Jólasveinarnir, the thirteen Yule lads in Iceland
Called the thirteen lads or the thirteen trolls, they are characters from Icelandic folklore who for thirteen days symbolised the fears of Icelanders in past centuries, in their harshest season, winter.
Trolls are typical of the mythology of the Nordic countries, appearing in the sagas of the 13th century, and sharing the features of continental European ogres. They were generally characterised as evil and violent, although the modern world has softened them. They should not be confused with the Christmas elves of the rest of Scandinavia (they are usually seen as decoration with their characteristic beard and pointed hat) who are beneficial and protective beings during these holidays, to whom people are invited. In Iceland, the Yule lads have nothing to do with these.
Let's start by getting to know their mother. Gryla is a monstrous being who lives in Dimmuborgir ("fortress of darkness"), a mountainous area with sulfur leaks in the north of Iceland. Over time she became the mother of the thirteen Yule boys, but her beginnings were much more terrifying. At night she would come down from the mountains and kidnap children to cook them in her giant cauldron and eat them. She quickly became the perfect way to scare children and make them behave well during the first laborious and then boring cold seasons. Gryla was so feared that she is even mentioned in an 18th century decree that prohibited her from being used to scare children from now on. The figure of Gryla remains dark, however, her persecution is currently focused on bad children, and on Christmas dates. However, if the children truly repent, they can be saved, since the ogress will not be interested and will free them.
According to mythology, Gryla lives in a cave with her third husband, Leppalúði, who is quite lazy and submissive with his wife, and they have a giant cat as a pet, the Yule cat or Jólakötturinn, who helped hunt children. This cat seems to be a later folkloric character, since over time it "specialized" in devouring and punishing people who did not have new clothes for Christmas, or rather, who did not wear the new clothes that had been given to them for these holidays. The first testimonies we have of this cat are from the 19th century, through the folklorist Jon Àrnasson, who simply describes it as a winter monster. Archaeologists and folklorists have interpreted this cat as the incentive for the wool of sheep and goats to be collected and worked before the arrival of winter. At the beginning of the 20th century, with the work Jolin kóma (Christmas is coming) by the poet Kötlum, the Yule cat firmly established itself as a Christmas figure in Iceland. Since not everyone receives clothes as gifts these days, the cat now eats their Christmas sweets instead of people, as a warning for "not having new clothes to wear."
We finally come to the Jólasveinarnir. Gryla's children are thirteen, and as we said at the beginning of the article, they symbolize the most logical fears of rural Icelandic people. They are called Jólasveinarnir or Yule lads, the Yule boys, although in reality they are presented as adults, even old people. These children are not said to be gigantic, and they are also quite caricatured, even by their names. They come down during the thirteen days before Yule or Christmas, one by one, and gradually go away.
The first to come down from the mountain does so on December 12th, and is called Stekkjarstaur, the fool of the sheepfold. He has two stiff wooden legs and is dedicated to harassing and scaring the sheep. The sheep were one of the main sources of income; if they escaped in winter, the community would be left without resources. He leaves on the 25th.
After him, on the 13th, Giljagaur, the fool of the ditch, comes down. He hides in ditches and small holes to sneak into the stables and drink the cows' milk. The cows belonged to the upper classes, however, their milk was distributed among the community for countless recipes; the lack of milk was a serious problem in winter. He leaves on the 26th.
On the 14th, Stufur, the short one, comes down. Shorter than everyone else and chubby, he steals the pans to eat the crust of food that may be left on them. The problem is not that Stúfur eats the burnt remains, the problem is that pans in Iceland were an imported luxury! He leaves on the 27th.
On the 15th, it is the turn of Þvörusleikir, the spoon-licker. He is malnourished and extremely thin. He dedicates himself to stealing the traditional Icelandic spoons, Þvörus, and licking them to eat the little that is left on them. Traditional spoons were important not only because each member of the family had his own, but because they were the most used utensil in the kitchen. This is probably a warning not to leave the spoons clean, as it would attract vermin. He leaves on the 28th.
On the 16th, Pottaskefill, the pot-scraper, comes down from the mountain. He steals pots that have stew and other food left in them and scrapes out every last drop or crumb. Pots were also expensive, but in this case it seems more like a warning not to waste any food in these hard times. He leaves on December 29.
Askasleikir, the bowl-licker, comes down on the 17th. He hides under children's beds to steal their askur, typical Icelandic bowls with lids. It may be a warning not to leave food under the bed, or not to eat at night. He leaves on the 30th.
On December 18, Hurðaskellir, the "door-slammer", comes down. He opens and closes doors at night, creating a great racket. Obviously he scares the owners of the house, who don't know if the doors have been opened by a strong gale, or if a stranger or a thief has entered the house or the stable. He leaves on the 31st. It seems no coincidence that the last day of the year is the day of opening and closing doors...
On the 19th it is the turn of Skyrgámur, the skyr-eater. Skyr is a type of fermented and creamy cheese, similar to yoghurt, which today can be easily found in most Scandinavian countries, and even in large supermarkets in other countries, although it seems to have originated in Iceland. All Icelandic farms produced skyr and stored it in barrels during the winter. Running out of skyr meant losing one of the main foods to get through the winter. He leaves on the 1st of January.
On the 20th Bjúgnakrækir, the sausage thief, comes down. He hides between the beams of houses and pantries to steal sausage strips and other smoked foods. As with skyr, these foods were reserves to survive in cold times, but their disappearance was not a major loss. He leaves on January 2nd.
On the 21st, Gluggagægir, the one who spies through the windows, comes down. His intention is to find out what can be stolen from each house, and he symbolizes the fear of thieves passing by or the gossip and comparisons of the neighbors. Either of the two things can become a problem when you can't leave the city because of the cold and the snow. It is important to close the windows and cover them with heavy curtains to maintain privacy and warmth. He leaves on January 3rd.
On the 22nd, it is the turn of Gáttaþefur, the door-sniffer. His greatest characteristic is that he has a huge nose, which allows him to smell the delicious laufabrauð breads and steal them. These breads are traditional in Iceland and especially at Christmas time they were the ideal complement to winter meals, their disappearance would be a blow to the table of these holidays. He leaves on January 4th.
Ketkrókur, the "meat-grabber", arrives on the 23rd. Like his brother the sausage-stealer, this troll sneaks into pantries and kitchens, aiming to steal meat that is being smoked, dried or salted. Since these are high up, he uses a hook to stick into the pieces and take them without letting them fall to the ground and thus being discovered. Needless to say, the importance of these meats to get through the harsh winter. He leaves on the 5th.
Finally, on the 24th, Kertasníkir, the candle-stealer, arrives. Candles in Iceland had an added value in the winter. Firstly, they were mostly made of tallow in the past, which is why Kertasníkir ate them. Secondly, in Iceland, reading was always a salvation from boredom in these cold times, so candles for lighting were a precious treasure.
Especially after the Second World War, the Christmas holidays became the Jólabókaflód, the Yule flood of books, and even today books are the star gift. It ends on the 6th. It is worth noting that in many countries the Christmas holidays also end on the day, with the 25th losing importance. The last day of Christmas is called Þrettándinn, "the thirteenth" (the thirteenth after the 24th), and fireworks and bonfires are prepared, as well as parades of the thirteen Yule lads.
What may seem like pranks today, at the time were images of real panic, as well as instructive for survival in the harsh winter. Today they are characters who give gifts to good children or leave rotten potatoes for bad ones. Despite their age, they are considered to be mischievous and playful creatures, and their pranks do not consist of leaving an entire village without food, but only of scaring them a little.
In Iceland there are many Christmas and tourist activities to meet the Yule boys in person. Some of them take place near Lake My'tvan, near which is the fortress of their mother Gryla. There the Icelandic "thirteen Santa Clauses" welcome children, listen to their wishes and reward them with small gifts. Nowadays, like an advent calendar, the tradition of a Yule boy coming down every day before Christmas is followed, however, the authorities themselves took pains to prevent children from getting used to receiving 13 gifts, making it clear that these trolls reserved the main event for the night of the 24th, and before they only left clues of their presence (sweets, decorations, socks, gloves...).
The Yule boys are lucky to have survived the loss of tradition in favour of the commercial Santa Claus. Although they are called Father Christmas or even dressed in red, they still retain the essence of ancient mythology and winter festivities.
Pietro V. Carracedo Ahumada - pietrocarracedo@gmail.com
Bibliography:
- Belamger, J. The Fright Before Christmas. Surviving Krampus and Other Yuletide Monsters, Witches, and Ghosts. Red Wheel Weiser ed. 2023
-Raedisch. L. The Old Magic of Christmas. Yuletide Traditions for the Darkest Days of the Year. Llewellyn Worldwide, Limited, 2013.
-Thomas, A. Christmas. A Short History from Solstice to Santa. Ivy Press. 2019.
Related articles:
> The Yule log and other rituals
> Poinsettia, Mistletoe and Holly: meaning and magical uses of winter plants.
> "Viking" runes, modern meaning (I)
