Icelandic Christmas has its unique version of Santa Claus. We all love the jolly ‘big-boned’ fellow that zooms across the continents on his sleigh to give us presents. He is a welcome guest to most. But Icelanders have a lot darker Christmas tradition. The Icelandic Yule Lads are one of the worst in the trove of terror that is Icelandic Christmas traditions. These psychotic trolls are the thugs and thieves of Icelandic Christmas.
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The Icelandic Yule lads come from a dysfunctional family
Icelanders don’t have one ‘Santa Claus.’ Instead, we have at least 13 Icelandic Yule lads. They were bad to the bone, psychotic offspring of cannibalistic trolls who stole scarce food and terrified children. Their mother was Gryla, a troll who loved 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 dating back to the 13th century. Initially, the number, the nature, and the names of those miscreants varied. Their names and number depended on where you were in Iceland. The total number of names for “Yule lads” is around 70. With time there was a general agreement that those horrible guys were 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 anyway? They would start to show up at the isolated farms around the country, one by one, thirteen days before Christmas, and cause all of the 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. Not the best food available on Icelandic Christmas, but each to his one, I suppose.
Number four was Þvörusleikir (Pot Scraper Licker), who licked spoons whenever he could, which was not considered hygienic. 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), and he specialized in stealing food from people’s bowls and dishes. Yet again, poor people have their precious food stolen. That brings us to number seven which is Hurðaskellir (Door Slammer). He would lurk around in the farms on dark December nights and 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 sexual deviant in this 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) had a large nose. This unpleasant fellow would use it to smell a kind of sweetbread called Laufabrauð. These are just wafer-thin cakes decorated with carved images or patterns. These cakes originated in the northern part of Iceland, and the reason for their thinness was the lack of wheat. People would make up for their meagerness by decorating them. 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, I think we can all agree.
Icelandic Yule lads have mended their ways for a better Icelandic Christmas
These days the Yule lads are now considered 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, of course, then they get a potato, which is not a bad gift if you think about it. And Grýla, well, a popular Christmas song maintains that she is long dead. So you may think that Icelandic Christmas is super nice now? Don’t forget the Icelandic Christmas Cat. That furry cannibal freak.
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.
