Kertasníkir aka Candle Stealer, arrives on the 24th and leaves on 6th of January. Also known as Candle Beggar. Candle Beggar arrives on Christmas Eve Day, 24 December. In former times, candles were the brightest lights available to people. They were so rare and precious that all children longed to have their very own candle for Christmas. And poor Candle Beggar – well, he also longed for a candle.
The thirteenth was Candle Beggar – ‘twas cold, I believe, if he was not the last of the lot on Christmas Eve.
He trailed after the little ones who, like happy sprites, ran about the farm with their fine tallow lights.
Ketkrókur aka Meat Hook, turns up on 23rd and leave 5th of January.
St. Thorlák’s Day, 23 December, is the day of Meat Hook’s arrival. Meat Hook was crazy about meat. In the old days he would lower a long stick through the chimney and snag a smoked leg of lamb hanging from the rafters, or a piece of smoked lamb from the pot.
Meat Hook, the twelfth one, his talent would display as soon as he arrived on Saint Thorlak’s Day.
He snagged himself a morsel of meet of any sort, although his hook at times was a tiny bit short.
Gáttaþefur aka Door Sniffer turns up on the 22nd and hangs around until the 4th.
Door Sniffer comes to town on 22 December. He is easily recognized by his huge nose. He loved the smell of cakes and lace bread – sometimes called leaf bread – when they were being prepared for Christmas, and always tried to steal one or two.
Eleventh was Door Sniffer, a doltish lad and gross. He never got a cold, yet had a huge, sensitive nose.
He caught the scent of lace bread while leagues away still and ran toward it weightless as wind over dale and hill.
Gluggagægir aka Window Peeper appears on the 21st and hangs around until the 3rd of january.
December 21 is when Window Peeper visits. This Lad was not as greedy as some of his brothers, he just liked to peep through the windows and sometimes nicked the toys that he saw.
The tenth was Window Peeper,
a weird little twit, who stepped up to the window and stole a peek through it.
And whatever was inside to which his eye was drawn, he most likely attempted
Hurðaskellir aka door slammer. This freak turn up on the 18th and leaves on the 31st
Door Slammer comes to town on 18 December. He always made a lot of noise when he walked around, slamming doors and such, so people could hardly get any rest.
The seventh was Door Slammer, a sorry, vulgar chap: When people in the twilight would take a little nap,
he was happy as a lark with the havoc he could wreak, slamming doors and hearing the hinges on them squeak.
Although the other Lads’ acts of dickery may be confusing to modern people, and most of them require a fair understanding of medieval Icelandic culture and way of life to fully appreciate, Door-Slammer’s rather bland brand of shithead-ism requires little elaboration. This asshole shows up at your house in the middle of the night and slams your fucking doors. Repeatedly.
Askasleikir aka Bowl Licker arrives on the 17th and leaves on the 30th.
Bowl Licker comes to town on 17 December. In the past, Icelanders ate from lidded wooden bowls that they sometimes kept under the bed or on the floor. Bowl Licker would hide under the bed, and if someone put their bowl on the floor he grabbed it and licked the inside clean.
Bowl Licker, the sixth one, was shockingly ill bred. From underneath the bedsteads he stuck his ugly head.
And when the bowls were left to be licked by dog or cat, he snatched them for himself – he was sure good at that!
This one requires a bit of an explanation. You see, there is a certain kind of food container in Iceland called an Askur, which doesn’t have an equivalent elsewhere. The “bowl” this lad licks is the Askur.
There are two reasons why him licking these is mean. The first is that an empty Askur would be left out for the cat or dog of the house to lick as a bit of a treat, and Bowl-licker would snatch it from the pet for himself. The other reason is that sometimes he might snatch one of these when it’s full, and over Christmas the Askur is traditionally filled with all kinds of special treats that each person is meant to be responsible for on their own and pace over Christmastime. Essentially, Bowl-licker will steal your candy-filled stocking. And then lick it.
Defense against Bowl-licker:
Don’t use an Askur (practically no one does this anymore)
Don’t skimp on the pet food, he only wants scraps to steal from them
Pottaskefill aka Pot-Scraper arrives on the 16th and hangs around until the 29th.
Pot Scraper is expected on 16 December. He is also sometimes called Pot Licker since in the old days he waited to snatch away the pots that had not been washed and licked the food remains from the insides.
Pot Scraper, the fifth one, was a funny sort of chap. When kids were given scrapings, he’d come to the door and tap.
And they would rush to see if there really was a guest. Then he hurried to the pot and had a scrapingfest.
Time for the fifth brother of thirteen, which means it’s time to terrify the children again! You’d think Pot-Scraper would be yet another kitchen raider, but back in the Icelandic day, giving the kids the pot to scrape clean was sort of the equivalent of licking the bowl.
His method is to knock on the door when the parents aren’t around, and when the kids run up to answer it he’ll slip in somewhere else and steal the children’s treat for himself.
Þvörusleikir aka Spoon Licker appears on the 15th and stays around until the 28th.
Spoon Licker comes down from the mountains on 15 December. In the past he would sneak into the houses and lick the wooden spoon used to scrape the pots.
The fourth was Spoon Licker; like spindle he was thin. He felt himself in clover when the cook wasn’t in.
Then stepping up, he grappled the stirring spoon with glee, holding it with both hands for it was slippery.
As pathetic as Stubby is, you’d think Spoon-Licker would fall in the same category. He stalks your kitchen and waits for a chance to steal the spoons and assorted stirring tools when the cook looks away and just… licks them. However, that’s where the devil in the details rears its ugly head, because that’s all he ever eats. Not the food. He ignores the food. All he steals is the spoon to lick, and that’s his only source of sustenance.
Defense against Spoon-Licker
Keep close watch on the pots, and one eye on the chimney
Stúfur aka Stubby appears on the 14th and hangs around until the 27th,
The Yule Lad who arrives on 14 December is called Stubby. He is a little, shall we say, vertically challenged. He is also known as Pan Scraper because in the old days he used to try snatching bits of food from the frying pan.
Stubby was the third called, a stunted little man, who watched for every chance to whisk off a pan.
And scurrying away with it, he scraped off the bits that stuck to the bottom and brims – his favorites.
As his name indicates, he’s the shortest of the Yule Lads, possibly the fattest, and by far the least dangerous. The only thing he does is to steal your pan after you’ve cooked on it in order to lick it clean of the disgusting burnt bits, fat and remnants of oil on it.
