Day five of the Yule Lads - welcome Pot Scraper.

Almost half way through the posts of my friends, the Yule lads.  Here is number five.

Pottaskefill (Pot Scraper)

The fifth Yule Lad is Pot Scraper, who will break into the house and steal any unwashed cooking pots, to snarf down any remnants of food from the insides.

Pot Scraper had to be aware

Of the high temps on the pot

The spices and morsels of crispy beef

Were always very hot.

To bad it's only once a year

That he can find this taste

Of crusty left overs in a pot

That would usually go to waste.

So much fun.... Life is Good.

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Day four of the Yule Lads - Welcome Spoon Licker

Þvörusleikir (Spoon Licker)

The fourth Yule Lad, Spoon Licker is extremely thin and malnourished, but can also be considered to be fashionably thin. He will try to steal dirty Þvörur, a type of wooden ladle, and lick any food found on them.

Spoon Licker always was amazed

By the variety of taste

From the moment he applied his tongue

To the spices that he faced.

Nothing better than a spoon

That had stirred the family's meal

Which simmered in a cast-iron pot

Especially mixed with veal.

Jewels and I have had fun doing up the pics for the Yule Lads story. We finished up to the candle guy yesterday so all 13 are done and ready to post.

Life is Good....

Day three of the Yule Lads - welcome Stubby.

Day three of the Yule Lads features Stubby.  Gonna have to take a bunch more pics today as I'm running out of actors. This is the third year that I've done "exposure" of the Lads and with our own pics, it's been more fun to be part of...

Welcome Stúfur (Stubby

Stubby is the third Yule Lad, and is also the smallest. He is also known as Pan Scraper as he will try to steal small bits of food left in the fat at the bottom of a dirty pans.

Stubby - short and very fat

Steals pans to eat the crust

He likes to eat all kinds of meat

And pork is an absolute must.

He sometimes muses about how he got

So wide around the hips

Maybe he should recognize

The taste of bacon on his lips.

Life is Good....

A neatO visiter the other day.

Had a Pileated woodpecker stop by yesterday.  Fun to watch him hammering away at my tree stump. He didn't go much for the suet - must be some dormant bugs in the log that appeals to him.

Love my birds.

Life is Good.

Day two of the Yule Lads - Gully Gawk

Giljagaur (Gully Gawk)

The second Yule Lad is Gully Gawk, who will hide in dark areas around Icelandic farms waiting for an opportunity to sneak into the cowshed and skim froth from the pails of milk.

Gully Gawk hides inside the barn

The milkmaids' done her chore

She decides to take a little nap

and leaves the pail on the floor.

He thinks about the soothing taste

That he's about to sup

It's going to be easy to pour a quart

Of milk into his cup.

Soooo Gully - do you agree?  Life is Good.

Day one of the Yule Lads - Sheep Cload

December 12 is day one of the arrival of the Yul Lads.  We had a lot of fun setting up our amateur photos of the boys... here is day one's star - Sheep Cload.

Stekkjarstaur (Sheep Cote Clod)

On December 12th, the first Yule Lad to arrive- Sheep-Cote Clod- sometimes known as Sheep Shagger. Now, this is nothing more that a colourful translation, and his intentions toward sheep is nothing more sinister that attempting to drink their milk.

Our first Lad, Sheep Cote Cload
Had knees made of hard wood
His aim was to suckle farmer's sheep
Every chance he could

It was tough for him to bend over
To access his favourite treat
Because - try as he may
He could hardly reach the teat.

Life is good.

Introduction to this year's "Yule Lads"

The past few years I have posted copies of introduction and activity for the Icelandic Yule Lads.  This year, Julie and I thought it might be fun to do our own photos and version of the Lads.  The plan is to introduce the Lads to give others a perspective of Icelandic traditions at Christmas.

A Christmas tale featuring the Yule Lads of Iceland.

Our story starts with Gryla, the troll mother of the Yule Lads who is also known as "The Child Eater"!! In the 1600's, children in Iceland grew up hearing tales of the evil ogress. Gryla had stalked Iceland for years at Christmas time, searching for children that misbehaved. Her favourite dish was a stew made by boiling naughty children. HEY... don't blame me - this must be correct because its right here on the pages of the inter web.

OK...Gryla is a mythical giantess and most of the stories told about her were meant to frighten naughty brats at Christmas. Apparently the tales of Gryla's Christmas terror scared the living crap out of all Icelandic kids and by 1746 the kids were so terrified that they didn't dare to leave their homes. The government of Iceland realized that this was becoming an issue affecting the social festivities of Christmas so the government leader - Justsson (babyface) Trudeaufinson - stepped in and banned the use of Gryla's misdeeds as an intimidation tactic.

So, with Gryla cleaning up her act, the 13 Lads (Gryla's sons) became her messengers and were sent individually into towns to spread holiday joy rather than fear. The Lads placed gifts into shoes left in the window sills by the children. If the child in the house had been good, he or she would receive a small gift placed in the shoe. If they were deemed to be naughty, well no more kid stew, but they would wake up christmas day with a rotten potato stuffed into their Uggs.

Now, the Lads are not squeaky clean like Santa Claus. They are still known as mischievous pranksters - bordering on being petty criminals - so they remained largely hidden and did cause trouble around the homes and farms of Iceland. They feel this is OK to do, especially if they do not find reciprocal treats for each Lad that corresponds to their personality.

Tomorrow we will start to meet the Lads.

Life is Good