318. Heist of St Nicolas: Raiding Santa’s Tomb (Part 1)

The original Santa Claus, Saint Nicolas, was a real bishop from Myra in modern-day Turkey, whose tomb there was popular with pilgrims, but 700 years after his death, a group of sailors decided to steal his magic bones…

What myth about St Nicolas first associated him with gift-giving? How did his story get merged with the Greek god of the seas, Poseidon? How were the tombs in his hometown connected with Ancient India?

Anita and William are joined by Sam Dalrymple to discuss his original research on the build up to the heist of St Nicolas’ body…

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Producer: Anouska Lewis

Executive Producer: Dom Johnson

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