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 final Yule Lad is Kertasnikir, whose name translates to “Candle-Stealer” or “Candle-Beggar.” He emerges on Christmas Eve in Iceland. Like his twelve brothers, his name is self-explanatory, although the consequences of his hi-jinks were more troublesome them they may appear. In the past, candles were incredibly valuable in Iceland, providing light throughout the winter…

Christmas culinary traditions vary significantly between families, but there is one common central feature to most festive feasts, and that’s the meat. In Icelandic folklore, however, this was the target of thievery from the twelfth and penultimate Yule Lad, Ketkrokur, or “Meat-Hook.” Lurking wherever he had access to a kitchen (behind doors, under tables, in…

Gattathefur, or “Doorway-Sniffer,” may have come into folklore due to the whistling breaths of the wind creeping through Iceland’s draughty turf houses. Similar to Window-Peeper and Door-Slammer, the idea of him creeping into a home to cause mayhem haunted the nightmares of Iceland’s children. This was exacerbated by the fact that Gattathefur was renowned for…

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…

Smoking meat is one of the favorite cooking methods in Iceland. Smoked fish and lamb are popular throughout the year, as well as smoked sausages known in Icelandic as “bjuga”. From the night of the 20th, however, vigilance was required when preparing the bjuga. It was the only piece of food that the ninth Yule…

The meals leading up to Christmas are, without a doubt, some of the best of the year. One can indulge in perfectly cooked poultry, nut roasts, mince pies, gingerbread men, cinnamon rolls, and all manner of other treats. This season in Iceland, however, one dish deserves an extra special mention: the delicious and creamy Skyr.…

Hurdaskellir has a modus operandi he learned from another of the oldest horror tropes. In English, his name is “Door-Slammer,” and as this Yule Lad embarks on his thirteen-day journey over the festive season, it is all he intends to do. Until the end of the month, he would sneak from home to home, reaching the…

So, before you go to bed tonight please check under your bed for Askasleikir. And remember, the best Northern lights are usually just after midnight. Kær kveðja

Pottaskefill, known in English as “Pot-Scraper,” is like many of his brothers in that his Christmas hi-jinks are gluttonous. Breaking into one home after another, he seeks out pots of sauce, chunks of roast meat left on the tray, saucepans of seasonal vegetables, and scours off anything leftover to eat. Pottaskefill was no doubt created to…

Thvorusleikir, the fourth Yule Lad, is known in English as “Spoon-Licker.” This Christmas troll set out on his nationwide tour of mischief on the fifteenth of December each year, to break into the homes of Icelanders and lick the spoons of households in the hope of a morsel to eat.  Thvorusleikir’s behavior was a result…