Danita Catherine Burke - 1 Santa Claus: A Northern Icon Publication Date: 2018 Santa Claus: A Northern Icon By: Danita Catherine Burke 1 Santa Claus is perhaps the most internationally well-known Northern figure besides the polar bear. Almost everyone knows, whether they celebrate Christmas or not, that Santa Claus lives at the North Pole. A discussion about Santa Claus is important in any exploration about representations and evolutions of the North because he is a gateway figure which introduces generations of children around the world to the North. Stories and the mythology surrounding Santa help to define many early conceptualizations that people have about the region. As such this essay briefly looks at two high profile ways in which Santa Claus has become part of contemporary discourse about the North: (1) the quintessential representation of the universalness of the North and (2) a political pawn in geopolitics and boundary marking. This is not meant to be an inclusive list, but is rather an introduction to two prominent themes associated with Santa Claus and the North which have permeated representations of the mystical figure. Santa Claus as a Representation of a Universal North: It would be a stretch to argue that anything malicious is intended by the idea of Santa Claus, either on representations of the North or toward indigenous peoples living there. Regardless, the idea of Santa Claus and the narratives and iconography associated with him do indoctrinate a very clear set of ideas about the North; both in terms of what the North is like and, more implicitly, what is excluded. Post Boxes in Iceland and Denmark 2 The modern day representation of Santa Claus and his elves at the North Pole, surrounded by a sea of pristine white snow and ice isolated from the world, are universally 1 This is a self-published piece, originally intended as part of the “Representations of the North” project. Copyright: Danita Catherine Burke. For permission to use or published any content used in this piece, contact burke@sam.sdu.dk/dcburke23@outlook.com. 2 Pictures taken by Danita Catherine Burke in Iceland, 2016 and Denmark, 2017; Copyright: Danita Catherine Burke