At the time of this writing, Christmas is swiftly approaching. With Christmas, comes Santa, and with Santa, reindeer inevitably follow. Errr...well...they lead, actually - but you get my drift. I get lots of questions this time of year about the symbolic meaning of reindeer. This article on reindeer meaning is an attempt to fill that vast void of curiosity about the reindeer, its totemic implications, and its mysterious connection to Old Saint Nick.
First, a word about the word...'reindeer', that is. Pull the thread of its name, and you'll likely find the term 'reindeer' to mean 'horned animal' in Old Norse language. Other variations mean 'running animal' (Old English) and 'wild animal' (Old German).
All these attempts to pin a name on this animal are correct. Reindeers are indeed horned - both male and female - which is an oddity. In fact, of the deer family (to which it belongs), the reindeer is the only ilk in which both genders grow antlers. Reindeer are also runners. Fast ones, too. Up to 60 miles per hour. That's fast for an average 200-300 pound beast. Reindeer are also wild. At least, they were, until humans began domesticating them. There are still wild reindeer in places today though, specifically North America.
One more word about the moniker 'reindeer'. It's synonymous with 'caribou'. The two terms are interchangeable. So, if you see a caribou in the wild or at the zoo - your essentially eyeing up a reindeer.
Now that those preliminaries are out of the way, let's romp our way through some wicked-keen reindeer symbolism. First, a quick-list of meanings...