Friday, November 28, 2008

Donder/Donner

Thanks to my friend Karen who sent me this information:

"Two of the reindeer names, Donner/Donder and Blitzen, are often the source of confusion, misspelling, and misinformation. The short facts are these: Donner/Donder and Blitzen were named ''Dunder'' and ''Blixem'' (the Dutch words for ''thunder'' and ''lightning'') in the original printing of "A Visit From St. Nicholas." In reprints of the poem, the names became ''Donder'' and ''Blixen,'' then ''Donder'' and ''Blitzen'' (the latter being German for ''lightning''). By the time Johnny Marks wrote "Rudolph," it was ''Donner'' and ''Blitzen'' (possibly because ''Donder'' was musically awkward). See Snopes.com for a thorough discussion. "

1 comment:

PrincessButtercup said...

BRAVO to you madame! You are always so full of factual references and I love that I now know the real way to see those words :)

I think I should start a blog about all the verification words and the meanings I come up with.

entumsh: this is the sound that trees make when they crush people as they begin to walk :)