The Yule Lads

by Ken Barr

Reprinted with permission from Icelandic Connection v67(1): pp12–13, 2015.

Living in caves out of town,

They wait all year for their chance,

For mischief in December,

To dance their holiday dance.

The thirteen sons of Grýla,ýla,

Their father Leppalúði,

Each yuletide season they come,

For mischief, wait and you’ll see.

Each one is so different,

In at the antics that they choose,

But they’re brothers after all,

Each one with nothing to lose.

So starting December twelfth,

They come to town one by one,

Each day brings another lad,

As they come to have their fun.

The first of them was Sheep-Cote,

With legs as stiff as wood,

He wanted the farmer’s sheep,

Their milk was very good.

He tried to milk the ewes,

But couldn’t in the end,

His knees were much too stiff,

He could not make them bend.

Second there came Gully Imp,

A crafty little elf,

He would sneak into the barn,

And steal the milk for himself

He would hide among the stalls,

And give the cows a quick wink,

Before he stole the milk pail,

Faster than you think.

The third brother was Stubby,

A short and stout little man,

He loved to eat the scrapings,

From the bottom of a pan.

Slipping pans into his pouch,

Whenever he was able,

He’d eat the burnt bits in them,

At his own dinner table.

Spoon Licker, the fourth brother,

So thin and always hungry,

Would lick the spoons while cooking,

Which made the good chef angry.

Sneaking into the kitchen,

He would pull the cooking spoon,

From the meal upon the stove,

And he’d lick it much too soon.

The fifth brother Pot Scraper,

He loved to eat the scrapings,

That were cooked into the pots,

The ones that he was stealing.

He’d sneak into the houses,

Thinking himself so clever,

And off he’d run with the pots,

To feast upon his treasure.

Bowl Licker the sixth brother,

We would always lick the bowl,

That was placed upon the floor,

Getting it was his main goal.

He would lick every bowl clean,

That was meant for the dog or cat,

And then he’d laugh to himself,

And say, “how do you like that”.

Seventh brother Door Slammer,

Such an angry little man,

When people home were sleeping,

He’d be as loud as he can.

Slamming doors and making noise,

Not a very good house guest,

With all of his door slamming,

No one home could get much rest.

Skyrgámur the eighth brother,

Would steal into the houses,

And gobble up their yogurt,

Milk, cream, skyr and cheeses.

He’d eat all that he could find,

Too much food for one alone,

Still he ate until it hurt,

Then he’d start to howl and groan.

Sausage Swiper was the ninth,

A crafty little raider,

Hiding in the house rafters,

Waiting to steal his dinner.

From his perch on high watching,

The cooking of the nightly meal,

Swiping sausage when he could,

And waiting for more to steal.

And tenth was Window Peeper,

Always peeking through the glass,

Looking for things he could steal,

There was nothing he would pass.

He’s always on the look out,

For treasures that he can steal,

He’s always got his eyes out.

For valuables so real.

Door Sniffer was eleventh,

Always looking for lace bread,

He could smell it from so far,

Or sniffing for cakes instead.

With a nose as large as his,

He could smell lace bread for miles,

No ones food was safe from him,

He had his crafty wiles.

Ketkrókur the twelfth brother,

Many skills he would display,

Stealing meat with his long hook,

Eating on St. Thorlak’s Day.

Standing upon the chimneys,

Stealing many legs of lamb,

While using his long meat hook,

Saying, This is who I am.

Thirteenth was Candle Beggar,

A cold and lonely young elf,

Following children begging,

For candles to have himself.

The brightest lights he could find,

So special for Christmas Eve,

To have a candle so bright,

A miracle to believe.

The last brother arrives on,

December twenty fourth, so,

Having all of their fun,

The brothers prepare to go.

With the holidays over,

One by one they return home,

And dream about next season,

When they make their Christmas roam.

Ken Barr

December 22, 2013

Ken Barr reintroduced the Jolasveinarnir through the eyes of an outsider and confesses that he has modernized them in his book, Jolasveinarnir, The Yule Lads and Their Family,  available through Amazon. ISBN 9781499277678confesses that he has modernized them. His

Gay Strandemo also tells the story of the Jólasveinarnir through the drawings in her book, The Yule Boys, available at https://theyuleboys.com/