Santa's Elves and the 7 Dwarfs Who Help Santa Claus
When we think of Santa's elves and helpers, the reindeer and the Christmas elves come to mind first. But Santa's team also has another group of magical little helpers: the Christmas dwarfs (meet Ngon Ngon, the Christmas Dwarf).
According to the legend, Santa has 7 dwarfs, and they are all brothers. In this article, we tell the kids the fun story of these little helpers, along with other legends about where dwarfs come from. Ready? Let's meet Santa's 7 brothers.
Another team works just as hard: the reindeer who pull the sleigh all through Christmas Eve. Read their story in the tale of the reindeer who pull Santa's sleigh.
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Beyond Santa's Elves: Meet the 7 Christmas Dwarf Brothers
The legend says the elves watch over all the children to see who is good and who is naughty. Every night they write down the names and report to Santa Claus, then hurry back by morning and sit still like dolls.
Once Santa has the list of good children from the elves, he hands it to the dwarfs. They check it against the letters children wrote to Santa: which gift each child wants, and whether the names in the letters match the good list.
So these little helpers are the "gift preparers" for children on Christmas Day. As the Christmas tale goes, there are 7 of them, all brothers, and each one has a different job.
- The eldest brother, red hat
The eldest is the leader of the group: quiet, serious and straightforward. He has a long beard and a pointed red hat, with one of the small Christmas icicles hanging from its tip as the sign of a leader.
His important job is to check the list of good children and the list of gifts they want.
- The 2nd brother, white hat
The 2nd brother also has a long beard, but wears a white hat that shows his gentle, humble nature. He is sensitive and kind hearted, and he understands Santa better than anyone.
He plans Santa's route: which child gets a gift first, and in what order after that, so Santa can work faster.
- The 3rd brother, blue hat
This brother keeps his beard short and never lets it grow. His signature blue hat shows his eager, limitless energy and his strong focus, which makes him perfect for wrapping gifts.
Once he starts working, all that energy means he just cannot stop. But when the work is done, he becomes the one who keeps his brothers laughing.
- The 4th brother, yellow hat
Ever wondered how Santa finds millions of gifts? It is all thanks to the yellow hat brother. He is brilliant and can design toy mechanisms and all kinds of things in no time.
When he has an idea, he writes it down and draws it, then sends it to another brother who makes it into a gift. In his free time he loves art, like making handmade pieces to decorate the Christmas tree with pretty lights.
- The 5th brother, green hat
He is the gift maker for the children. As soon as he gets a design from the 4th brother, he finds the materials and builds the gift right away.
His magic powers are strength, speed at finding materials, and cleverness at adapting a gift when a material cannot be found. When a gift is finished, he shows Santa that it really works.
In his free time, the 5th brother also loves dreaming up ornament ideas of all 7 dwarfs for Christmas, to represent all the brothers and decorate his own room.
- The 6th brother, orange hat
This brother has a special job: looking after Santa's magic charm, Santa's Stars, in other words Santa Claus's magical necklace.
The 6th brother is the expert in caring for all of Santa's magical things: cleaning them, repairing them and keeping them somewhere safe.
- The youngest, 7th brother, pink hat
The youngest brother is always cheerful and has a special talent for cooking every kind of dish, savoury or sweet. Santa usually eats only cookies and wine, yet the youngest always makes them feel new.
He also takes care of the whole team: all his brothers, the elves and the reindeer. Everyone gets to enjoy food they love, happily.
The Legend of Where Dwarfs Come From
Now that we know Santa's dwarfs, let's take the kids to meet the legend of other dwarfs, the ones who are not Santa's little helpers. The elves call these small beings "Naugrim", meaning "those who will never grow any taller".
The legend says the dwarfs work in the mines and are the most skilled and clever craftsmen of all. They are cheerful, eat a lot and love shouting at each other. Above all, they are the most prosperous and wealthy of all peoples.
The dwarfs are very close to the hobbits, and they prefer to call themselves "Khazâd" rather than "dwarfs". Khazâd is the name given to their people by Aulë, the god of craft and handiwork.
Their ancestors believed that after Aulë named them and gave them their crafting skills, Ilúvatar, the supreme god, adopted their people. The condition was that they had to live under the mountains until the elves, his eldest children, awoke on Earth.
In the end, they stayed in the caves, the mines and under the mountains, even after the elves awoke. They loved mining and craftwork, and they were well fed, wealthy and happy.
That is why dwarfs let their beards grow long: they never meant to come up to the surface to meet anyone.
That's the story of Santa Claus's 7 Christmas dwarfs, with the legend of where dwarfs come from. As you can see, it is different from the legend of Santa Claus, since the two come from different eras.
Kids can also find these stories in films, like Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit, all full of fun dwarf adventures. Keep them ready to watch with the family this Christmas.
And if you want Christmas Day gifts and decorations as finely handcrafted as Santa's dwarfs, browse the Christmas tree decorations collection at Macrame by Nicha.
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, a Christmas cartoon!
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