Santa Clause and the Easter Bunny

[doodlebug]

Santa Clause and the Easter Bunny

Are Santa Clause and the Easter Bunny considered myths, fairy tales, or legends? Or could they possibly be all three?

 

[magoo69]

All three

I would consider it all 3.

 

[doodlebug]

I was just wondering because they are so much a part of American culture, yet they are not commonly mentioned when discussing fairy tales, myths, or legends.

 

[Slashmire]

I don't think that anyone would chop your head off if you said they were a Legend instead of a myth or vice-versa, so go with the one you like.

 

[vicki2]

All three, I guess. I've always sort of considered them folk tales though. They also vary from region to region and country to country.

 

[TheFolklorist]

I would classify Santa Claus as a “legend” because he is based off a real person; St. Nicholas of Myra.

The Easter Bunny on the other hand is a bit harder. In Germanic lore there is an “Easter Hase” and some trace the holiday back to the fertility goddess Eostre. I also remember reading in Rosemary Guiley’s The Encyclopedia of Witches and Witchcraft about Romanian folklore concerning rabbits and the book having this picture of a female humanoid rabbit totem that was found in England on a fair ground after some gypsies had left. It was kind of creepy looking. Anyway, I would say the Easter Bunny is probably more a product of contemporary folklore than anything else.