Moore's 1844 version of the poem is the one that became the standard and established 'Donder' and 'Blitzen' as the names of two of Santa' reindeer in the memories of generations of children. Learn how the name of the seventh reindeer changed from Dunder to Donder to Donner over time and across languages. Find out the origin and meaning of the words thunder and lightning in Dutch and German.
Learn the origin and history of the names of Santa's reindeer, Donner and Blitzen, and how they changed over time and across languages. Find out the correct spelling and usage of Donner or Donder in English. It describes Santa's sleigh being pulled by a team of eight reindeer, best known as Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner, and Blitzen.
[note 1][2] The popularity of the 1939 story "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer", and the 1949 Christmas song of the same name, has resulted in Rudolph often being included among the team. Reindeer name games: Is it Donder or Donner? Santa's reindeer will need to have embedded chips or ear tags and respond to their names, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
However, Moore's poem underwent changes over the years, and in the 1860s, the names of the last two reindeer were altered to "Donder" and "Blitzen," meaning "thunder" and "lightning" in Standard Dutch. "Donner" didn't start kicking around until the early 20th century, and it's derived from German instead of Dutch. There is less certainty about the change from Dunder to Donder and then to Donner.
Different spellings pop up at different times and places. One thing is for sure, it was put firmly in place as Donner when Rudolph was penned in a song in 1939. As a side note, all other six reindeer originally listed in the 1823 poem have stayed intact.".
And indeed, Donner is respected like no other reindeer at the North Pole. So Elf Victor advised Donder to change his name to something a little more princely than Don-Don. The proper name of Donder is a family name that evidently goes back generations.
The family reveres the name and doesn't wish it to be used disrespectfully. Did Clement C. Moore name one of Santa's reindeer Donder or Donner in his 1823 poem? Find out the evidence and the controversy behind this spelling issue.
Donder? Writers and librarians have argued over the name for nearly two centuries, trying to decide whether Moore meant to name his seventh reindeer Donder or Donner.