Original and informative, fun and secure site! TO GO WITH AFP STORY BY AGNES VALDIMARSDOTTIRStekkjastaur, or Sheep-Cote Clod, Iceland's first Santa of 13, entertains children at the National Museum of Iceland in Reykjavik on December 13, 2010. THE EERIE YULE LADS In the old days life in Iceland was harsh and their stories reflected that hardship. $117.90. These thirteen brothers, who are direct descendants of trolls, live in dark deep caves in the mountains along with their ogre parents—their mother Grýla and their father Leppalúði—and the child-devouring Yule Cat. No reindeer-drawn sleigh, no red suit, and no chimney. Unlike the Santa Claus that I grew up with, these yule lads are not jolly with a big belly. From a relatively young age Icelandic children are told the story of Grýla, the ogress living in the Icelandic mountains. Complete set of 14 ornaments - 15% discount. Set Descending Direction. Icelandic Myths and Creatures.

The children are called the Yule Lads, and they’ve come to … “In Iceland we have a really fun mythology around Christmas, in my opinion at least,” says Dagrún. Christmas folklore in Iceland, like its food, language and landscapes, is a bit more extreme than in neighbouring Nordic countries.While Scandinavia has its fill of unique Yuletide traditions (for example, the "Sauna Elf" in Finland) Iceland takes the prize for having the most hair-raising Christmas creatures..

They have a little story… involving trolls, of course, as so many Icelandic stories do. With no native population, and no large predators, it seemed that the untamed elements were the only thing settlers would have to war against. Yule lads are 13 brothers from a family of trolls who live in the highlands of Iceland. The eve before December 12, everyone who believes in the Yule Lads will put a shoe on the window sill and keep it there for 13 days. Many magnificent Icelandic rock formations are said to be the petrified remnants of trolls who suffered the harsh fate of the sun and derive their names directly from such accounts, for example, West Iceland's Skessuhorn (Troll Woman's Peak) and Tröllaskarð (Troll's Pass) in North Iceland.

$88.00. Or sit in Grýla's big iron pot at the Troll Garden at Fossatún in Borgarfjörður, where you can do the "troll hike"! Iceland was settled by the Scandinavians in 874 AD by adventurous people fleeing civil strife and over-population of the home states.

Items 1-20 of 23. The coming of the Yule Lads marks the start of the Christmas season in Iceland. Because where we have Santa Claus coming down the chimney on Christmas eve, in Iceland their Christmas involves trolls, and lots of them. The Yule Lads are said to be the children of a terrible ogre named Grýla who lives in the mountains. Latest.