire of them in
which way they desire the corpse of their friend to be prepared. Then
they after they have agreed for a certain price depart out of the way,
and the others being left behind in the buildings embalm according to
the best of these ways thus:--First with a crooked iron tool they draw
out the brain through the nostrils, extracting it partly thus and partly
by pouring in drugs; and after this with a sharp stone of Ethiopia they
make a cut along the side and take out the whole contents of the belly,
and when they have cleared out the cavity and cleansed it with palm-wine
they cleanse it again with spices pounded up: then they fill the belly
with pure myrrh pounded up and with cassia and other spices except
frankincense, and sew it together again. Having so done they keep it for
embalming covered up in natron for seventy days, but for a longer time
than this it is not permitted to embalm it; and when the seventy days
are past, they wash the corpse and roll its whole body up in fine
linen[74] cut into bands, smearing these beneath with gum,[75] which the
Egyptians use generally instead of glue. Then the kinsfolk receive it
from them and have a wooden figure made in the shape of a man, and when
they have had this made they enclose the corpse, and having shut it up
within, they store it then in a sepulchral chamber, setting it to stand
upright against the wall. 87. Thus they deal with the corpses which are
prepared in the most costly way; but for those who desire the middle way
and wish to avoid great cost they prepare the corpse as follows:--having
filled their syringes with the oil which is got from cedar-wood, with
this they forthwith fill the belly of the corpse, and this they do
without having either cut it open or taken out the bowels, but they
inject the oil by the breech, and having stopped the drench from
returning back they keep it then the appointed number of days for
embalming, and on the last of the days they let the cedar oil come out
from the belly, which they before put in; and it has such power that it
brings out with it the bowels and interior organs of the body dissolved;
and the natron dissolves the flesh, so that there is left of the corpse
only the skin and the bones. When they have done this they give back the
corpse at once in that condition without working upon it any more. 88.
The third kind of embalming, by which are prepared the bodies of those
who have less means, is as follows:--they cleanse out the belly with a
purge and then keep the body for embalming during the seventy days, and
at once after that they give it back to the bringers to carry away.
89. The wives of men of rank when they die are not given at once to be
embalmed, nor such women as are very beautiful or of greater regard
than others, but on the third or fourth day after their death (and
not before) they are delivered to the embalmers. They do so about this
matter in order that the embalmers may not abuse their women, for they
say that one of them was taken once doing so to the corpse of a woman
lately dead, and his fellow-craftsman gave information. 90. Whenever
any one, either of the Egyptians themselves or of strangers, is found
to have been carried off by a crocodile or brought to his death by the
river itself, the people of any city by which he may have been cast up
on land must embalm him and lay him out in the fairest way they can
and bury him in a sacred burial-place, nor may any of his relations or
friends besides touch him, but the priests of the Nile themselves handle
the corpse and bury it as that of one who was something more than man.

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