Tag: gryla

10 Christmas Monsters to Make Your Christmas Spookier

Alex Matsuo1 Comment

When we think of Christmas, images of lights, Christmas trees, cookies, presents, snow, and Santa Claus flood the mind. We think of the holidays as the “most wonderful time of the year.” Rarely do we think of spooky things. Thanks to the Puritans and Halloween, scary entities like ghosts and monsters are typically kept to the fall. But, in parts of Europe, Christmas monsters are not only an integral part of the holidays, they play a starring role.

The holiday season in Europe, not only includes Christmas, but also the 12 Days of Christmas. They are seen as the 12 days between the birth of Christ and the arrival of the Magi.

In some parts of the world, the 12 days of Christmas were seen as unholy days. This would be when Christmas monsters would be able to come out back in the olden days.

Let’s take a look at ten Christmas monsters to make your Christmas more spooky!

The Kallikantzaros

The Kallikantzaros are from Southeastern European and Anatolian folklore. Their lore is so interesting! Throughout the year, the Kallikantzaroi spend their days trying to cut down the World Tree in the underworld. They use this big saw and work together nonstop. But then, during the 12 Days of Christmas, or when the sun stops moving, the Kallikantzaroi come to the Earth’s surface. While here, they wreak havoc on sinners! They are even known to sit on the door frames outside brothels and attack sinners as they leave. By the time they return to the underworld, the World Tree healed itself. Thus, the Kallikantzaroi start all over trying to cut down the World Tree.

Krampus

As mentioned in this video, Krampus was my gateway Christmas monster. The day before St. Nicholas Day, Krampus and St. Nick go to houses and give away presents or punishment. St. Nicholas will reward the good children with presents. Krampus will “reward” the naughty children in the most terrifying way. He will beat them with birch sticks, put them in a basket, and take them to hell. If you look at the Germanic lore of Krampus, he will actually EAT the naughty children. This seems to be more effective than Elf on the Shelf, right?

Lussi

Lussi is from Norway and Sweden, and she’s another one you don’t want to mess with. Today, Lussi is portrayed as a beautiful woman in a white sash, and St. Lucia’s Day is on December 13th. St. Lucia is seen as angelic, and pleasant. But just a few centuries earlier, Lucia was known as Lussi, and she wasn’t quite so nice. Back then, Lussi is portrayed as a hideous demon who travels by broomstick with her legion of demons, trolls, and other evil spirits. If you aren’t tucked safely into bed, Lussi and her crew would kidnap or kill you!

Frau Perchta

While Krampus was my first love, Frau Perchta is my current love. To be honest, she makes Krampus seem a bit soft. Frau Perchta is the upholder of cultural taboos, especially when it comes to spinning and weaving. You should have your spinning done by Christmas. Plus, eat fish and gruel on Frau Perchta‘s feast day. If you haven’t finished your spinning, or abide by Frau Perchta’s feast day, there’s hell to pay. During the 12 Days of Christmas, she roams the countryside going into homes. She will know immediately if you’re naughty or nice, finished spinning, and ate fish and gruel. If you’re nice, you get a coin. If you’re naughty, she will slit your belly open, take out your insides, and stuff you with garbage and straw.

Straggele

The Straggele are the helpers of Frau Perchta in Switzerland. That’s right, she has groupies! The Straggele are a band of demons that help Frau Perchta during the 12 Days of Christmas. They love feasting on leftovers during this time. If you don’t leave out your leftovers, then they go for something much more succulent; your wallet and your children. According to lore, they will rip your children to pieces. In some variations, they will just rob the kids. In others, they throw the kids in the air while ripping them apart. #FeedtheStraggele

Grýla

If Frau Perchta is my first love, Grýla is a close second. She is a giantess from Icelandic folklore, and she can really scare some kids into behaving! Each Christmas, Grýla comes from her cave in the volcanic mountains, and she will take all of the naughty children in town and puts them in the bag. She will carry all the naughty kids back to her cave. Then, she boils them alive and eats them! The Icelandic government ended up banning the use of Grýla to get kids to behave. She’s also the mother of the Yule Lads, who you will meet next!

The Yule Lads

via Artic Portal

The Yule Lads are a band of brothers you don’t want to mess with. These thirteen brothers wreak havoc in the nearby village. They come to town one by one, visiting kids during the thirteen days before Christmas. Children leave their shoes out on window sills and each Yule Lad will leave a present in their shoe. If the kid is naughty, they will get a potato. The Yule Lads will also cause chaos based on the name. For example, Spoon Licker will lick spoons. Window Peeper will peep into widows and steal stuff inside. Sausage Swiper steals sausages.

Jólakötturinn

via Iceland Review

Also known as the Yule Cat, Jólakötturinn is Grýla’s house cat. Remember, Grýla is a giantess, which means that Jólakötturinn is a giant cat! It is a black cat that prowls the countryside on Christmas Eve that eats anyone who isn’t wearing at least one new piece of clothing. If you’ve ever wondered where the tradition of Christmas jammies and Christmas socks came from, this might be connected. The oldest written account dates back to the 18th century and may have been used to motivate people to finish their chores by Christmas. Why? The reward was for new clothes.

Belsnickel

via DenofGeek

You might know who Belsnickel is if you’ve watched The Office. Belsnickel has many of the same characteristics as Krampus, but he’s not as scary. He’s a crotchety old-man dressed in fur who works alongside Saint Nicholas. He will bring presents for good children and whipping naughty children. He may be based on Knecht Ruprecht. What’s interesting is that he has also been known to wear a mask with a long tongue, which sounds like Krampus.

Mari Lwyd

Mari Lwyd is a delightful custom in South Wales. To put it very simply, Mari Lwyd is a Christmas zombie horse that wants to eat and drink everything in your house. As you can see in the picture, dressing up as Mari Lwyd involves a horse’s skull on a pole while the person is hiding under a cloth. During Christmas, Mari Lwyd stands outside your door and sings songs to get inside. The person living inside has to respond with their own song. This back and forth of singing continues until someone relents. If it’s the homeowner, Mari Lwyd gets to raid their pantry and drink all of their beer.

Grýla: The Child Eating Monster That Makes Christmas a Little Scarier

Alex Matsuo1 Comment
Don’t like to read? Then check out the video!

When we think of the holidays, we think of cheerfulness, merriment, and nothing scary. Well, if you find Santa Claus scary, then I don’t know what to tell you.

But not everyone thinks of the holidays as a positive time of year. Many see it as just another day of life. Others see the time as a season of painful memories and feelings. Some folks see it as a time to get children to behave. 

We have Krampus and Frau Perchta. But do you recall the Icelandic legend of Grýla and her Yule Cat and Yule Lads?

Instead of Santa Claus coming to town, Icelanders are treated to mountain-dwelling monsters who come down for the holidays. What is endearing about this folktale is the fact that they all live together in a cave in the mountains. These mountains are known as the Dimmuborgir lava fields.

Yes, these Christmas monsters are a family. They even have a house cat named Jólakötturinn! Yes, it joins in on their reign of holiday terror.

The Legend

Let’s start with Grýla, whose name loosely translates to growler. She is an ogress who has a rather large appetite for eating naughty children. That’s right, kids. If you’re naughty, you’ll get eaten by Grýla. She has this talent of detecting naughty children year-round. When she comes down from the mountains, she knows who to find. She collects them in her large sack and carries them back to her cave. Then, cooks them in a large pot, making a “naughty children stew”, for which she has an insatiable appetite.

She has a husband named Leppaludi who is your typical TV-house husband. He’s depicted as lazy and doesn’t really leave the cave. Leppaludi is also Grýla’s third husband, which I thought was interesting. Apparently, she ate her previous husbands after she became bored with them.

If you’ve been good, and you think you’re safe, think again. Remember that house cat I told you about? Maybe it’s actually a cave cat. The Yule Cat, named Jólakötturinn, is Grýla’s kitty. It roams the countryside during Yule and eats people who haven’t gotten new clothes before Christmas Eve.

The Yule Lads

Let’s not forget the kids! Grýla and Lappaludi have 13 sons known as the Yule Lads. First, I guess we know what Grýla and her husband were up to in the cave during the off-season. Second, the Yule Lads sounds like a name for a street gang of kids. On the 13 nights leading up to Christmas, the Yule Lads come into town one by one. They bring about mischief, mayhem, pranks, and murder. Kids leave their shoes on window sills. If the kids were good, the Yule Lads bring presents to leave in these shoes. If the kids were naughty, the Yule Lads left a potato in their shoes. That’s not a terrible thing.

The History

The legend of Grýla and her family date back centuries. The earliest mention of Grýla can be traced back to the 13th century. You can find her in a compilation of Norse mythology called, Prose Edda. She is described as a giantess that is repulsive and hideous.  Some other early depictions of Grýla have ranged from describing her as a beggar with parasites as well as a troll. What is creepy about her as a beggar is that she would go door-to-door asking parents to give her their naughty children. It wasn’t until the 17th century that she was associated with Christmas. 

The earliest mention of the Yule Lads goes back to the 17th century in the poem called, “The Poem of Grýla.” In the most popular depictions, they were Grýla’s sons. In other versions, they were her brothers. Depending on where you were from, the Yule Lads did different things from harmless pranks to painting the town red…with blood. What is even more interesting is that the King of Denmark wasn’t a fan of using the Yule Lads as a method of scaring children into behaving. They were formally named in 1862 by Jon Arnason. He was a 19th-century author, collected his own folktales after being inspired by the Grimm Brothers. The 1932 poem, The Yule Lads by Jóhannes úr Kötlum, became canon with their names and personalities because it was so popular. You can find it in the book, Christmas is Coming.

Creepy Christmas Kitty

Now, where did the Jólakötturinn, the Yule Cat, come from? As if Grýla and her family weren’t terrifying enough, let’s add in a cat to make it extra scary. And this giant kitty judged you on whether or not you got new clothes by Christmas Eve. The earliest depiction of the Jólakötturinn is the 19th century. But why clothes? Farmers to put pressure on their workers to finish processing the autumn before Christmas. If the workers finished, they were rewarded with new clothes. Those who didn’t finish got nothing. The idea of the Yule Cat being this giant, monstrous beast was popularized by Jóhannes úr Kötlum. Other depictions included the Yule Cat merely eating the food of those who didn’t have new clothes, which is less dramatic.

To tie all of this up in a neat little bow, basically, you should behave yourself and make sure you have new clothes by Christmas Eve. Otherwise, you might get a visit from Grýla, her Yule Cat, and the Yule Lads. Oh yeah, don’t forget to leave your shoes on the window sill!

What do you think of Grýla, the Yule Cat, and the Yule Lads? Tell me what you think in the comments! Don’t forget to follow this page and subscribe to my YouTube channel!