> The Roman Army had embraced the ancient Iranian religion of

Mithraism

> from the time Pompey the Great went to Syria to ransom the captives
> taken at the disasterous battle with the Parthians at Carrhae, just
> before the birth of Jesus.

I personally prefer to see Mithraism as having been picked up by
Pompey's soldiers during the protracted wars with Mithridates (note
the name) rather than during a single campaign. If this was the
version of Mithraism they picked up, it would have features in common
with whatever "the man who falsely called himself Odin" believed in,
the man man Snorri credits with having conquered and taken over
Germany and Scandinavia around 0 CE. That would make Santa's journeys
with his reindeer a cousin of the nightly ride of Wotan's wild army.
That legend BTW has a local version in Denmark; it is said king
Volmer (supposedly one of the three king Valdemars in Danish history)
rides at night with his retinue, and whoever sees them, must die (for
details of the blasphemy of king Valdemar, see (hear) Arnold
Schönberg's "Gurrelieder"; he reportedly said that if he could keep
his castle Gurre, God might as well keep his Paradise to himself).

> Regards
>
> John

Torsten