Icelandic Yule Lads were bad santas that ruined Christmas

Icelanders have their version of Santa Claus. Actually, we have thirteen versions of Santa Claus. Yes! Iceland has thirteen Santa Clauses, called Yule lads (‘Jólasveinar’ in Icelandic). The global trend of gentrification has caught up with them, and now they are a delight to children. However, as we will see, the Icelandic Yule were terrible trolls who terrified children. But these days, they each arrive in the realm of men on their special day before Christmas and give kids fun little knick knacks in their shoes placed by open windows. This is nice, especially for parents who can convince their children to go to bed early so the Yule Lad can give them a treat in their shoes.

The Icelandic Yule lads come from a dysfunctional family 

The Icelandic Yule lads were bad to the bone; they were an essential element of what made Icelandic Icelandic Christmas so terrifying for Icelandic children in the past. Their parents are the awful troll Gryla, a troll who loves to snatch, cook and eat naughty children to feed her lazy troll of a husband Leppaludi. Their pet was the ‘Yule Cat‘ – a horrible monster that would come and kill those who did not have a new piece of clothing for Christmas. This legend of the Yule Cat is why I always buy new clothes for Yule. Otherwise, I worry that the damned cat will catch me and tear me to pieces. Icelandic Christmas is a scary time indeed.

The past is dark, even at Christmas

The first mention of “Yule lads” is from the 16th century. Their parents have an older history, perhaps before Christianity became Iceland’s official religion in 1000 CE. Initially, those miscreants’ number, nature, and names varied. Their names and numbers depended on where you were in Iceland. The total number of names for “Yule lads” recorded is around 70. With time, there was a general agreement that those horrible trolls were ‘only’ thirteen. These days, they are pretty nice and are the joy of Icelandic children before Christmas. But in Iceland, the past is a time of abject poverty, starvation, disease, darkness, and terrible weather. The best way to understand the legend of the malicious Yule lads, their parents, and their obnoxious cat is to see them in that context.

The long list of misdeeds

So, who were those guys? They would start to show up at the isolated farms around the country, one by one, thirteen days before Christmas, and cause all sorts of trouble. The first one to arrive was Stekkjastaur (Enclosure Post). He had stiff legs, so his way of walking was strange. This disabled “Yule lad” was despised as he made it his habit to suck the milk directly from sheep udders. He stole this valuable source of nourishment straight from the mouths of babies.

Crevice Imp – what a weird name

His brother Giljagaur (Crevice Imp) had a penchant for stealing cream and milk from the cowshed. The dwarf-sized Stúfur (Itty Bitty) was the third to arrive. He had the thing for the burnt morsels of food that stuck to pots and pans. It is not the best food available on Icelandic Christmas, but each is his own, I suppose.

Number four was Þvörusleikir  (Pot Scraper Licker), who licked spoons whenever he could, which is not hygienic at all. Criminal number five was Pottaskefill (Pot Licker), and he would make a lot of noise to create diversions to raid the kitchen undisturbed.

Number six was Askasleikir (Bowl Licker), who specialized in stealing food from people’s bowls and dishes. Yet again, poor people have their precious food stolen. The Yule villain number seven is Hurðaskellir (Door Slammer). He would lurk around in the farms on dark December nights, slam doors, and wake everybody up. What a nuisance. Number eight was Skyrjarmur (Skyr Gobbler), who would break open barrels full of Skyr and go on a Skyr binge(!) What is Skyr, you ask? Well, it is a dairy product, not unlike yogurt. Only a lot better, of course.

The pervert peeping Tom of the bad bunch

Bjúgnakrækir (Sausage Snatcher) would steal sausages.  The sexual deviant in the bunch was Gluggagægir (Peeping Tom), and he would do what peeping toms do. Number eleven was Gáttaþefur ( Doorway Sniffer), who had a large nose.  This unpleasant fellow would use it to smell fried bread called Laufabrauð. This traditional Icelandic Christmas treat is a wafer-thin cake decorated with carved images or patterns. I love those; there is no Christmas without them. But imagine the disappointment of having this treat stolen on Christmas.

Meat hook was a creep

The final two were Ketkrókur (Meat Hook), who stole meat stored away for Christmas, and Kertasníkir (Candle Beggar), who stole candles from children. A hideous crime on Christmas night.

Icelandic Yule lads have mended their ways for a better Icelandic Christmas

These days, Yule lads are considered to be the friends of children. Now, Icelandic children put their shoes in the window during the advent. The Yule lads obligingly give them small presents and place them in the shoe overnight. Unless they have been naughty, they get a potato, which is not a bad gift if you think about it. And what happened to their awful mother, Grýla?  A popular Icelandic Christmas song claims that she is long dead. However, she still appears at festivals and events before Christmas but claims to be nice now. I am not so sure. That is what she would say, right? And that Christmas Cat might still be out there …

All images are by artist Ólafur Pétursson. 

The names and descriptions of the Icelandic Yule lads are based on a poem by Jóhannes frá Kötlum.