An Icelandic tradition of the Christmas season. The Yule Lads (in Icelandic, jólasveinar) are the children of Grýla and Leppalúður, a pair of nasty, giant trolls. Grýla likes to eat disobedient children; the Yule Lads are here to help her catch them. The thirteen lads come to visit in the days leading up to Christmas, each playing their own particular type of prank, and leaving small gifts or candy in shoes that children have placed on window sills. But if the child has been disobedient they will instead leave a rotten potato in the shoe.
The thirteen Yule Lads are:
- Stekkjarstaur: his name literally mean 'Sheep-Cote Clod', and unsurprisingly he steals milk from the sheep. He has a peg-legs, or at least legs that cannot bend, severely impairing his movement. He arrives on the 12th of December, and leaves on the 25th.
- Giljagaur: in English, Gully Gawk. He hides in gullies and ditches and sneaks around stealing the cream off of fresh milk. He has grey hair and dresses plainly. He arrives on the 13th of December, and leaves on the 26th.
- Stúfur: in English, Stubby, reflecting his short stature. He steals pans to eat the crusts and lick the grease left on them. Despite being the smallest Yule Lad, he is also the best fighter among them. He arrives on the 14th of December, and leaves on the 27th.
- Þvörusleikir: in English, Spoon-Licker. He steals and licks spoons and pot-scrappers (Þvera) from the porridge or stew-pots on the stove, making himself very annoying while still not getting much to eat. He is very thin due to his limited diet. He arrives on the 15th of December, and leaves on the 28th.
- Pottaskefill: in English, Pot-Scraper, as he steals leftovers from pots, but he's greedy enough to add extra spices to the food, or extra wood to the fire to burn the food -- anything to increase the amount of leftovers. He's also been known to knock at the door towards the end of the meal, drawing the children away from the table if they aren't leaving him enough scraps. He arrives on the 16th of December, and leaves on the 29th.
- Askasleikir: in English, Bowl-Licker. He hides under beds waiting for someone to put down an askur (lidded bowl, traditionally used when eating in bed). He arrives on the 17th of December, and leaves on the 30th.
- Hurðaskellir: in English, Door-Slammer. He likes to slam doors in the night, waking up sleeping children. He arrives on the 18th of December, and leaves on the 31st.
- Skyrgámur: in English, Skyr-Gobbler, because he steals skyr (similar to yogurt). He arrives on the 19th of December, and leaves on January 1st.
- Bjúgnakrækir: in English, Sausage-Swiper. He lives in the rafters and steals sausages while they are being smoked. He arrives on the 20th of December, and leaves on January 2nd.
- Gluggagægir: in English, Window-Peeper; he sneaks around windows, looking for things to steal. He arrives on the 21st of December, and leaves on January 3rd.
- Gáttaþefur: in English, Doorway-Sniffer. He has a large nose, and sniffs around doorways looking for leaf bread (laufabrauð), a traditional Christmas bread. He will also steal cookies and cakes. He arrives on the 22nd of December, and leaves on January 4th.
- Ketkrókur: in English, Meat-Hook; because he uses a long hook to fish down the chimney for smoked meats hanging over the fire. He's very tall, and walks stiffly. He arrives on the 23rd of December, and leaves on January 5th.
- Kertasníkir: in English, Candle-Sneaker. He follows children to steal their candles, theoretically because tallow candles were edible. He arrives on the 24th of December, and leaves on January 6th.
Mythology is messy, and there are varying accounts of the Yule Lads, including some which are apparently actually the Yule Lad's uncles. Thirteen is a common number to list, but other tales tell of nine. Some of the Yule Lads that don't make the more modern lists were simply too disgusting; Lungnaslettir, the Lung-Splatterer, has his lungs on the outside of his chest, and would chase down misbehaving children and beat them with his flopping lungs. Others were probably a bit too mundane to keep the public's imagination; Faldafeykir (Skirt Sweeper) blew off hats and rustled woman's skirts.
In modern Icelandic culture the Yule Lads are much more friendly; they appear in person (well, they might be actors, I couldn't say) to greet children in public spaces, especially markets, to tell them stories and to sing songs. The tradition of leaving shoes on the windowsills to get gifts started in the 1930s, and became popularized in the 1950s. It appears to be going strong today, with some common variations: modern-day naughty children, if any there be, are more likely to get a raw potato than a rotten one; leaf bread is now often left out for the Lads, and they don't need to steal it; and there are some themed gifts, so one might expect Gattapefur (Door Sniffer) to leave a handkerchief, Ketkrokur arrives on St. Thorlak's day, and so leaves small statues of St. Thorlak, and Skyrgamur, for no particular reason, often leaves joke gifts. However, these lists are highly idiosyncratic, and you should not count on any regularity in your shoe-gifts.