Icelandic Christmas folklore

Icelandic Christmas folklore depicts mountain-dwelling characters and monsters who come to town during Christmas. The stories are directed at children and are used to scare them into good behaviour. The folklore includes both mischievous pranksters who leave gifts during the night and monsters who eat disobedient children.

The figures are depicted as living together as a family in a cave and include:

  • Grýla is a giantess with an appetite for the flesh of mischievous children, whom she cooks in a large pot. Her husband Leppalúði is lazy and mostly stays at home in their cave.
  • The Yule Cat is a huge and vicious cat who lurks about the snowy countryside during Christmas time (Yule) and eats people who have not received any new clothes to wear before Christmas Eve.
  • The Yule Lads are the sons of Gryla and Leppaludi. They are a group of 13 mischievous pranksters who steal from or harass the population and all have descriptive names that convey their favorite way of harassing.[1] They come to town one by one during the last 13 nights before Christmas (Yule). They leave small gifts in shoes that children have placed on window sills, but if the child has been disobedient they instead leave a potato in the shoe.[2]

These Christmas-related folk tales first appear around the 17th century and display some variation based on region and age. In modern times these characters have taken on a slightly more benevolent role.

Origins

The first mention of the Yule Lads can be found in the 17th-century Poem of Gryla. Gryla had appeared in older tales as a troll but had not been linked to Christmas before. Gryla is described as a hideous being who is the mother of the gigantic Yule Lads who are a menace to children.

Early on the number and depiction of Yule Lads varied greatly depending on location, with each individual Lad ranging from a mere prankster[3] to a homicidal monster who eats children.[4] They were used to frighten children into good behaviour, similar to the bogeyman. The king of Denmark objected to their use as a disciplinary tool.[5]

In the late 18th century a poem mentions there being 13 of them. In the mid-19th century, author Jón Árnason drew inspiration from the brothers Grimm and began collecting folktales. His 1862 collection is the first mention of the names of the Yule Lads.[5]

In 1932, the poem Yule Lads was published as a part of the popular poetry book Christmas is Coming (Jólin koma) by Icelandic poet Jóhannes úr Kötlum. The poem was popular and so established what is now considered the canonical 13 Yule Lads, their names, and their personalities.[6]

Grýla & Leppalúði
Figures of Grýla and her husband Leppalúði on the main street of Akureyri, Iceland

Grýla[lower-alpha 1] is originally mentioned as being a giantess in the 13th century compilation of Norse mythology, Prose Edda, but no specific connection to Christmas is mentioned until the 17th century. She is enormous and her appearance is repulsive.

The oldest poems about Grýla describe her as a parasitic beggar who walks around asking parents to give her their disobedient children. Her plans can be thwarted by giving her food or by chasing her away. Originally, she lives in a small cottage, but in later poems she appears to have been forced out of town and into a faraway cave.

Current-day Grýla has the ability to detect children who are misbehaving year-round. During Christmas time, she comes from the mountains to search nearby towns for her meal.[7] She leaves her cave, hunts children, and carries them home in her giant sack. She devours children as her favorite snack. Her favorite dish is a stew of naughty kids for which she has an insatiable appetite. According to legend, there is never a shortage of food for Grýla.[8]

According to folklore, Grýla has been married three times. Her third husband Leppalúði[lower-alpha 2] is said to be living with her in their cave in the Dimmuborgir lava fields, with the big black Yule Cat and their sons. Leppalúði is lazy and mostly stays at home in their cave. Grýla supposedly has dozens of children with her previous husbands, but they are rarely mentioned nowadays.

Yule Cat

The Yule Cat[lower-alpha 3] a huge and vicious cat who is described as lurking about the snowy countryside during Christmas time and eating people who have not received any new clothes to wear before Christmas Eve.[9] He is the house pet of Gryla and her sons.[10]

Though referred to as an ancient tradition, written accounts of the Yule Cat have only been located as recently as the 19th century.[11] The threat of being eaten by the Yule Cat was used by farmers as an incentive for their workers to finish processing the autumn wool before Christmas. The ones who took part in the work would be rewarded with new clothes, but those who did not would get nothing and thus would be preyed upon by the monstrous cat. The cat has alternatively been described as merely eating away the food of ones without new clothes during Christmas feasts.[9] The perception of the Yule Cat as a man-eating beast was partly popularized by poems of Jóhannes úr Kötlum as with the rest of the folklore.[12]

Yule Lads
A wooden food bowl, the type Bowl-licker steals.

The Yule Lads[lower-alpha 4] (sometimes named Yuletide-lads or Yulemen) are the sons of Gryla and Leppaludi. They are a group of 13 mischievous pranksters who steal from or otherwise harass the population and all have descriptive names that generally convey their favorite way causing mischief.[1] They arrive one by one over the final 13 nights leading up to Christmas (Yule). They leave small gifts in shoes that children place on window sills, but if the child has been disobedient they leave a potato in the shoe instead.[2]

In modern times the Yule Lads have also been depicted in a more benevolent role[13] comparable to Santa Claus and other related figures. They are generally portrayed wearing late-medieval Icelandic clothing,[14] but are sometimes shown in the costume traditionally worn by Santa Claus, especially at children's events.

List of Yule Lads

The Yule Lads arrive over the course of the last 13 nights before Christmas, beginning 12 December.[3] One then departs each day, beginning on Christmas Day, in the order that they arrived; thus each of them stays for 13 days.[15] Below are the canonical 13 Yule Lads in the order they arrive (and depart):

Icelandic name English translation Description[16] Arrival[16] Departure
Stekkjarstaur Sheep-Cote Clod Harasses sheep, but is impaired by his stiff peg-legs. 12 December 25 December
Giljagaur Gully Gawk Hides in gullies, waiting for an opportunity to sneak into the cowshed and steal milk. 13 December 26 December
Stúfur Stubby Abnormally short. Steals pans to eat the crust left on them. 14 December 27 December
Þvörusleikir Spoon-Licker Steals and licks wooden spoons. Is extremely thin due to malnutrition. 15 December 28 December
Pottaskefill Pot-Scraper Steals leftovers from pots. 16 December 29 December
Askasleikir Bowl-Licker Hides under beds waiting for someone to put down their "askur" (a type of bowl with a lid used instead of dishes), which he then steals. 17 December 30 December
Hurðaskellir Door-Slammer Likes to slam doors, especially during the night, waking people up. 18 December 31 December
Skyrgámur Skyr-Gobbler Has a great affinity for skyr (similar to yogurt). 19 December 1 January
Bjúgnakrækir Sausage-Swiper Hides in the rafters and snatches sausages that are being smoked. 20 December 2 January
Gluggagægir Window-Peeper A snoop who looks through windows in search of things to steal. 21 December 3 January
Gáttaþefur Doorway-Sniffer Has an abnormally large nose and an acute sense of smell which he uses to locate leaf bread (laufabrauð). 22 December 4 January
Ketkrókur Meat-Hook Uses a hook to steal meat. 23 December 5 January
Kertasníkir Candle-Stealer Follows children in order to steal their candles (which were once made of tallow and thus edible). 24 December 6 January

Names in English are based on Hallberg Hallmundsson's translation of the poem.[17]

Obscure Yule Lads

Before these 13 Yule Lads became the most popular, the description of them varied between locations. Some were said to be sons of Gryla, others were her brothers. Some stories only describe nine Yule Lads, but every one of them had their own characteristic prank.

Most of the different Yule Lads can be classified into groups: those who steal food, those who like to play tricks or harass, and those who just seem to be a delusion from nature (for example Gully Gawk who just hides in gullies).[5]

In the East of Iceland there existed a folk tale of a specific group of Yule Lads who did not come from the mountains but from the ocean. One very obscure nursery rhyme mentions there being two female Yule pranksters who steal melted fat by either stuffing it up their nose or putting it in socks.[5]

Gryla and the Yule Lads appear as central figures in the 2018 holiday episode of Chilling Adventures of Sabrina: the Lads terrorize the household and Gryla attempts to claim a baby from Sabrina's aunt.

Extra Credits talks about Gryla, the Yule Lads, and the Yule Cat in an episode of Extra Mythology.[18]

The Yule cat called Jola appears in the 2020 Netflix movie The Christmas Chronicles 2. Jola is being chased by Santa Claus and is friendly with the movie's antagonists Belsnickle and Speck. Belsnickle unleashed Jola in the reindeer stable where he injured Dasher. At the time when Jack was getting a root needed to cure the Christmas elves, Jola attacks him and Jack fends him off with an explosive gingerbread cookie. During the climax of the film, Dasher recovers to tackle Jola who is then sent flying out of Santa Village by Santa Claus.

The Yule Lads are the titular characters of the tenth episode of the second season of the Netflix animated Urban Fantasy series Hilda. They are depicted as Gryla's unwilling servants, who seek out naughty children for her to use in her stew, for fear of being cooked themselves should they fail.

Spoonlicker appears in the Grant Morrison comic Klaus and the Witch of Winter.

Notes
  1. Icelandic: Grýla; IPA: [ˈgrila] GREE-la
  2. Icelandic: Leppalúði; IPA: [ˈleʰpaˌluðɪ] LEH-ba-loo-thi
  3. Icelandic: Jólakötturinn; IPA: [ˈjoulaˌkʰœʰtʏrɪn] YO-la-kuh-tu-rin
  4. Icelandic: Jólasveinarnir; IPA: [ˈjoulaˌsvɛinaˌdnɪr̥] YO-la-svey-nad-nihr

References
  1. Nannaa (23 December 2008). "The Yule Lads: Friends or Foes?". Iceland Review. Archived from the original on 22 January 2013. Retrieved 1 June 2013.
  2. Robert, Zoe (20 December 2007). "Bad Santas". Iceland Review. Archived from the original on 24 December 2015. Retrieved 1 June 2013.
  3. "The Yule Lads". National Museum of Iceland. Archived from the original on 30 October 2016. Retrieved 1 June 2013.
  4. Arnarsdóttir, Eygló Svala (22 December 2010). "Forgotten Yule Lads and Lasses". Iceland Review. Archived from the original on 29 June 2013. Retrieved 1 June 2013.
  5. Björnsson, Árni (2003). "Árni Björnsson – Nöfn Jólasveina". Stofnun Árna Magnússonar. Archived from the original on 4 May 2018. Retrieved 5 December 2020.
  6. "The Best Places to Spend Christmas". Travel and Leisure. 30 November 2015. Retrieved 1 June 2013.
  7. Grýla, Grýlur, Grøleks And Skeklers (Christmas in Iceland 2000) Archived 2006-10-13 at the Wayback Machine
  8. Iceland Ogress Gains WorldWide Attention Retrieved 24 April 2013
  9. The Yule Cat (Christmas in Iceland 2000)
  10. Jólakötturinn (National Museum of Iceland) Archived 22 December 2015 at the Wayback Machine (in Icelandic)
  11. Magnússon, Haukur (10 December 2008). "The Christmas Cat". Grapevine. Fröken Ltd. Retrieved 28 November 2015.
  12. Jólakötturinn (Skáldasetur)
  13. Lam, Tiffany (24 November 2010). "Top 10 places to spend your 2010 Christmas". CNN Travel. Retrieved 1 June 2013.
  14. Nightengale, Laura (25 December 2012). "Yule lads: Peoria woman's family surprises her with Icelandic folklore". Journal Star. Retrieved 1 June 2013.
  15. Crump, William D. (28 August 2013). The Christmas Encyclopedia (3rd ed.). McFarland. p. 238. ISBN 978-1-4766-0573-9.
  16. "Celebrating Christmas with 13 trolls". Promote Iceland. Retrieved 1 June 2013.
  17. "Hallberg Hallmundson's translation of 'Jólasveinarnir' by Jóhannes úr Kötlum". Jóhannes úr Kötlum, skáld þjóðarinnar. Archived from the original on 22 December 2007. Retrieved 2 April 2008.
  18. "The Yule Lads - Mischief Makers and Child Takers". YouTube. 16 December 2019. Retrieved 11 December 2020.

Further reading
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