Could Wales be the true home of Santa Claus? According to Dr Cymraeg, a Welsh language teacher, the Welsh language version of Santa – Sion Corn – may have come before the Elf on the Shelf. Dr Cymraeg suggests that Sion Corn had a decorative horn in the home which acted as a home for a Christmas elf that watched over the family. The idea of Sion Corn became so associated with Christmas that it simply became the Welsh term for Santa Claus.
Although Sion Corn is not the Welsh equivalent to the Elf on the Shelf, Dr Juliette Wood, a folklore specialist and tutor at Cardiff University’s School of Welsh, believes that Sion Corn does represent a category of household spirits whose role was to keep things orderly in the home. Sion Corn’s popularity, according to Dr Wood, is due to the way that folklore becomes part of a culture and culture then morphs it.
While there is some debate over the origins of Sion Corn, with the first mention of the character in 1923, one possible theory is that he may have been influenced by Scandinavian elves given the close proximity of Wales to Scandinavia and 1920s contacts between Welsh and Scandinavian sailors. Regardless of his origins, parents in Wales can rest easy knowing that the little watcher (or friendly helper?) will be disappearing back to the North Pole come Christmas Day.
So, could Sion Corn be the original elf on the shelf? While we may never know for sure, his lasting popularity in Wales suggests that he is an important part of Welsh folklore and Christmas tradition. As Dr Wood notes, “culture kind of morphs” folklore over time, so it is likely that the story of Sion Corn will continue to grow and evolve in Wales with each passing generation
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