319. Heist of St Nicolas: The Medieval Mafia Who Stole Santa (Part 2)

Empire: World History

Who were the Italian sailors who stole the bones of St Nicolas from his church in Turkey in 1087? How was the mythology of St Nicolas combined with Germanic pagan stories of Odin riding a white horse accompanied by ravens? How did polar-mania and Coca Cola advertising transform Dutch traditions around St Nicolas into the Santa Claus we know today?

William and Anita are joined once again by Sam Dalrymple to discuss his original research on the epic Heist of St Nicolas…

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2025-12-24 32 min

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