8FOLD/ACRA: Journey Into... Annual # 1 (a/b)

[Tom Russell]

Martin Phipps wrote:
> Okay.
>
> I'm wondering what the origin of "Santa" is in Eightfold.  Is he really
> Saint Nicholas who has lived for many hundreds of years and has, in the
> meantime, moved up to the North Pole and now has elves and reindeer
> working for him?  Or in the Eightfold Universe is he a superpowered
> individual who was able to recreate the Santa Claus mythology?

Well, this Santa is certainly more akin to the secular Santa of popular
imagination rather than the religious figure.  But, in my opinion, and
I think this is alluded to within one of the stories, he is the real
deal.  He's not someone who's recreating the mythology: he is the
mythology.

As for an origin story... well, I did start writing one but abandoned
it.  The gist of it was, when people started to believe in Santa, he
came into being.  Just, plip!, he exists.  The other side of the coin--
which came into play in a couple of other abandoned stories for this
annual-- is that should the world know for an absolute fact that Santa
exists, he would either lose his powers or cease to exist altogether.

==Tom