Is king Wenceslas Santa Claus

Answer 1

Good Question! the Good King Wenceslaus of the song is certainly a charitable man and the sad truth is his good-generous impulses may have cost him his life. One notes the song has a sad overtone almost (From Start) first of all it takes place not on Christmas Proper, but the day after Christmas, the Feast of Steven. Steven was martyred for the Faith- he was done to death by stoning. Keeping things holiday-wise there is snow on the ground - deep and crisp and even.. then the King, accompanied by a bodyguard- we never learn his name, in one duet it was a female Lady in Waiting type_ well observes the homeless man gathering winter fuel.. and for the rest of the song endeavors to help the man. It gradually goes downhill from there, as the Night grows stronger.. and the cross-talk between Page and King gets more serious. I thought when I was a kid ( as political asssinations are a grim reality- 2 Kennedies, Martin Luther KIng, etc)_ that in real life the homeless man assasinated the King, but this does not happen in the song. In real life, Wenceslaus was murdered. Draw your own conclusions King Wenceslaus is certainly not Santa Claus- and the morbid tones of the song over-ride any Christmas cheer- it is NOT a very popular Christmas Song on the radio, by the way.