Scientist create facial approximation of Saint Nicholas of Myra, the Santa Claus
Scientists have forensically reconstructed the face of Saint Nicholas of Myra, the 4th-century bishop who inspired Santa Claus, using data from his skull. The reconstruction reveals a "strong and gentle face," aligning with descriptions in the 1823 poem 'Twas the Night Before Christmas.
The face of the guy who inspired the fabled character of Santa Claus has been exposed for the first time in nearly 1,700 years. According to reports, scientists used data from the skull of Saint Nicholas of Myra, the real-life bishop who inspired the idea of Santa Claus, to "forensically recreate" his visage.
Who was Saint Nicholas of Myra?
He was a Christian saint, and his propensity for gift-giving influenced the Dutch folk figure Sinterklaas, who later became Santa Claus. Around the same time, this mythical creature fused with English Father Christmas to become the beloved persona of children all around the world.
Despite his enormous popularity, Saint Nicholas of Myra cannot be adequately described. People can see his "living face" for the first time.
Cicero Moraes, the lead author of the new study, told the Mirror that the facial structure revealed that the saint had a "strong and gentle face," adding that it is "curiously compatible" with the face described in the 1823 poem A Visit From St Nicholas, also known as 'Twas the Night Before Christmas.
The scientists used Luigi Martino's data from 1950
Moraes told the publication that he and his colleagues used Luigi Martino's data from 1950, saying, "We initially reconstructed the skull in 3D using this data."
"We then traced the profile of the face using statistical projections. 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,¡± he explained.
"He was a bishop who lived in the early centuries of Christianity and dared to defend and live the teachings of Jesus Christ, even at the risk of his life," Jos Luis Lira, the study's co-author and an expert on saints' lives, told the outlet, discussing the significance of the real-life saint.
Also read: This US-Canada Military Agency Has Been Tracking Santa Claus For 68 Years
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