Unlike most other countries that only have one Santa Claus, Iceland has thirteen. They are called Jólasveinar (Yule Lads or perhaps Christmas boys) and take turns visiting our children the 13 nights leading up to Christmas Eve. Children place one of their shoes on the windowsill of their rooms on each of those nights. For those children who behave well during that day the Yule Lads will leave candy or a small treat but those who behave badly can expect a rotten potato.
Traditionally the Yule lads behaved as you would expect trolls to behave. They received their names to describe their mischievous behaviour. For example, Door-Slammer likes to slam doors loudly, Spoon-Licker enjoys stealing unwashed spoons with traces of food, licking them clean, etc.
The Yule lads are generally depicted as wearing “traditional” peasant garb, which includes wool or sheepskins. However, they are sometimes shown wearing costumes traditionally worn by Santa Claus, especially at children´s events.
The stories of the Yule lads first appeared in the 17th century but in the early 20th century the tradition of the 13 lads changed and they picked up the gift-giving habits of their foreign colleagues.
The Yule lads are a part of an Icelandic Christmas folklore that depict mountain-dwelling characters and trolls who come to town during the Christmas period. The parents of the Yule lads are trolls called Grýla (mother) and Leppalúði (father). In the tales, Grýla is a scary troll who has the ability to detect when children misbehave, hunts them down, and takes them back to her cave to make stew of them. Leppalúði is known as the lazy husband who does not do much other than annoy Grýla and enjoy her food. Together they have around seventy children including the 13 Yule Lads. This “nice” couple owns a big black cat known as the Christmas cat (jólakötturinn). The Christmas cat is vicious and even scarier than Grýla it likes to hunt people who do not receive anything new to wear for Christmas and eats them - not a typically well-received notion in modern cultures. This tradition likely originated as a way to encourage people to work hard and finish their chores before Christmas, ensuring they had new clothes for the holiday.
A poem about Jólakötturinn is quite popular among children today - here is a link to it, song by the well known singer Björk.
More on Christmas traditions and beliefs / Jólasveinar - the Icelandic Yule lads (Santa clauses)! / Jólasveinar - The thirteen Icelandic Yule lads (Santa Clauses)
The Yule Lads in the order they arrive from the mountain:
December 12 – Stekkjastaur (Sheep-Cote-Clod) is the first Yule Lad who comes to town on the night before the 12th of December and also the first to depart for home on the 25th of December. Sheep-Cote-Clod was said to harass sheep, suck milk from them, and was known for having two stiff peg-legs. Instagram highlights on Stekkjastaur (Sheep-Cote-Clod)
December 13 – Giljagaur (Gully Gawk) is the second Yule Lad who comes to town on the night before the 13th of December and departs for home on the 26th of December. Gully Gawk was known to hide in gullies waiting for an opportunity to sneak into the cowshed and steal the froth of the milk buckets. Instagram highlights on Giljagaur (Gully Gawk)
December 14 – Stúfur (Stubby) is the third Yule lad who comes to town the night before the 14th of December and departs for home on the 27th of December. Stubby was known for being unusually short and for stealing pans so he could eat the crust left on them. Instagram highlights on Stúfur (Stubby)
December 15 – Þvörusleikir (Spoon-Licker) is the fourth Yule Lad who comes to town on the night before the 15th of December and departs for home on the 28th of December. Spoon-Licker was known for being tall, thin, and for stealing þvörur (long wooden spoons) to lick them, hoping to taste something sweet. Instagram highlights on Þvörusleikir (Spoon-Licker)
December 16 – Pottaskefill (Pot-Scraper) is the fifth Yule Lad who comes to town on the night before the 16th of December and departs for home on the 29th of December. Pot-Scraper was known to steal and scrape leftovers from pots and pans. Instagram highlights on Pottaskefill (Pot-Scraper)
December 17 – Askasleikir (Bowl-Licker) is the sixth Yule Lad who comes to town on the night before the 17th of December and departs for home on the 30th of December. Bowl-Licker was known to hide under beds waiting for someone to put down their “askur,” (a plate used for all meals), which he then licked clean. Instagram highlights on Askasleikir (Bowl-Licker)
December 18 – Hurðaskellir (Door-Slammer) is the seventh Yule Lad who comes to town the night before the 18th of December and departs for home on the 31st of December. Door-Slammer was known to be the loudest one, slamming doors, especially during nighttime, waking people up in the process. Instagram highlights on Hurðaskellir (Door-Slammer)
December 19 – Skyrgámur (Skyr-Gobbler) is the eighth Yule Lad who comes to town on the night before the 19th of December and departs on the 1st of January. Skyr-Gobbler was known to be particularly fond of skyr, an Icelandic dairy product similar to yogurt. Instagram highlights on Skyrgámur (Skyr-Gobbler)
December 20 – Bjúgnakrækir (Sausage-Swiper) is the ninth Yule Lad who comes to town on the night before the 20th of December and departs for home on the 2nd of January. Sausage-Swiper was known to hide in the rafters and snatch sausages that were being smoked. Instagram highlights on Bjúgnakrækir (Sausage-Swiper)
December 21 – Gluggagægir (Window-Peeper) is the tenth Yule Lad who comes to town on the night before the 21st of December and departs for home on the 3rd of January. Window-Peeper was known for being probably the creepiest one, he would peek inside people’s windows to see if there was anything to steal. Instagram highlights on Gluggagægir (Window-Peeper)
December 22 – Gáttaþefur (Doorway-Sniffer) is the eleventh Yule Lad who comes to town on the night before the 22nd of December and departs for home on the 4th of January. Doorway-Sniffer was known to have an extremely long, large nose and an amazing sense of smell he usually used to seek out the Icelandic traditional leaf bred (Laufabrauð). Instagram highlights on Gáttaþefur (Doorway-Sniffer)
December 23 – Ketkrókur (Meat-Hook) is the twelfth Yule Lad who comes to town on the night before the 23rd of December and departs for home on the 5th of January. Meat-Hook was known for being crazy about meat and he would use a hook to steal a smoked lamb hanging from the rafters. Instagram highlights on Ketkrókur (Meat-Hook)
December 24 – Kertasníkir (Candle-Stealer) is the thirteenth Yule Lad who comes on the night before the 24th of December and departs for home on the 6th of January. Candle-Stealer was known for being the one who followed children to steal their candles (which used to be edible, made from fat). Instagram highlights on Kertasníkir (Candle-Stealer)
Photos: Agnes Lebeaupin, Marcin Kozazcek
Drawings: Brian Pilkington