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Here in Iceland people don´t belive in Santa Claus. Instead we belive in 13 brothers, called the Yulelads (jólasveinar), that live up in the mountains in a big cave with their parents, Grýla (the mother) and Leppalúði (the father) and the Yuletide cat.
Don´t get me wrong, we celebrate christmas as a christian holiday.
Ok, back to the Yulelads; Grýla, their mother, is the biggest and meanest troll in Iceland. She is ancient She has about 80 children with 3 different husbands. The first husband went missing, the second one she ate and then she met Leppalúði and had with him the 13 Yulelads. Grýla is definitely the dominant member in the relationship and generally considered more terrifying while Leppalúði is basically just stupid and lazy. Grýla wanders down from the mountains in search of naughty children to put in her sack and takes them back to the cave where she makes a childrenstew and eats it.
Grýla is extremely ugly but people do not agree on how she looks.( I think she is beautiful like all woman´s)
The story about the Yulelads goes back to 1700something and back then they used to play tricks on people. They are 13 different personalities with 13 different names. For example Doorslammer, Sausages-stealer, Candlebeggar, Potscraper, Ladlelicker, Meathook and Bowl-licker.
Nowadays, kids put their shoe in the window and 13 nights before christmas the first one of the Yulelads arrive and gives them something sweet or a fruit in their shoe. But if they have been naughty they get a potato or a fishbone. So all Flickr, dont be naughty :) Merry Christmas all and Happy New Year. Hug and kisses ......
This is a horrible monster that eats only children who do not get any christmas gifts.It is a pet of Grýla the mother of the yulelads.
DO NOT mention her name out loud cause she can hear you and harrass you.
Dear icelandic yule lad, Pot Scraper.
When you come to my house there will be scrap of herring salad with beets and apples for you. But if you are really hungry you can have my big remains from yesterday.
An advertisement from National Museum in Reykjavik, Iceland:
¨Pot Scraper arrives at the National Museum on 16 December at 11am. Pot Scraper is expected on 16 December. He is also sometimes called Pot Licker since in the old days he waited to snatch away the pots that had not been washed and licked the food remains from the insides.
Pottasleikir, Pot Scraper, the fifth one,
was a funny sort of chap.
When kids were given scrapings,
he'd come to the door and tap.
And they would rush to see
if there really was a guest.
Then he hurried to the pot
and had a scraping fest."
Hlif
at the Pond, Tjörnin in Reykjavik
Went for a drive and saw this amazingly decorated house in Kópavogur. It's like something out of the Christmas Vaction movie.
Okay, so that's not exactly Santa, but rather one of the thirteen Yule Lads of Mÿvatn in Iceland.
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Playing with my mom's yulelad statue collection. As many icelandophiles know, we have 13 yule lads instead of Santa Claus.
They are Sheeo cote clod, Gully Gawk, Stubby, Spoonlicker, Potscraper, Bowllicker, Doorslammer, Skyrgobbler, Sausage swiper, Windowpeeper, Doorway sniffer, Meathook and Candlestealer. Their parents are Grýla and Leppalúði and they have a cat, called the Yule cat. I'll leave it to you to figure out who is who. These statues are made from designs from renowned illustrator Brian Pilkington.
Just back from a whirlwind trip to Iceland. I say that because a great deal of the island was packed into a 4-day trip. What a fantastic country: glaciers, volcanoes, geysers, lava rocks, thermal pools, hot springs. Was hoping for Northern Lights but not meant to be this time. More land and seascapes to come ... (c) 2013
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Þrettándinn (e. 'the thirteenth') bids farwell to the Yuletide season. In Iceland folklore has it that today the last yulelad makes his way back to the mountaints, that cows can talk and that seals transform into humans and dance naked. It is also the last day it is legal to set off fireworks without a special permit.
We celebrate it with huge bonfires, I guess to appease the elves and other supernatural spirits that are out and about on this night.
Even when it's raining.
I peered into the cave and saw possessions in there...clothes strung on a line, blankets, a coffee pot. At first I thought it was a handicrafts gift shop, but then I realized how ridiculous that was. Were homeless people living there? Outlaws? Cannibal cave dwellers? It creeped me out so I scrammed! I realized I hadn’t seen anybody for quite a while, even though there were plenty of tourists around. That suddenly took on a hint of menace, given what I’d seen in the cave. Then I saw a girl on a rock ledge in the distance; she looked like she was wearing a long black and red cape and it looked like she was staring at me. I was expecting her to yell, “Hey! I’m here to ferry you across the River Styx!” Then she was joined by a friend and I saw that they were simply taking photos.
According to Icelandic folklore, Dimmuborgir is the home of a homicidal troll named Grýla, her third husband Leppalúði and their sons The Yule Lads/Yuletide Lads. Though Grýla has psychopathic tendencies, the children aren´t quite so murderous, and are more mischievious than anything. Originally told as a scary story to stop children misbehaving, the Yule Lads have now been merged with the idea of Santa Claus. Children either get gifts or rotten potatoes in their shoes at Christmas depending on whether they've behaved well or not.
I peered into the cave and saw possessions in there...clothes strung on a line, blankets, a coffee pot. At first I thought it was a handicrafts gift shop, but then I realized how ridiculous that was. Were homeless people living there? Outlaws? Cannibal cave dwellers? It creeped me out so I scrammed! I realized I hadn’t seen anybody for quite a while, even though there were plenty of tourists around. That suddenly took on a hint of menace, given what I’d seen in the cave. Then I saw a girl on a rock ledge in the distance; she looked like she was wearing a long black and red cape and it looked like she was staring at me. I was expecting her to yell, “Hey! I’m here to ferry you across the River Styx!” Then she was joined by a friend and I saw that they were simply taking photos.
According to Icelandic folklore, Dimmuborgir is the home of a homicidal troll named Grýla, her third husband Leppalúði and their sons The Yule Lads/Yuletide Lads. Though Grýla has psychopathic tendencies, the children aren´t quite so murderous, and are more mischievious than anything. Originally told as a scary story to stop children misbehaving, the Yule Lads have now been merged with the idea of Santa Claus. Children either get gifts or rotten potatoes in their shoes at Christmas depending on whether they've behaved well or not.
According to Icelandic folklore, Dimmuborgir is the home of a homicidal troll named Grýla, her third husband Leppalúði and their sons The Yule Lads/Yuletide Lads. Though Grýla has psychopathic tendencies, the children aren´t quite so murderous, and are more mischievious than anything. Originally told as a scary story to stop children misbehaving, the Yule Lads have now been merged with the idea of Santa Claus. Children either get gifts or rotten potatoes in their shoes at Christmas depending on whether they've behaved well or not.
In Iceland we have not one, but thirteen santas or yule-lads.
The yule-lads put small gifts (or potatoes if the child has misbehaved) into shoes placed by children into their windows the last thirteen nights before Christmas Eve.
They are occasionally depicted as wearing the costume traditionally worn by Santa Claus, but are otherwise generally shown wearing late medieval style Icelandic clothing.
The yule-lads all carry funny names, such as Sheep-Cote Clod, Gully Gawk, Spoon-Licker, Door-Slammer and Candle-Beggar. Tonight yule-lad Stubby will come and visit :)
According to Icelandic folklore, Dimmuborgir is the home of a homicidal troll named Grýla, her third husband Leppalúði and their sons The Yule Lads/Yuletide Lads. Though Grýla has psychopathic tendencies, the children aren´t quite so murderous, and are more mischievious than anything. Originally told as a scary story to stop children misbehaving, the Yule Lads have now been merged with the idea of Santa Claus. Children either get gifts or rotten potatoes in their shoes at Christmas depending on whether they've behaved well or not.
One of the 13 Yule Lads of Icelandic folklore. Askasleikir hides under beds and licks bowls around mid-December. Rude little man.
Built for Moc Leage 2023 Round 1: Bestiarum Vocabulum
According to Icelandic folklore, Dimmuborgir is the home of a homicidal troll named Grýla, her third husband Leppalúði and their sons The Yule Lads/Yuletide Lads. Though Grýla has psychopathic tendencies, the children aren´t quite so murderous, and are more mischievious than anything. Originally told as a scary story to stop children misbehaving, the Yule Lads have now been merged with the idea of Santa Claus. Children either get gifts or rotten potatoes in their shoes at Christmas depending on whether they've behaved well or not.
In Iceland we have thirteen santas or yulelads. Thirteen nights before Christmas, children put one shoe (or a boot) in the window, then one of the yulelads (one for each night) will come and put something in it. If the child behaved well, it will receive a small treat, but if it misbehaved it will get an old potato.
The Icelandic Yulelads all have their funny names and special characteristics. Tonight yulelad Gully Gawk (known for hiding in gullies, waiting for an opportunity to sneak into the cowshed and steal milk) will visit all towns in Iceland and put small gifts into children's shoes.
Oh and a women called Grýla is their mother.
Yup, that's how we roll here in Iceland.
Grýla and Leppalúði are the two ogre parents of the 13 Yule Lads.
Akureyri is Iceland's second largest urban area and is nicknamed the Capital of North Iceland. The area where Akureyri is located was settled in the 9th century but did not receive a municipal charter until 1786.
And so continues my portrayal of the Icelandic christmas lads. This is pottaskefill. Sometimes when you cook gruel, it will become thinker near the sides of the pot. This was considered to be extra good in the olden days, almost like candy for the children. Pottaskefill knocked on the door, and when the children went to loof if it was a guest, he ran into the kitchen and stole the thick gruel (Known as skófir in Icelandic).
Lighting
One flash camera left, behind and above subject for rimlight. One snooted flash almost straight above the pot, pointing into it. This is the keylight which provides illumination of subject, and the steam. There is a white napkin on the stove, behind the pot which bouces a little light back into the face. Both flashes are bare, and triggered with cactus V4s.
According to Icelandic folklore, Dimmuborgir is the home of a homicidal troll named Grýla, her third husband Leppalúði and their sons The Yule Lads/Yuletide Lads. Though Grýla has psychopathic tendencies, the children aren´t quite so murderous, and are more mischievious than anything. Originally told as a scary story to stop children misbehaving, the Yule Lads have now been merged with the idea of Santa Claus. Children either get gifts or rotten potatoes in their shoes at Christmas depending on whether they've behaved well or not.
6 of 365.
2 of 100x.
In Iceland we don't celebrate the Twelfth Night on January 5th, but rather Þrettándinn, which translates directly to the thirteenth, on January 6th. Just as the twelfth night, the thirteenth marks the end of the Yuletide and the last Yulelad heads back up to the mountains until they reappear next December. It is also the final sales day for the extremely popular Christmas beer and the last day you're legally allowed to shoot off fireworks. Thus, it has become a miniature version of New Year's Eve, complete with firework shows, bonfires and elf dances.
Wait, what? Elf dances? Oh yes, Icelanders are very superstitious. You see, Þrettándinn is moving night for the elves, dwarfes and hidden people. In fact, if you sit down in the middle of a crossroad you may be blessed with the good fortune of meeting some elves who will bestow gifts upon you. Also, you may encounter talking cows, but do not listen to their nonsensical rhyming couplets for too long or you may just lose your wits. Seals also supposedly come on to land, turn into humans and dance on the shore in their birthday suits. Yes, strange times indeed.
I went to one of the bonfires tonight where I was fortunate enough to catch an elf on camera. Or perhaps it is just a human child? Well, whichever it is, it was definetly a fun night - but cold, I must remember to invest in some gloves - and I'm much happier with my photo from this year than the one from last year's Þrettándabrenna, which, by the way, translates to thirteenth bonfire.
I peered into the cave and saw possessions in there...clothes strung on a line, blankets, a coffee pot. At first I thought it was a handicrafts gift shop, but then I realized how ridiculous that was. Were homeless people living there? Outlaws? Cannibal cave dwellers? It creeped me out so I scrammed! I realized I hadn’t seen anybody for quite a while, even though there were plenty of tourists around. That suddenly took on a hint of menace, given what I’d seen in the cave. Then I saw a girl on a rock ledge in the distance; she looked like she was wearing a long black and red cape and it looked like she was staring at me. I was expecting her to yell, “Hey! I’m here to ferry you across the River Styx!” Then she was joined by a friend and I saw that they were simply taking photos.
According to Icelandic folklore, Dimmuborgir is the home of a homicidal troll named Grýla, her third husband Leppalúði and their sons The Yule Lads/Yuletide Lads. Though Grýla has psychopathic tendencies, the children aren´t quite so murderous, and are more mischievious than anything. Originally told as a scary story to stop children misbehaving, the Yule Lads have now been merged with the idea of Santa Claus. Children either get gifts or rotten potatoes in their shoes at Christmas depending on whether they've behaved well or not.
Greela and her husband Ragamuffin are the parents of the 13 Yulelads who roam Iceland these days. They live in a cave in the mountains, but the Yulelads visit farms and towns before Christmas and stay untill the 6th of January, the last day of Christmas, when the last one leaves and heads to his home in the mountains. They usually commit various pranks of people and kids especially while they stay, but they are also know for giving kids small gifts if the behave and put their shoes in the window in the evening before they go to sleep. If the kids don't behave the will get nothing but maybe a raw potato.
Grýla and Leppalúði are the parents of the Yulelads who are ogres. Grýla is a very bad and grim ogre, and she eats badly behaved children, she comes to pick them up, puts them in her sack and then cooks them in her cauldron. She has had three husbands and hundreds of children and has been Iceland’s queen of terror since the thirteenth century.
Her latest husband, Leppalúði, is mainly described as being super lazy but is plenty evil as well. After all, any man who condones his wife cooking up kids on the grill has to have some sort of mental crack.
Together, Leppalúði and Grýla make a great power couple that keeps the kids in line.
Read about Iceland's Yule Lads and make one or two or 12 of your very own: gingerbreadsnowflakes.com/node/444
According to Icelandic folklore, Dimmuborgir is the home of a homicidal troll named Grýla, her third husband Leppalúði and their sons The Yule Lads/Yuletide Lads. Though Grýla has psychopathic tendencies, the children aren´t quite so murderous, and are more mischievious than anything. Originally told as a scary story to stop children misbehaving, the Yule Lads have now been merged with the idea of Santa Claus. Children either get gifts or rotten potatoes in their shoes at Christmas depending on whether they've behaved well or not.
According to Icelandic folklore, Dimmuborgir is the home of a homicidal troll named Grýla, her third husband Leppalúði and their sons The Yule Lads/Yuletide Lads. Though Grýla has psychopathic tendencies, the children aren´t quite so murderous, and are more mischievious than anything. Originally told as a scary story to stop children misbehaving, the Yule Lads have now been merged with the idea of Santa Claus. Children either get gifts or rotten potatoes in their shoes at Christmas depending on whether they've behaved well or not.
She 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. She leaves her cave and hunts for the children. She devours children as her favourite snack. Her favourite dish is a stew of naughty kids and she had an insatiable appetite. According to legends, there was never a shortage of food for Gryla.
According to folklore Grýla has been married three times. Her third husband Leppalúði is said to be living with her in their cave in the Dimmuborgir lava fields, with the big black Yule Cat and their sons. As Christmas approaches, Grýla sets off looking for naughty boys and girls. The Grýla legend has appeared in many stories, poems, songs and plays in Iceland and sometimes Grýla dies at the end of the story.
Þvörusleikir was the fourth of the Icelandic christmas lads. He was said to be very slender, which I am obviously unable to be. He snuck into the kitchen and watched the cook. When she went off to talk to the lads he leapt up and stole the wooden spoon from the pot.
Lighting
One flash, shot through an 80cm white umbrella on camera left. Triggered with Cactus V4s
The Yule Cat (Icelandic: Jólakötturinn or Jólaköttur) is a monster from Icelandic folklore, a huge and vicious cat said to lurk about the snowy countryside during Christmastime and eat people who have not received any new clothes to wear before Christmas Eve.
Þvörusleikir
Steals Þvörur (a type of a wooden spoon with a long handle - I. þvara) to lick. Is extremely thin due to malnutrition.
The third of the Icelandic christmas lads. He was less tall than the rest of them, tiny you might even say. If he was lucky he was able to get himself a frying pan with som burned rests that he coud feast on.
Kertasníkir
Follows children in order to steal their candles (which in those days were made of tallow and thus edible).
In Iceland, we have 13 Santas or Yule lads who come each one night before Christmas and bring nice children something nice and put it in their shoe which must be placed in the window.
This year I experimented with this tradition and bingo, as I was quite nice that day, the Yule lad brought me a nice surprise.
For those of you who want to know more about the Yule lads, check their info at the National Museum of Iceland: www.thjodminjasafn.is/english/for-visitors/christmas/the-... and at Wikipedia: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yule_Lads
On the last day of Christmas the last one of the thirteen Sants (Yule lads) leaves for the mountains where they live with their mother and father and a black cat. Here you can see all the thirteen Icelandic santas (Yule lads they are also called). More here on this wonderful tradition en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yule_Lads :-)
I'm not very good at drawing most evil things and having them actually look evil. I was scrolling through a wikipedia list of demons and I got to Krampus and was like "OH WHAT ABOUT THE YULE LADS."
So here is the Yule Lad called Doorway-Sniffer, who sniffs around people's doors to find who has freshly baked bread* to steal.
*might actually be cookies.
Free motion embroidery and gouache on canvas