.gif){kind=spacer}
|
|
|
|
||||
|
"The Wonderful Gift Of Yule" is an epic poem, combining various myths and legends of the origin of Santa Claus and his residency at the North Pole. Amazingly, although Santa Claus may well be the most universally beloved children's hero on earth, stories of his origins are rare. Where they exist, they fail to answer many of the questions children commonly ask about his life with the elves, how reindeer fly, and so on. Interestingly, while some religious denominations attempt to tie a vague historical figure to Santa, none give any real evidence of that tie, and all of them politely ignore the fact that the myth of a benevolent being who comes with gifts for children in the dead of winter predates any of the religions who claim him. As was explained in the "What The Research Showed..." section of the Why It Is Important page of this web site, our present "Christmas Day" was hijacked from several earlier celebrations. As with most myths, the origins of both the benevolent being and the holiday itself are lost, and the writer is free to imagine a set of conditions which support and fit the present-day circumstances. While this explanation of Santa's beginnings may be new, it violates none of the traditions we grew up with, because there are none, and I, like writers before me, combined the possibilities of our present with what is believed about the past. The result, after much time, thought, meditation and too much coffee, is "The Wonderful Gift Of Yule". The work is an almost 10,000 word rhyming poem that tells how Santa came to be at the North Pole, what the elves are doing there, and what Santa's mission is for us. This story is a combination of myths and legends broken into 12 short chapters. It is not about Christmas as a religious holiday, but about Christmas as (1) the contemporary celebration of a mid-winter custom that has existed in virtually all cultures and times throughout history, and (2), and most importantly, what Libby and I truly believe it means in the hearts and minds of children. Young children, particularly, don't care about religions, cultures, political issues or regional customs--they care about loving and being loved. "Mr. and Mrs. Claus" have sung with, and talked with, a great many children over the last four years as we have enjoyed the Christmas season. This work is the result. The synopsis is also done in rhyme, and in the same flavor as the poem. Portions of the Prelude and Parts 2, 5, 9, and 10 are now available in the Samples section of this web site. We hope you enjoy "The Wonderful Gift Of Yule", and that it will remind you, as it has us, of the ultimate wisdom of children--that underneath all the veneers, love and gratitude are at the core in each of us. Paul & Libby Carr |
This is a rare picture of the Elf King, Kril, (when he was much younger), pondering the question of the Humans. To put it gently, haven't you wondered why the Elves went to the North Pole in the first place....?
|
|||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(C) PAUL S. CARR III: 2004 ILLUSTRATIONS BY PATRICIA JOHNSON |
||||||