Iceland doesn't have one Santa. It has thirteen of them, and for a long time they weren't friendly. The Yule Lads are mischievous brothers who visit children one at a time in the thirteen nights before Christmas, and their mother is a mountain giantess who eats naughty children.
Here's who they are, where the stories come from, and how they fit with the Norse Yule we write about elsewhere.
Who are the Yule Lads?
The Yule Lads (jólasveinar in Icelandic) come down from the mountains one by one, starting on the night of 11 to 12 December. The last arrives on Christmas Eve. After Christmas they leave in the same order, one a day. Children put a shoe in the window each night. If they've been good, they find a small gift in the morning. If not, they get a rotten potato.
Each brother has his own kind of mischief, and the names say it all. In the order they arrive:
- Stekkjarstaur, Sheep-Cote Clod, who bothers the sheep but struggles on his stiff legs.
- Giljagaur, Gully Gawk, who hides in gullies and sneaks milk from the cowshed.
- Stúfur, Stubby, who is very short and steals pans to eat the crust.
- Þvörusleikir, Spoon-Licker, who licks wooden spoons.
- Pottaskefill, Pot-Scraper, who scrapes leftovers from the pots.
- Askasleikir, Bowl-Licker, who hides under beds and grabs the bowls.
- Hurðaskellir, Door-Slammer, who slams doors at night.
- Skyrgámur, Skyr-Gobbler, who eats up the skyr.
- Bjúgnakrækir, Sausage-Swiper, who steals sausages hung up to smoke.
- Gluggagægir, Window-Peeper, who looks in at windows for things to take.
- Gáttaþefur, Doorway-Sniffer, who follows the smell of baking.
- Ketkrókur, Meat-Hook, who fishes for meat with a hook.
- Kertasníkir, Candle-Beggar, who follows children for their candles.
The set of thirteen and the order above were fixed in the 20th century, in a children's poem by Jóhannes úr Kötlum from 1932. Before that, the number and the names varied from place to place.
Grýla, the mother
Grýla is a giantess who lives in the mountains. In the old stories she comes down at Christmas to look for badly behaved children, carries them off in a sack and boils them. Her name turns up in Icelandic sources as early as the 13th century, long before anyone called her the mother of the Yule Lads. That link grew over later centuries of storytelling.
She has a companion, the Yule Cat (Jólakötturinn), a huge black cat that eats anyone who hasn't been given new clothes by Christmas Eve. Many people read that as a nudge to get the autumn wool work done on time, since new clothes were a reward for it.
Is this Norse mythology?
Not in the sense of the Eddas. The Yule Lads and the Yule Cat aren't in the Poetic Edda or the Prose Edda, and they're Icelandic folklore that took shape over centuries. They do share a season with Norse Yule, and they fit a wider northern pattern in which midwinter brings strange visitors. Elsewhere in the Nordic countries that pattern shows up as the Yule Goat, house spirits who had to be left porridge, and masked groups going door to door.
We'd rather be clear about that than claim the Lads are some lost Viking myth. They're better as what they are: a very old, very odd bit of Icelandic winter folklore.
The Yule Lads today
Modern Iceland has softened them a lot. They're closer to thirteen small Santas now, they turn up at Christmas markets in red suits, and the shoe on the windowsill is a happy childhood habit. The scarier stories haven't vanished, though, and people still tell them for fun.
If this is the kind of Christmas you like, we have a few Nordic winter pieces, such as the Nordic Snowflake Christmas Beanie and the By Odin, It's Yule mug. You can browse them all in the Christmas and Yule collection. We ship worldwide, with free shipping on every US order.
Yule Lads FAQ
How many Yule Lads are there?
Thirteen. One arrives each night from 12 to 24 December, and they leave one by one after Christmas.
Who is Grýla?
A giantess from Icelandic folklore who comes down from the mountains at Christmas looking for naughty children. She's mentioned in sources from the 13th century and later became known as the mother of the Yule Lads.
Are the Yule Lads part of Norse mythology?
No. They're Icelandic folklore. They don't appear in the Poetic Edda or the Prose Edda, though they belong to the same midwinter season as Norse Yule.
What is the Yule Cat?
The Jólakötturinn is a giant black cat said to eat people who don't get new clothes before Christmas Eve. It's usually told alongside Grýla and the Lads.
Do Icelandic children still leave shoes out?
Yes. They put a shoe in the window each night and find a small gift or, if they've been naughty, a potato.
To read more about the season, see How to Celebrate Yule, The Yule Goat and the Norse wheel of the year. New guides and designs go out to the Rune Circle first, so join us if you'd like them in your inbox.