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.

It’s the end of the year. I like lists. There is only one logical conclusion. Everyone else is doing it, so why shouldn’t I? What follows, then, is my end of year list of Icelandic albums. It’s not based on anything but my taste in music, and the albums released over the past year(ish!) by […]

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 […]

Dr. Gunni (real name: Gunnar Lárus Hjálmarsson) is our guide through popular music in Iceland. It’s some sort of journey, with twists, turns and some dead-ends. It’s a good job that Dr. Gunni is a worthy guide, with enough knowledge, images and personality to forge a path through this weighty tome. The title Blue Eyed […]

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. […]

Harpa Fönn Sigurjónsdóttir is one part of Grúska Babúska. I’ve been intrigued by Grúska Babúska and their music for a while now, but having heard about Harpa’s firm belief in the Icelandic Yule Lads, I can see why their music is just so enchanting. Oh, and they also have a new record coming out. It’s […]

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 […]

Stúfur (Stubby/Shorty). Stúfur is abnormally short. He is far by the shortest Yule lads. This can be a blessing and a curse for Stúfur; he can use his diminutive size to steals pans to eat the crusts left on them without detection, but it can also cause him to get stuck in snow drifts. Something […]

Giljagaur (Gully Gawk). Giljagaur, despite being the biggest of the lads, is a tad shy and hides in gullies and ravines waiting for an opportunity to sneak into houses and cowsheds to steal milk. He also has a penchant for singing, so if you see a lad with a belly, a milk moustache and singing […]