Merry Christmas / Gleðileg jól everyone! Thank you to all my friends, family, followers and readers for your support during 2014. It’s been a whirlwind of a year for Iceland, Defrosted – library talks in the spring, interviewing the wonderful Hannah Kent, sharing a stage with the talented Hafdís Huld, seeing Portishead at a rainy […]

Kertasníkir (Candle-Stealer) The last to arrive, Kertasníkir used to follow children in order to steal their candles, back in the days when children had playing cards and candles for Christmas, and when candles were made from tallow. These days, candles are made from wax, and can make Kertasníkir ill if he eats them. Now, he […]

Gáttaþefur (Doorway-Sniffer) This Yule lad has whopping nose and and a superb sense of smell which he uses to locate food, especially his favourite laufabrauð. Bad smells can seem really strong to him though, and even make his eyes water. He just can’t turn off that nose of his. Gáttaþefur arrives on December 22 and […]

Gluggagægir (Window-Peeper) hmmm. This one is a bit naughty. The word ‘voyeur’ might be a bit strong, but he does peer through windows. Is he looking for things to steal? Is he spying on you? It would sure give you a fright though to see Gluggagægir pressing his funny face against the window of your […]

Bjúgnakrækir (Sausage-Swiper) – In the olden days, Bjúgnakrækir hid in the rafters of turf houses and snatched sausages that were being smoked. These are called Bjúga and were thick sausages made out of horsemeat or lamb. Nowadays, Bjúgnakrækir eats any sausage he can get his hands on, especially the delicious ones in Plysur. Bjúgnakrækir arrives […]

Skyrgámur (Skyr-Gobbler ) – I cant be too hard on this Yule Lad. He and I share an affinity for skyr. We both love this traditional Icelandic yoghurt-style dessert, alhough he prefers the old fashioned, unsweetend type. I prefer the blueberry ones. He has even has a bit of a belly from eating so much […]

Hurðaskellir (Door-Slammer) – A Silent Night is unlikely with this lad. He loves to sharply slam doors, causing a huge bang, especially during the night. He isn’t doing it to frighten you, just for the fun of doing it. It is still noisy though. Hurðaskellir arrives on December 18 and departs on December 31.

Askasleikir (Bowl-Licker) This naughty little fellow hides under beds waiting for someone to put down their ‘askur’ (a type of wooden bowl with a lid used in days gone by), which he then raids for scraps of food. Askur are difficult to find these days, and Askasleikir has had to take some tips from Þvörusleikir […]

Pottaskefill – Pot-Scraper. Pottaskefill is the Yule lad I can identify with the most. Pottaskefill races to get all the leftovers from pots, and even has a long, flat tongue to get all the leftovers out. Who can blame him? We all like seconds don’t we? You’ll need to be quick though with Pottaskefill around. […]

Þvörusleikir – Spoon-Licker/Ladle-licker. Þvörusleikir likes nothing more than Þvörur (a type of a wooden spoon with a long handle) or any sort of spoon or ladle to lick. He has a good slurp to get the most from each spoon. Its not working out that well though, as Þvörusleikir is often extremely thin due to […]