Who Are The 13 Yule Lads Before & During Christmas In Iceland?

How's it going lurkers? Happy Yule/Winter Solstice to all my Pagan friends and subscribers! 

Sorry there wasn't a Song Saturday or Cartoon Sunday for last weekend. I have been extremely busy this month both on and offline with family, friends, helping them, and others who have been in need of help this month.

During the month of December, I am usually not this busy. Honestly, I CANNOT  believe how fast this December has gone. It was just December 1st. Now, it's December 22nd (Winter Solstice). In 3 more days, it will be Christmas. Yay!

Since it is Yule/Winter Solstice, I thought I would discuss the 13 Yule Lads. The 13 Yule Lads are a part of the Icelandic folklore. An Icelandic poet named Jóhannes úr Kötlum published a poem in 1932 called "Jólasveinarnir." The Icelandic society in Iceland was reintroduced to the Yuletide folklore by the poem, "Jólasveinarnir."

During the last 13 nights before Christmas, the 13 Yule Lads, which were normally depicted as being mischievous and criminal pranksters, love to wreak havoc. They wreak havoc by supposedly coming from the mountains to scare naughty Icelandic children before Christmas.

The 13 Yule Lads are similar to Saint Nicholas and his evil sidekick, Krampus. The 13 Yule Lads either reward good children like Saint Nicholas, or PUNISH naughty children like Krampus.

Nearly a decade ago, I learned a little about the 13 Yule Lads, while watching IMF. The network's abbreviation stood for International Music Feed. 

I enjoyed watching that music channel a lot more than MTV, MTV2, and VH-1 combined at the time.

IMF exposed its viewers to both mainstream and underground music videos from around the world. A favorite show of mine, which aired on IMF was Hello World.

Hello World helped to educate viewers about other countries and random facts about them. This was along with learning about entertainers from those countries.

Not only did the network air Hello World, but there were also brief segments during commercial breaks on IMF, which helped viewers to learn more about other ancient folklores. 

Had it not been for International Music Feed, I would've NEVER discovered the 13 Yule Lads.

During the last 13 nights before Christmas, each Yule Lad arrives and departs on certain dates.

The 13 Yule Lads:

1) Stekkjarstaur (Sheep-Cote Clod)- During December 12th-25th, this stiff and peg-legged Yule Lad harasses sheep.

2) Giljagaur (Gully Gawk)- During December 13th-26th, he hides in gullies, while waiting for an opportunity to sneak into the cowshed and steal milk.

3) Stúfur (Stubby)- During December 14th-27th, this abnormally short Yule Lad steals pans to eat the crust left on them.

4) Þvörusleikir (Spoon-Licker)- During December 15th-28th, this malnourished lad steals Þvörur to lick. Þvörur is a type of a wooden spoon, that has a long handle.

5) Pottaskefill (Pot-Scraper)- During December 16th-29th, he steals leftovers from pots.

6) Askasleikir (Bowl-Licker)- During December 17th-30th, he hides under beds and waits for someone to put down their 'askur' (a type of bowl with a lid used rather than dishes). 

Then, he steals it.

7) Hurðaskellir (Door-Slammer)- During December 18th-31st, he loves to slam doors, especially during the night.

8) Skyrgámur (Skyr-Gobbler)- During December 19th-January 1st, this Yule Lad has an affinity for skyr, which is like an Icelandic strained yogurt.

9) Bjúgnakrækir (Sausage-Swiper)- During December 20th-January 2nd, he hides in the rafters and grabs sausages, that are being smoked.

10) Gluggagægir (Window-Peeper)- During December 21st-January 3rd, this voyeuristic Yule Lad looks through windows in search of things to steal.

11) Gáttaþefur (Doorway-Sniffer)- During December 22nd-January 4th, this lad with an abnormally large nose and an acute sense of smell, sniffs for laufabrauð or an Icelandic bread, which is normally eaten around the time of Christmas.

12) Ketkrókur (Meat-Hook)- During December 23rd-January 5th, he uses a hook to steal meat.

13) Kertasníkir (Candle-Stealer)- During December 24th-January 6th, this last Yule Lad follows children, in order to steal their candles. 

In ancient times, candles were made of tallow (fat from cattle and sheep), which made them edible.

Since we are on the topic of the 13 Yule Lads and because there wasn't a Song Saturday last weekend, it's only appropriate to have a festive song by the Icelandic singer, Björk.

Björk "Jólasveinar" How The Juice Stole Christmas (1995)