Christmas Countdown with Trolls, Part 3

Photo: Official Iceland website

The countdown with those naughty Icelandic trolls, the Yule Lads, continues!

Now, I’m all for the lighter side of the holidays…no movies like “Bad Santa” or “The Nightmare Before Christmas” for me. 

But the Yule Lads are more pranksters, rather than out and out bad. Yet before we bring back today’s Yule Lad, we should know about their mother…

Gryla, the mother of all these 13 annoying trolls, is a troll as well…and actually evil. 

She was the traditional way people controlled wayward kiddos. In fact, Icelandic parents would let their children know that if they misbehaved, Gryla could come and abduct them!

Sounds like far more effective social control than what the Yule Lads could dish out, simply giving a bad child a rotten potato.

But to me, the Gryla legend seems really dark for Christmastime…so let’s focus back on her offspring. Today, December 19, brings back yet another food-obsessed Yule Lad, “Skyr-Gobbler.” He’s the one who scarfs up the Icelandic yogurt-like dairy product. 

December 20, “Sausage-Swiper” arrives. He hides out in the rafters of houses where meat is smoked, and grabs sausages whenever he can. 

The Lad coming December 21 is apparently not a foodie…instead, he veers on creepy: “Window-Peeper.” He peers through windows to check out whatever stuff is worth steeling. 

You may wonder, with all this bad behavior—nothing but making trouble since December 12–where the heck is the Yule Lads’ father? And why doesn’t he take them in hand?”

Well, legend has it that Leppaluoi, their dad, isn’t quite evil, like his wife—but simply lazy! Maybe not into parenting either. So it looks like it won’t be anytime soon, that Gryla says, “You guys are going to get it when your father comes home!” 

Please excuse my not including all the intriguing accent marks that accompanies these Icelandic names. And many thanks to the official Iceland website for the legend of the Yule Lads!