This guide covers the Yule Lads of Icelandic folklore, their family, and what they get up to before Christmas.
Where the Yule Lads come from
In Icelandic folklore, the Yule Lads live in the mountains, and their home is often said to be Dimmuborgir in North Iceland.
The Yule Lads are the sons of Grýla, a terrifying ogress, and Leppalúði, her lazy, mostly harmless husband.
Grýla and the Yule Cat
Grýla is known for her appetite for misbehaving children, a warning tale once used to keep children in line.
The Yule Lads' family keeps an enormous Yule Cat, said to devour anyone who does not receive new clothes for Christmas.
What the Yule Lads do
Each Yule Lad has a personality shaped by everyday life in old Icelandic farmhouses: they sneak, steal, slam doors, lick spoons and peer through windows.
Traditionally, children put a shoe on the windowsill, and a well-behaved child receives a small gift while a naughty one may find a potato.
Visit Reykjavík lists the Yule Lads in order of arrival as Stekkjastaur, Giljagaur, Stúfur, Þvörusleikir, Pottasleikir, Askasleikir, Hurðaskellir, Skyrgámur, Bjúgnakrækir, Gluggagægir, Gáttaþefur, Ketkrókur and Kertasníkir.
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