Editors receive all sorts of
inquiries—especially this time of year. In the old days they came by mail
and telephone, but now most arrive by e-mail, of course. A few years ago
editors at the prestigious Washington Post were faced with what
became known as the Donder Affair.
It began with a controversial column in
which the Post, with the aid of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS),
tried to decide whetherClement Clarke Moore(1779-1863), the supposed
author of the famous poem, A Visit
from St. Nicholas, meant to name his seventh reindeer "Donner" or "Donder." For those who need
their memories refreshed, the others are Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen,
Comet, Cupid and Blitzen. The USGS argued that the spelling was
Donner.
The editors were snowballed, so to speak, by
experts who asserted the USGS didn't know zip, and that the reindeer's name
was Donder—a
Dutch word meaning thunder; while others argued it was German, and the
spelling was Donner. It is claimed that then Senator Robert J. Dole
(R-Kansas) immediately called for a special prosecutor to conduct an
investigation.
Such a waste of time and money. As any good
genealogist of Dutch ancestry like myself can tell you, Santa's seventh
reindeer was named Donder, but you have to look under all variant spellings
of the name to trace his ancestors. One clue to the Dutch origins of Santa's
reindeer can be found in the name given to the eighth one—Blitzen. That's
really another good Dutch name, no matter if the author didn't know how to
spell bliksem. Donder and Blitzen mean thunder and lightning, making them a
perfectly matched pair of high-flying
stags.
Moore supposedly was inspired for the Santa Claus image in
his poem by the roly-poly Dutchman who drove his sleigh the night when the
muse struck the writer. However, no doubt Moore also drew from various
literary sources, most notably Washington Irving's
Knickerbocker History (published in 1809). It was a satire
on the transplanted customs of New York's Dutch population and contained
several references to the legendary Sinter Klass (St. Nicholas). Of course,
since we Dutch claim St. Nicholas, who became Santa Claus, that's another
piece of evidence as to the ethnic origins of these antlered
animals. It
also explains how Moore mixed up Dutch and Deutsch spellings, thus confusing
editors, printers, and readers ever since.
"Now, Dasher! now,
Dancer! now, Prancer and Vixen!
"On, Comet! on, Cupid! on, Donder and Blitzen!
Such a waste of time and money. As any good
genealogist of Dutch ancestry like myself can tell you, Santa's seventh
reindeer was named Donder, but you have to look under all variant spellings
of the name to trace his ancestors. One clue to the Dutch origins of Santa's
reindeer can be found in the name given to the eighth one—Blitzen. That's
really another good Dutch name, no matter if the author didn't know how to
spell bliksem. Donder and Blitzen mean thunder and lightning, making them a
perfectly matched pair of high-flying
stags.
animals. It
also explains how Moore mixed up Dutch and Deutsch spellings, thus confusing
editors, printers, and readers ever since.
