December 12th in Iceland is the first day when Yule lads, the sons of the mountain trolls Grýla and Leppalúði, start coming to town one by one. They are mischievous pranksters who would steal from and harass the people. They also deliver small gifts to children if they were good.
December 12 Tonight the first Yule lad arrives to town Stekkjastaur (Sheep-Cote Clod). He used to try to suckle the yews in the farmers' sheep sheds but it was very difficult for him to kneel or bend because of his stiff peg-legs. Place a shoe in a window tonight. If you have been good you will find a small present, if bad - a potato...
December 13
Giljagaur (Gully Gawk) leaves his cave tonight to go to the town. He is a cow milk thief - loved sneaking into cow sheds and slurping the foam off the milk in the buckets.
December 14 Stúfur (Stubby) has a passion for food. His short legs don’t prevent him to make his appearance on the 14th of December. Despite his short size, Stúfur is a huge glutton. Scraping scraps of food from pans is a treat for him. Not by chance he has another nickname - Pönnuskefill (Panscraper). Unfortunately for him, nonstick cookware has become very popular in the last years.
December 15 December 15 - the night of ĂžvĂśrusleikir (Spoon licker). He is the fourth Yule Lad to journey down from the mountains. Due to his eccentric longing for only the food residue left on wooden spoons and while even taking into consideration his incredibly muscular tongue, poor Spoon Licker must sneak into many kitchens during the night to satiate his hunger.
December 16
Another food junkie comes down from the mountain: Pottaskefill (Pot Scraper). He races to get all the leftovers from pots, and even has a long, flat tongue to get all the leftovers out. Who can blame him? We all like seconds don’t we? You’ll need to be quick though with Pottaskefill around.
December 17 The sixth troll wanders down the mountain. His name is Askasleikir (Bowl Licker). In the old Icelandic turf farmhouses the family sat on the edge of their beds to eat. Each family member had their own bowl ("askur") which had a lid to keep the food warm. Askasleikir sneaks into a farmhouse and lies in wait under the bed of the unsuspecting person who innocently puts his or her "askur" down on the floor between bites - whereupon the lad swipes it away to lick it spotlessly clean.
December 18 Hurðaskellir (Door Slammer) is a peculiar Yule Lad and much more of a prankster than most of his brothers. He doesn’t care much for food, but he’s got the obsessive addiction of door-slamming. No door is safe when this crazy rascal is around. The louder the noise, the better – and just to be sure, better repeating the trick more than once in a row: Hurðaskellir’s ego is quite troublesome. Don't forget to lock your door tonight as Hurðaskellir is going to harass your doors on 18 December!
December 19 Skyrgรกmur or Skyr Glutton (19th December) is the eighth Yule Lad to make his way down from the mountains. Upon coming to a farm, he heads straight to the dairy pantry. In the old days Skyr (a calciumrich dairy product) was stored in large wooden barrels. Skyrgรกmur would tuck right in and not stop until he reached the bottom - a glutton to be sure, but one with strong bones and teeth!
December 20
In contrast with Skyrgámur‘s habit of eating tons of healthy skyr, Bjúgnakrækir (Sausage Swiper), the Yule Lad arriving on the 20th night of December, prefers his snacks high in cholesterol. Nobody knows exactly what his preference is: rumors say he will ravenously eat all kinds of sausages, without any exception. His appetite can make him reckless sometimes.
December 21 Gluggagægir (Window Peeper) is the tenth Yule Lad in the list. There are many elements at play when this kind of character is involved so I can safely say Gluggagægir is the Lad with more potential: with a little of invention you could have a whole series of Christmas thrillers or horrors made after him. Some consider Gluggagægir just a very nosy guy, but completely harmless – although he does like to steal when something he sees arouses his fancy. Some prefer to add a sinister aura to his curiosity, describing him as a hardcore voyeur… Whatever the truth, you are now aware of his habit of peeping through windows at night. So, unless you’re OK with it, maybe you’ll feel more comfortable drawing your curtains on December 21.
December 22 Gáttaþefur (Door Sniffer) is a big-nosed fellow. He can smell Christmas delicacies as accurately as a truffle hog. But Gáttaþefur doesn’t care much for truffles. He prefers laufabrauð (the traditional Icelandic bread that is eaten during the Christmas period), cookies and cakes. And of course when he finds something edible he likes, he doesn’t content himself with the smell… Gáttaþefur will be around sniffing on the night of December 22. Be sure to lock all your cookies in a safe if you don’t intend to eat them all before this darling arrives.
December 23 This time is Ketkrókur’s (Meat Hook) turn. He comes down from the mountains on December 23, Saint Thorlak’s Day. Ketkrókur is “fishing” the traditional smoked lamb with a hooked pole lowering his hook through the kitchen chimney. He can steal heaps of this Icelandic delicacy using this peculiar technique.
December 24 Last but not least! KertasnĂkir (Candle Beggar) arrives just in time for Christmas celebrations, on December 24. Be careful: this Lad is perhaps one of the wickedest of the gang. KertasnĂkir steals candles. He does it not only because he finds their glow attractive, but also because in the past candles were obtained from animal fat thus they were very appetizing. In the old days candles were the only source of lighting available. In Iceland, especially in the darkest days of the cold season, darkness was a danger and an enemy that one couldn’t underestimate. A candle could indeed make a difference in more than a few cases.
Starting December 12, every night one Yuletide lad visits each child, leaving small gifts or rotting potatoes, depending on the child’s behavior throughout the year. They depart in the same order they arrived - the first one - Stekkjastaur (Sheep Cote Clod) - leaving on December 25 and the last one KertasnĂkir (Candle Stealer) leaving on January 6. While they depart there are more scary stories to tell.
Meet the parents Without a doubt, the most hideous ogres that ever existed in Iceland are the Yule Lads' parents – particularly their mother, Grýla. Not only are they descended from trolls, they also present an overwhelming threat to children. Unlike their sons, they have changed little in this respect over the course of the centuries. To this day they are used to frighten children, and those children know as well as they ever did that Grýla likes nothing better than feasting on naughty children.
Mother In the folk tales of Jón Árnason, the description of Grýla is not exactly flattering: “Grýla has three heads and three eyes in each head ... Horribly long, curved fingernails, icy blue eyes at the back of the head and horns like a goat, her ears dangle down to her shoulders and are attached to the nose in front. She has a beard on her chin that is like knotted yarn on a weave with tangles hanging from it, while her teeth are like burnt rocks in a grate.”
Father According to some sources, Grýla has been married three times. Her first husband was named Gustur, but that marriage did not last since Grýla reportedly ate him. She subsequently took a husband by the name of Boli, with whom she had a number of children. Meanwhile, Grýla's present husband, Leppalúði, is familiar to most people, and he is generally nearby when Grýla appears. The pair of them are said to have produced 20 children, of which 13 are the popular Yule Lads.
Till death … and beyond Even though Grýla is still actively used to frighten children, some sources maintain that she is dead. This information pops up in various popular Christmas songs and, unsurprisingly, not many people mourn Grýla's demise. Some of the songs, however, contain provisions that she could come back to life if the number of naughty children increases. All of which is to say that Grýla and Leppalúði are still used to frighten children into behaving, even from beyond the grave. There is just no knowing what will happen with ogresses like Grýla, and all children are advised to be on their best behaviour, just in case.
And a pet! The Yule Cat is my favourite, yet another Icelandic Christmas fiend. Some say it is the house cat of Grýla and Leppalúði and that it lives with them in their cave. It preys on anyone who does not receive a new item of clothing for Christmas. The Icelanders also refer to it as að fara í Jólaköttinn, literally “to end up in the Yule Cat”, the common interpretation being that the Yule Cat will eat those who do not receive any new clothing at Christmas.
Gift of clothes In Iceland many people consider receiving new clothing for Christmas to be of extreme importance. It is common for people to dress in new clothing from head to toe on Christmas Eve.
Motivation In Iceland female farm workers in the old days worked extremely hard to produce one item of clothing after another during Advent, all in an effort to save the farm folk from the claws of the Yule Cat. It is likely that the Yule Cat myth was originally designed to urge farm workers to perform well prior to Christmas and to finish their tasks. As a reward they would receive a new item of clothing from their masters. Those who did not complete their tasks, however, received no gift from their master, thus “ending up in the Yule Cat�.
Although not an ancient custom for the Icelanders, it definitely has echo’s of Iceland's inherent values. The story goes that the Yule Cat lurks about in the snow peering through the windows to see if people are being lazy or children are not doing their chores. As a symbol that children were being helpful and doing their work, parents would award them at Yule with new clothes. When the Yule Cat see the children in their new clothes it moves on.
Troll population At one time Iceland was densely populated with trolls of different types. They were creatures of fierce temper that lived in or around mountains. The nature of the trolls differed individually; some were benevolent and others formidable monsters that killed and ate people and livestock. Common feature was that they could only travel by night and if the were exposed to sunlight they would immediately turn to stone.
Relationships Female trolls were usually more benevolent than male trolls. The female trolls would often yearn for the love of humans luring men to their caves with magic spells. In many cases the men would fall in love with the trolls eventually becoming trolls themselves. Sometimes the trolls would have children with humans, a sort of a half troll. These half trolls would generally look like ordinary humans possessing the magical powers of the troll parent. Female half trolls would often be exceedingly beautiful and enchanting.
Modern Iceland
Although Iceland has developed an advanced technological society, superstition has remained an important part of the nation’s culture since the island’s settlement. Today national polls suggest that many Icelanders still believe that they co exist with a race of hidden people on the island, and some even claim to have seen the hidden people.