December 30, 2023

Icelandic Christmas – Jola. Thirteen Santa Clauses?

Not The Only One. They have thirteen!

Icelandic folklore is truly unique. And Christmas customs are completely crazy.
Did you know that in Iceland there is not only one Santa Claus, but thirteen of them? Nay. These are not good-natured old men with white beards who give gifts to good children. Quite some troublemakers, though. They do a lot of mischief.

Moreover, their mother is an ogress who… loves the meat of naughty children. Her husband, Leppalúði, is a typical… troll. He is lazy and stays mostly in his cave.

Plus there’s the Yule Cat, who… hunts and eats people who haven’t received any new clothes to wear before Christmas Eve. Because in Iceland it is still a tradition to give each other new clothes on Christmas. And not toys or gadgets, as is common elsewhere.

The Yule Lads, in turn, are the children of Grýla and Leppalúði. Believe me, you wouldn’t want to meet this group of 13 mischievous pranksters who love to harass people. And their names are the names of their favorite ways of making trouble.

The thirteen, very rude Jule lads

Thirteen Yule Lads – in icelandic “Jólasveinar“, descend from the mountains to nearby villages and towns thirteen days before Christmas dawn.

They will appear one after the other. In sequence.

And each of them brings joy to homes, but also sometimes a bit of madness.

Here is a short description of each of the little troublemakers:

1. Stekkjastaur (Walking Stick)
– Appears on December 12.
– He walks around the farms, checking whether the sheep are secured. If not, he will steal their milk.

2. Giljagaur
– December 13th comes.
– Its purpose is to steal milk directly from the barns.

3. Stúfur
– Appears on December 14.
– He likes to steal leftover food, but he’s so short that he usually doesn’t find anything.

4. Þvörusleikir
– December 15th comes.
– He’s always looking for spoons to lick.

5. Pottaskefill
– Appears on December 16.
– Steals leftover food from pots.

6. Askasleikir
– December 17th comes.
– Licks milk left in uncleaned milk crates.

7. Hurðaskellir
– Appears on December 18.
– He hits the door in the middle of the night, overwhelming the household.

8. Skyrgámur
– December 19th comes.
-He likes to steal icelandic yogurt, called skyr from tables.

9. Bjúgnakrækir
– Appears on December 20.
– Always looking for hidden sausages.

10. Gluggagægir
– It comes on December 21st.
– He peeks at the children through the windows, looking for gifts.

11. Gáttaþefur
– Appears on December 22.
– He walks on tiptoe, trying to steal gifts.

12. Ketkrókur
– December 23 comes.
– Its purpose is to steal meat, especially meat that is not ready.

13. Kertasníkir
– The last one, appears on December 24.
– Enjoys eating edible gift wrapping.

Yule Cat on the boardwalk

Do you believe me now? One of the Santa Clauses slams the door at night, another one sneaks around the house at night to lick the leftovers from the bowls, someone steals your sausages from the fridge, and another… devours the gift wrapping paper.

The mother of these thirteen good-for-nothings loves to cook fresh meat in a large pot, don’t ask what kind of meat it is. And the cat hunts children in the snow. Nice family.

Believe me. Icelanders love their amazing Christmas stories. There has been an illuminated Yule Cat in the middle of the city for several years now, and drawings of Yule Lads can be found on milk cartons every December.

And no one is offended that these stories are cruel and not for small children. It’s part of the tradition here. Quite unusual, unique and slightly bloodthirsty. Just like all over the world, it is told to children to be good.
Happy Christmas!

Holidays all year round

By the way… Did you know, that close Akureyri is Christmas House open all year round?

If you ever miss your Christmas tree, just go there. Christmas trees are beautifully decorated all year round. You can buy Christmas decorations and Christmas baubles.

And the house itself looks… like a gingerbread house.

The Christmas House does not have its own website, but you can find directions to it HERE. Or just ask locals.

More about Icelandic Christmas Folklore you can find HERE.

Ellee

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