Santa Claus began as a fourth-century bishop who spent years in a Roman prison.
The real Saint Nicholas: born wealthy, gave his fortune away, paid dowries to save 3 sisters from destitution. Attended the Council of Nicea. Legend says he slapped a heretic and resurrected pickled children.
Then a millennium of metamorphosis: Sinterklaas, Father Christmas, and finally the red-suited ad icon.
New essay on the man behind the myth: https://jhrln.link/nicholas-masto
Jeffrey HarlanFrom the Bishop of Myra to the Man in Red: Who Was Saint Nicholas?Santa Claus began as a fourth-century bishop who spent years in a Roman prison. The strange history of Saint Nicholas — and the novel that resurrected him.