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

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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!

Like Krampus? Then You’ll LOVE Frau Perchta the Christmas Witch

I’m a diehard fan of Krampus. I think “Elf on the Shelf” is way too soft for kids. Why make them think a creepy-looking doll is spying on them when you can use a terrifying half-goat/half-demon creature to scare them into behaving? If you don’t know the story behind Krampus, he is basically one of Santa’s buddies who punishes misbehaving children. His origins draw from German and Alpine origins. He carries chains and birch sticks to literally beat kids into shape. Some other variations include Krampus sticking children in a sack or basket, dragging them to hell, or just beating them with the birch sticks while they’re in the sack/basket in the process. Basically, I would behave if I knew Krampus was waiting in the wings to kick my butt. By the way, Krampusnacht is December 5th.

But…Krampus isn’t alone. There is a female counterpart to Krampus that is much more terrifying than our male half-goat/half-demon hybrid. And she’s much more terrifying than you can ever imagine.

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The History

Let me introduce you to Frau Perchta. She comes from Eastern Europe, German and Alpine lore, and famously known as the Christmas Witch.

If you’re into the old school fairytales, like the Grimm Brothers, then you might already know about Frau Perchta. She came into prominence thanks to the eldest Grimm brother, Jacob. According to him, Perchta was originally known as Berctha, or Bertha in the 10th century. She is believed to be the female equivalent of Berchtold, who is the leader of the Wild Hunt, a group of soldiers of mythical creatures like spirits, fairies, and elves.

Frau Perchta’s Traditions

But why exactly should we be fearful of Frau Perchta? She is the upholder of cultural taboos, like the prohibition of spinning during the holidays. During the 12 days between Christmas (12/25) and Epiphany (1/6), Perchta would roam the countryside in the middle of the night. She enters people’s homes and knows immediately if the children have been naughty or nice. She also required that the women had the flax spun by the 12th night of December. Perchta would also know if you adhered to her traditional meal of fish and gruel on her feast day.

Frau Perchta bears a striking resemblance to the Scandanavian goddess, Frigga. Both entities obsess over spinning as well as whether or not your house was clean. Jacob Grimm was convinced that Perchta was Frau Holda since she is also into spinning as well as wearing white robes.

Frau Perchta’s Appearance

Frau Perchta has been known to appear as a beautiful young woman in white robes, or an elderly and haggard-looking woman, depending on which culture you are studying. What is notable about her appearance is that she has a foot that is larger than the other. It has been known as a goose or swan foot, which could indicate that she is a shapeshifter of some sort. If you behaved, you would see Perchta as a beautiful woman. But if you weren’t, then you saw her scarier side.

If you did what you were supposed to do, then you might get a nice coin the next morning. But if you neglected to be a well-behaved child, spun your flax, and ate your fish and gruel, there was certain hell to pay. Frau Perchta would slit your stomach open and stuff you with straw and garbage.

Krampus is sounding a little more PG now, doesn’t he?

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