Here comes the real Santa Claus!
Remarkable new high-tech images reveal the face of the real-life bishop who inspired the concept of Santa Claus — more than 1,700 years after he first made Christmas merry and bright.
Scientists used data from the skull of Saint Nicholas of Myra — whose penchant for gift-giving prompted the legend of Father Christmas — to “forensically recreate” his white-bearded likeness.
In the rendering, the fourth-century saint is depicted with a broad forehead, thin lips and a round nose, based on “statistical projections” and “artistic” interpretation, said the study’s lead author, Cicero Moraes.
While the bishop died in 343 A.D. — long before anyone could snap a photo — the 3D images reveal his face to be both “strong” and “gentle,” Moraes told Pen News.
Scientists created a rendering of what they believe Saint Nicholas of Myra may have looked like. Credit: Cicero Moraes/Pen News
“The skull has a very robust appearance, generating a strong face, as its dimensions on the horizontal axis are larger than average,” he said.
“This characteristic, combined with a thick beard, is very reminiscent of the figure we have in mind when we think of Santa Claus.”
Saint Nicholas of Myra — known for only rewarding well-behaved kids with gifts — first inspired the Dutch folk figure Sinterklaas, who later became known as the jolly, sleigh-riding old guy who brings kids toys in the US.
Moraes was surprised to find the scientifically produced images matched early descriptions of Santa Claus in literature, such as the 1823 poem “Twas The Night Before Christmas,” which describes his “rosy cheeks,” a “broad face” and a “nose like a cherry.”
Studying the saint’s remains also revealed he suffered from chronic arthritis in his spine and pelvis and a thick skull that likely caused frequent headaches, according to Moraes.
The scientists said the saint also likely survived off a mostly plant-based diet. While Saint Nicholas was initially buried in Myra, or modern-day Turkey, his bones were later moved to Bari, Italy, where they remain today.
The rendering was not a far cry from the modern-day Santa Claus. Getty Images
Scientists used Saint Nicholas’ skull to create the depictions. Credit: Cicero Moraes/Pen News‘We initially reconstructed the skull in 3D using this data,” Moraes said.
“We supplemented this with the anatomical deformation technique, in which the tomography of a living person’s head is adjusted so that the virtual donor’s skull matches that of the saint.”
‘The final face is an interpolation of all this information, seeking anatomical and statistical coherence.”
The study, co-written by Moraes, José Luís Lira and Thiago Beaini was published in the journal OrtogOnLineMag.
