deliriouslove1970. The life & times of Gary and Denise Flanders. (Free and worth every penny. If you would like to compliment the editor, send to garytheflan@deliriouslove1970.com. If you would like to complain, call your mother.)

The tenth Yule Lad to descend from over the festive season was perhaps the creepiest of all: Gluggagaegir, or “Window-Peeper.”

Considering the darkness of Iceland’s winters, where there are only four hours of sunlight a day around Christmas, it takes little imagination to picture the fear children must have felt passing the windows of their homes on Christmas nights, terrified that this fearsome troll was looking in upon them.

Like several of the other Yule Lads, it seems like Gluggagaegir’s chilling behavior was designed as a way to scare children from going outside in the dark winters. It was also a reminder that the child-eating Gryla had eyes across the country, looking out for miscreants.

Gayla was mentioned – who is Gryla? The Yule Lads may have become more friendly throughout the years, but their mother Gryla is still a frightening troll and remains one of the longest-standing Christmas traditions in Iceland.

This giantess is one of the most evil figures in Icelandic folklore, and horror stories about her are still told to children over the festive season. Throughout the year, it is said that she collects whispers about children around the island misbehaving, and when winter sets in, she sets out to gather them.

Her appetite for the flesh of naughty youths is insatiable, and each year, she finds no shortage of her favorite crop. Collecting them up in a sack, she then cooks them in a pot and turns them into a giant stew that will sustain her until the next winter.

If you thought Gluggagaegir was creepy, then along comes his mother. The Icelandic government agreed and decided to ban the folk lore that she ate children.