Editing 1776: Reindeer

{{comic
| number    = 1776
| date      = December 23, 2016
| title     = Reindeer
| image     = reindeer.png
| titletext = And then in a twinkling, a sound gave me pause / From the roof came the scratching of eight tarsal claws.
}}

==Explanation==
In the [[:Category:Christmas|Christmas comic]] of 2016, [[Black Hat]] is at it again, freaking out a young child, by replacing the eight reindeer of {{w|Santa Claus|Santa's}} sleigh with a single spider-legged reindeer, thus with eight legs. He considers this "more authentic" because Santa Claus is based on {{w|Odin}} {{w|Santa_Claus#Predecessor_figures|(among ''many'' '''other''' things)}}, the chief god of Norse mythology. On the pagan holiday of {{w|Yule}}, Odin was said to ride his eight-legged horse, {{w|Sleipnir}}, across the land. Children would leave one of their boots out and fill it with hay for Sleipnir to eat, then Odin would refill the boot with gifts. This predates the Christmas tradition of hanging stockings by the chimney. 

The traditional interpretation of the horse with eight legs is a normal equine body, with a pair of identical legs where each leg of a normal horse is.  As such, Sleipnir looks majestic and not entirely unnatural.  Black Hat's interpretation is to use the {{w|body plan}} of a spider. The result of this is to make a {{W|Chimaera (mythology)|chimaera}} that is both creepy and terrifying, at least to those with {{w|arachnophobia}} (the quite common fear of spiders).

The title text is a parody of two lines from the poem "{{w|A_Visit_from_St._Nicholas|Twas the Night Before Christmas}}", "And then in a twinkling, I heard on the roof / The prancing and pawing of each little hoof." 

The lines are changed to what they could have been if Santa had a spider-legged reindeer - the sound of "eight tarsal claws", referring to the small pair (or triplet) of claws at the end of each of a spider's eight legs. These claws allow them to hold onto objects, including their own web. However, as such an eight-legged spider would have 16 or 24 claws, the text is slightly incorrect.

==Transcript==
[Black Hat and a boy are standing to the right of a sleigh pulled by a reindeer with 8 spider-like legs.]

Black Hat: In earlier Norse myths, the eight reindeer were actually one steed with eight ''legs''.

Black Hat: So I think this is more authentic.

Boy: AAAAAA!

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Christmas]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Black Hat]]
[[Category:Animals]]
[[Category:Spiders]]