Donder, A defense of Santa's most misrepresented reindeer

Discussion in 'Miscellaneous' started by JJtheWise, Dec 21, 2015.

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What did you first learn Donder's Name as?

Donder 3 vote(s) 23.1%
Donner 10 vote(s) 76.9%
Dunder (name written in some un-published versions of "A visit from St. Nicholas") 0 vote(s) 0.0%
  1. "You know Dasher, and Dancer, and Prancer, and Vixen,
    Comet, and Cupid, and Donner and Blitzen"

    Wait! What?... "Donner" ?

    Sadly, yes. I would seem we owe one of Santa's reindeer an apology, we've been getting poor Donder's name wrong for quite some time now. In fact, it seems many people now days haven't even heard his real name. Before I go further let's look into the history behind this controversy.
    Santa's eight Reindeer were first named in Clement Clark Moore's,"A visit from St. Nicholas," which goes as follows.

    ‘Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse; The stockings were hung by the chimney with care, In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there; The children were nestled all snug in their beds, While visions of sugar-plums danced in their heads; And mamma in her ’kerchief, and I in my cap, Had just settled our brains for a long winter’s nap, When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter, I sprang from the bed to see what was the matter. Away to the window I flew like a flash, Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash. The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow Gave the lustre of mid-day to objects below, When, what to my wondering eyes should appear, But a miniature sleigh, and eight tiny reindeer, With a little old driver, so lively and quick, I knew in a moment it must be St. Nick. More rapid than eagles his coursers they came, And he whistled, and shouted, and called them by name; “Now, Dasher! now, Dancer! now, Prancer and Vixen! On, Comet! on, Cupid! on, Donder and Blitzen! To the top of the porch! to the top of the wall! Now dash away! dash away! dash away all!” As dry leaves that before the wild hurricane fly, When they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky; So up to the house-top the coursers they flew, With the sleigh full of Toys, and St. Nicholas too. And then, in a twinkling, I heard on the roof The prancing and pawing of each little hoof. As I drew in my head, and was turning around, Down the chimney St. Nicholas came with a bound. He was dressed all in fur, from his head to his foot, And his clothes were all tarnished with ashes and soot; A bundle of Toys he had flung on his back, And he looked like a pedler just opening his pack. His eyes—how they twinkled! his dimples how merry! His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry! His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow And the beard of his chin was as white as the snow; The stump of a pipe he held tight in his teeth, And the smoke it encircled his head like a wreath; He had a broad face and a little round belly, That shook when he laughed, like a bowlful of jelly. He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf, And I laughed when I saw him, in spite of myself; A wink of his eye and a twist of his head, Soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread; He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work, And filled all the stockings; then turned with a jerk, And laying his finger aside of his nose, And giving a nod, up the chimney he rose; He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle, And away they all flew like the down of a thistle, But I heard him exclaim, ere he drove out of sight, “Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good-night.”

    It wasn't until 1939 in the story (not yet put to music) "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer" by Robert May, that his name was corrupted.
    So please for the sake of historical preservation, and giving a reindeer a cooler name, spread the word, make sure EMC never has a "Donner" promo.

    Friends don't let friends use incorrect titles for magical cervidae.
    ChickenDice, 607, Tahitan and 3 others like this.
  2. Haha, I didn't have time to do it this year, but the names of the reindeer at spawn on utopia were very thoroughly researched before putting on signs. It is in fact Donder and we know that =)
    JJtheWise, 607, Tahitan and 1 other person like this.
  3. Please if there is a promo horse this year, make it donder
  4. Interesting... I never realized that Donner was actually Donder. But then, nobody really likes him anywaaaaa... er, Donder's great! :D Absolutely love the guy to bits!
    I just, um, you know, prefer Blitzen, Comet, and Vixen. But does that really matter? Heh heh... moving along now. >.>
    607 likes this.
  5. “Now, Dasher! now, Dancer! now, Prancer and Vixen! On, Comet! on, Cupid! on,
    Donder
    and Blitzen! To the top of the porch! to the top of the wall! Now dash away! dash away! dash away all!”

    Pretty sure we aren't on year 7 =P
    Hashhog likes this.
  6. But if you're going in order, in that case you skipped Dasher. :p
  7. Well if this was the order wouldn't we have dasher first? Or are we going: unlisted (rudolph) , 2, 1,3,4,5,6,7. Yeah, that makes a lot of sense.
  8. Nope. More like Rudolph, Dancer, tbd, tbd, tbd, tbd, Donder, tbd, tbd...

    Never said that the poem determined the exact order =P
    Might fit a Curly, Moe, and Leroy in there somewhere...
  9. Wait, What?
    Donder was clearly number 7 here, why else would you say we aren't on year 7??
  10. First learnt it as Donder: in this thread :)
    Britishrule77 likes this.
  11. I just realized there's one named Cupid.
    That's gonna be confusing once it's out >.>...
    JJtheWise likes this.