Real St. Nicholas: Tales of Generosity and Hope from Around the World

Book Overview

There really was a St. Nicholas -- you may be surprised to hear. He was a fourth-century bishop in Asia Minor. Europeans have long observed December 6 as St. Nicholas Day, but the tradition never took hold in America. This charming volume presents little-known legends and tales from Russia, Spain, Greece, Ireland, Germany, Holland, France, Italy, and Armenia----to name a few of the countries represented in this book. While slimmer than jolly old Santa, the historical saint is much larger in character. Celebrated as protector of the wronged and patron saint of children, Nicholas is, in essence, a Western bodhisattva: an enlightened being who serves those in need. This book restores him as an important lost archetype of the Wise Old Man, clustering stories according to such appealing themes as rescuing, nurturing, outwitting evil, and healing. Louise Carus spent two years researching and translating material to bring us the best collection available in English. It will delight parents, educators, community organizers, story lovers, and others eager to decommercialize and resanctify the holidays. Indeed, the generous spirit of the real St. Nicholas can inspire us any day of the year.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0835608131
• ISBN13: 9780835608138
• Release Date: October 2002
• Publisher: Quest Books (IL)
• Length: 230 Pages
• Weight: 1.57 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 7.0" x 9.9"

Customer Reviews

"The Real St. Nicholas": An interesting addition to our family's holiday reading list

Our extended family~~our grown children, but also young nieces and nephews and their parents, were talking about how we could add more meaning to the holiday season (from Halloween through the New Year)to reinforce 'our family' rather than just focus on Shopping/Gift Lists and the 'Santa Claus Syndrome'. We came up with the idea that we would add more theme and 'ritual' to traditional minor feast days and holidays that were being overwhelmed by Xmas merchandising and the media blitz. The holidays we wanted to focus on were All Saints and All Souls Days, St. Nicholas Day, the Feast of Santa Lucia, and the weeks of Advent. So we looked into resources for storytelling, bedtime reading, crafts, and cooking/baking and sharing meals as a family group appropriate to each holiday. Thus I ordered "The Real St. Nicholas" after reading about it on the St. Nichlolas Center website (where there is a huge amount of good and fun info about St. Nicholas). The book has a range of essays and stories, including the biography of the bishop, different legends from various European cultures and many stories to read aloud to small children. Several of the legends are also excellent if you want to hone your 'storytelling' skills by the fire. The book also includes some classic illustrations and a few recipes for traditional St. Nicholas baking. I think it's a keeper for the family library and will be used for years to come.

Great Book!

I had been looking for a book that gave the story of St Nicholas that I could read to my Grandchildren. This was the perfect book. It had all the stories about St. Nicholas from around the world. It was interesting to read the different stories about Bishop Nicholas depending on where you lived. Very Complete! A must for the "Bishop Nicholas" lover.