Nine Reindeer and One Dog Trivia Quiz

Answer: Dasher

Roger Bannister ran the four-minute mile, and would have seen Dasher as each of them ran by each other on Christmas eve. As Bannister is fast, he would naturally like the reindeer who dashes! Buzzle.com lists Dasher as "the first reindeer and leader on the right side [in the sleigh hook-up], before Rudolph joined.

He is the fastest reindeer." Buzzle went through the history of the eight reindeer (before Rudolph), so they speak with authority about the fast little reindeer.

Answer: Blitzen

The meaning of Blitzen's name is "lightning" from German origins. The translation might also mean "sparkle" or "flash" but Blitzen was like a flash in the sky Christmas eve! Buzzle.com says "The eighth reindeer in the fourth row is like lightening. She is a female, but then again, the animated character of this reindeer is portrayed as a male." The names "Blitzen" and "Dunder" (Donner) go together in meaning, as lightning and thunder. Blitzen's name is also spelled "Blixen" or "Blixem." Thomas Edison was famous for fraternizing with the lightning, according to legend. I am sure he would have met Blitzen once or twice!

Answer: Dancer

Elton John sang "Hold me close, Tiny Dancer" every day except on Christmas Eve. I have it on the best of authority that on Christmas Eve, he sang to the hoofed mammals on his roof, and that he wrote the Dancer song especially for Dancer. Well, I just made that up, but it could be true! Buzzle.com places Dancer as "the second reindeer and leader on the left side, is the most graceful of the lot." Well, of course, grace is needed not only as a dancer, but for secure hoofing on the rooftops!

Answer: Vixen

A vixen is a female fox, and some say that Vixen was the only female reindeer pulling the sleigh that night. But it depends on the reference. Buzzle.com lists Cupid and Blitzen as female also, describing Vixen as "the fourth reindeer second on left and in the second row, is also powerful, but very beautiful as well." Michael J. Fox and Vivica Fox would have favored their namesake reindeer, of course!

Answer: Max

Max is the dog that wore a reindeer antler (or part of one) strapped to his head. He was loyal and cheerful and he was the best reindeer that he knew how to be in "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" by Dr. Seuss. If Dr. Seuss chose a reindeer, I think he would have chosen Max, who sat on the back of the sled as it slid toward Who-Ville. I have made Max our honorary TENTH reindeer.

It has nothing to do with the fact that this is a ten-question quiz. Really.

Answer: Prancer

Prancer had his own movie, "Prancer", and I did not find out about this until I researched reindeer names! The storyline was about a young girl who had a sick reindeer, and she was convinced she had to get him well before Christmas because he was on the employment roster for Santa. John D. Hancock directed the film. Buzzle.com lists Prancer as "the third one on the right side and in the second row, ... the most powerful of them all." Really, I ask?! He out-powers Thunder and Lightning and the Comet? Calm down, Player Allison03! All is peace and joy in reindeer land!

Answer: Cupid

His? Her? Accounts vary. But either way, the first Cupid was the Roman god of love, son of Mercury and Venus. Cupid the reindeer, according to buzzle.com? "She was the sixth reindeer on the left in the third row. Just as her name she spreads love and joy among all." I am sure she had no bow and arrow, though - no opposable thumbs.

Answer: Comet

Now this one was a bit easier! Halley's Comet, returns to be seen by Earth about every 75 years? It was discovered by Edmund/Edmond Halley, and he predicted its return. I just KNOW that he would have chosen Comet as his favorite reindeer. Buzzle.com lists Comet as "the fifth reindeer on the right hand side third row." Comet's name goes with Blitzen and Donner as "night sky attractions" just like Santa's sleigh!

Answer: Rudolph

Rudolph was a youngster, added later to the eight-reindeer sleigh team. He was the child of Donner, if you listen carefully to the "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" Christmas show. Now, you might think that Rudolph was the only reindeer with a red nose, but Livescience.com did a study about the noses of reindeer as contrasted to humans. Humans, of course, would not pull a sled, and I wonder why they did not experiment with other caribou, but I digress.

They concluded that "The secret to Rudolph's rosy schnozzle is the dense network of blood vessels in his nose. Reindeer, it seems, have 25 percent more capillaries carrying red, oxygen-rich blood in their nasal architecture than humans, say the scientists from the Erasmus Medical Center in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, and the University of Rochester in New York." This would explain how their noses would not freeze if they were, perhaps, leading a sleigh on Christmas eve. Apparently the scientists put the reindeer and humans on treadmills and measured the heat level (redness) of noses. I frankly got so distracted at imagining caribou on a treadmill that anything they said after that was lost on me.

Answer: Dunder

Donder, Donner (Rudolph's pronunciation), or Dunder have all been recorded as the reindeer name that was from the origin "thunder." Buzzle.com says, "He is the seventh reindeer in the fourth row. So which adjective rhymes with Dunder? Well, how about, 'Thunder'! And that's what he is like, thunder indeed! Most often mispronunciations have led to Dunder being called, 'Donner'." And Rudolph would mispronounce the name, since he had a nose problem. I used the name "Dunder" as it was listed in "the first eight reindeer names, which were included in the Christmas poem 'A visit from St Nicholas'." (buzzle.com again)