News bulletin…..

 

Santa says WHAT?

The Icelandic Yule Lads are in an uproar today as shocking news comes in from the North Pole. It is said that the communication comes directly from the big guy, Santa, himself. Sources report that Window Peeper, the social media representative of the Yule Lads, was literally knocked over with a puffin feather after reading Santa’s message.

 

In a ground-breaking decision, Santa has notified that the Yule Lads, all 13, have been banned from the annual Nice List. It is not clear whether the decision is for this year only or is a permanent status for the Lads.

While details are still sketchy, reports from sources at the North Pole indicate that Santa has lost patience with the Yule Lad’s antics and mischief-making. Between Pot Licker, Spoon Licker, and Stufur, Mrs. Claus wasn’t able to serve a decent meal until March last year. This year’s ruckus seems to have started at the Southern Reindeer training camp and before the Reindeer Council could meet, the Yule Lads showed up at the North Pole.

Sources say all thirteen Yule Lads were involved in one of four separate incidents around the village. There was the disappearance of a large number of sausages and meats from the smokehouse, most of the yogurt was eaten, the milk was completely drained dry, and the entire stock of candles has gone missing. The final straw, it seems, was the destruction the kitchen storage room and many of the cookies and cakes that had been prepared for the upcoming holiday season.

Mrs. Claus is doubtful that the holiday cookie stores can be replenished in time. Rumor has it the reindeer threatening to boycott deliveries this year so Santa felt he had no choice but to take this extreme action.

No word yet from the Yule Lads on what they think of this -

Yule Lads: Mayhem at the North Pole Part 20

 

“Santa, we got troll trouble!”

Mrs. Claus stood with her hands on her hips, fifteen elves, four reindeer, three sprites, two reindeer trainers, and eight fairies stood behind her.  They all began speaking at once.

“The cookies are gone”

“The reindeer barn is a mess of hay mixed with the straw and milk dumped everywhere”

“There’s no skyr for the morning oatmeal”

“It will take days to clean up the mess in the kitchen”

Santa held up both hands in defense, “ho – ho – ho.”  He shook his head laughing, “one at a time please.”

“You there, what seems to be the problem?” he said to a little sprite.

“Santa, you have to do something!  These Yule Lads come up here and run around causing trouble and we always have to spend days cleaning up the mess!”

“Hmm,” said Santa, “Well, now OK.  I see that would be quite upsetting, yes.”

“Mrs. Claus, what do you think?”

“Santa, they are so active and they act without thinking and turn everything upside down.  And I don’t know if we have enough time this year to replace all the cookies they just ruined.  I just don’t know if we can welcome them here in the future.”  She shook her head, sad because she like them but they really did cause such a mess.

“I like those guys, all thirteen.”  Santa said, pacing as he continued, “They were raised to be very bad, well their mother was an ogre-troll after all.  But, now they do TRY not to be bad.  It’s really not their fault they really don’t know how to be good.”

He stopped suddenly, “But a year with no cookies?  I don’t know, I don’t know.  They should learn a lesson.  We should send a puffin message that they cannot come for a visit for at least six months.”

An elf jumped up and ran to Santa.  Standing on his tip-toes as Santa leaned down, the elf whispered urgently into his ear.

Santa smiled, “Yes, yes, that is an excellent idea.  Everyone!   No toys or gifts for the Icelandic Yule Lads this year.”

The elves, reindeer, sprites, fairies and Mrs. Claus all gasped. 

“Surely, you don’t mean it!”  Mrs. Claus sputtered, “You have never made such a decision so far before Christmas.  Are you sure?”

“Yes, I’m sorry.  I have no choice but to move the Yule Lads to the Naughty List.” He smiled again and Mrs C. looked closely. 

Something was up.  Santa hated for anyone to be on the Naughty List.  What was he thinking?

 

Yule Lads: Mayhem at the North Pole Part 19

 

“Quick – go – go –go” Bowl Licker shouted after he swallowed the glob of honey-flour-nutmeg mixture that had filled his mouth.

“Phew-ack!” Spoon Licker hacked as he coughed up a cloud of powdered sugar and cinnamon.  He slipped as he tried to stand and slid toward the door.

Door Sniffer raised his head, covered in four and gooey corn syrup.  He tried to wipe the stickiness from his nose and just added to the mess when he smeared the raspberry preserves from his hands to his face.  As he stood, he leaned on the wall, leaving behind grimy handprints.

Bowl Licker grabbed Pot Scraper and pulled him along to the door.  The room behind them was in shambles.  They didn’t look back and they moved as fast as their troll legs would go toward the back door of the kitchen.  They had just reached the outdoors when they heard the chaos from the kitchen.

“Yikes!  The cookies and cakes are destroyed”

“What a mess – look at the piles of gook!  And there’s flour on EVERYTHING!”

“Look!  Troll handprints and troll footprints!”

“Agh!  We got troll trouble!”

“MRS C is gonna cry when she sees her kitchen!”

Pot Scraper and his three troll brothers ran for the closest barn.  They found Sheep Cote Clod and quickly explained their new mischief. 

“Yikes!  We’ve got to get out of here” he shouted, “Go get the rest of our troll brothers and get back to the cave.  I’ll get Gully Gawk.”

They flew through the North Pole compound, barely avoiding the elves, reindeer and other creatures tracking their very obvious stick and gooey footprints.  Very quickly, all thirteen had been gathered and took off towards Iceland.  Suddenly, dealing with Gryla didn’t sound too bad.

They were all afraid of what would happen if they stayed here -

 

 

#YuleLads

#Iceland

#Christmas

#Trolls

 

Part 19 of 20 - Yule Lads: Mayhem at the North Pole, written by Heidi Herman, illustrated by Colleen Stiles

Yule Lads: Mayhem at the North Pole Part 18

Bowl Licker had tried to snatch the bowl from Rufus.  The huge North Pole sheepdog had latched on the edge with his teeth as Bowl Licker pulled with both hands. 

Door Sniffer fell over laughing when he saw Bowl Licker brace his feet against the sheepdog’s chest.  Rufus refused to let go of the bowl.  He shook his mighty head back and forth and poor Bowl Licker flapped around like a wet rag.

The sound of running footsteps in the hall sent them all through the closest doorway.  Door Sniffer, Spoon Licker, Pot Scraper and Bowl Licker scrambled around the dim room, each finding a small hiding place. 

Bowl Licker ducked behind the door.  Door Sniffer jumped in a large open barrel.  Pot Scraper scrambled up the shelves with Spoon Licker hot on his heels.  They each found canisters and boxes to hide behind.  This was some closet!

They listened for a moment to the sound in the kitchen.  It was calming down, so they felt a bit braver. 

The small dim room smelled wonderful.  Door Sniffer popped his head up and reached over to a nearby shelf.  Cookies!  He nibbled on a few.

Getting more daring, he crawled out of the barrel and up to the next shelf.  It was lined with fruit-filled cakes!  He nibbled some more.  Spoon Licker started exploring too. 

There weren’t any ooey-gooey spoons in there, but he saw a canister of clean ones waiting to be used.  He needed one!  Carefully, he crawled over to snatch one as Pot Scraper explored the shelf below.

Bowl Licker was on the other side of the room, watching his three troll brothers crawl around, sniffing, slurping, and drooling over everything. 

He heard a creaking sound.

He heard a crack.

The wood shelves started to moan and groan and Bowl Licker saw the whole wall come crashing towards him.

Flour flew in the air, sugar sprayed everywhere and there was a choking thick cloud of cinnamon that rose in a puff of smoke.  Corn syrup oozed from jars and dripped, joining with globs of honey and strawberry preserves to make a huge sticky mess in the center of the floor.

The four Yule Lads were buried!

Yule Lads: Mayhem at the North Pole Part 17

The polar bears landed on the southern shore of the North Pole.  All twelve Yule Lads scrambled off, waved their thanks, and then took off for the village. 

“Stufur!” a happy elf with a crooked smile gave the troll a big hug.  “I didn’t think you’d be around here for a while after the troll trouble you caused last year.”

“Um, yeah, well, that was an accident,” Stufur mumbled, looking away and shuffling his feet.  “I know Mrs. C probably hasn’t forgiven us yet, but we had another little misunderstanding.”

“Har-Har!” the elf laughed as he clapped Stufur on the back.  “That’s what I love about the Icelandic Yule Lads! Never a dull moment.  How can the Council help?”

Stufur put his arm around the elf and whispered in his ear.  Across the villages, groups of trolls pleaded their case with elves, reindeer and a variety of other magical creatures.  As they finished, each couldn’t resist the temptations around the village. 

Sheep Cote Clod snuck into the barn for some milk.

Skyr Gobbler crept into the dairy in search of yogurt while Sausage Swiper and Meathook tiptoed into the smokehouse.

Door Sniffer could not keep still.  This was the source of the most wonderful kitchen smells in the world.  When the wind was just right, he could smell the fresh baked goods all the way to Iceland.  The cookies and sweetbreads, pies and cakes, even the thick fluffy frosting in the layered tertas smelled better than anywhere else.

He crept closer and looked in the window, globs of troll-drool dripping from the corners of his mouth.  His huge nose twitched as he savored the scents of cinnamon, vanilla, nutmeg, and sugar.  His toes tapped and his fingers curled.  He was trying so hard to be good.

Spoon Licker joined him at the window, his eyes tracking every ooey-gooey spoon from tabletop to counter.

Pot Scraper stood on his toes, eyeing the huge pile of pans waiting to be washed, whining a little as, like Door Sniffer, the troll-slobber and drool dripped from his mouth in anticipation.

“GGGGRRRRR” a ferocious growl followed by a furious barking broke the silence.

Yule Lads: Mayhem at the North Pole Part 16

Stufur watched as Gully Gawk was tackled by three Elf Supervisors just on the other side of the bushes. Each of the elves were covered in chicken feathers and straw and looked like they had been in the barn when they ruckus took place. They didn’t look happy about it either.

“You come with us!” Stufur heard one shout.

“The Reindeer Council will want to hear about this,” said another, “you’ve thrown our training schedule completely out of whack. The camp’s a mess and I’m not getting blamed for this!”

Pot Scraper crawled over to a break in the bushes and squinted for a better look. The Elves were joined by a small herd of reindeer and they all surrounded Gully Gawk. Pot Scraper watched as they jumped on the reindeer, who quickly leapt into the air and few towards the north.

Pot Scraper, Bowl Licker and the rest of the Yule Lads hiding in the trees looked at each other. They had to get to the Council to tell their side of the story before the Elves did!

Bowl Licker sent a puffin ahead to make arrangements for all twelve Yule Lads to get ride across the ocean. As quickly as they could, the troll brothers took off for the coast. When they arrived, they jumped on a polar bear transport and headed for the North Pole.

On the way, Stufur laid out the plan.

“Sheep Cote, Door Slammer, Window Peeper and I will go see the Council,” he said. “Spoon Licker, you take Pot Scraper, Bowl Licker and Door Sniffer and find where they’re keeping Gully Gawk. Keep him company so nothing else happens. Everyone BEHAVE.” He warned.

“Candle Beggar, you and Meat Hook go with Sausage Swiper, and Skyr Gobbler. See if you can get any friends you have up there – elf or reindeer – to help us out.”

Let’s go get Gully Gawk!

 

Yule Lads: Mayhem at the North Pole Part 15

The Southern Reindeer Training Camp was in a state of pandemonium. 

A terrible racket rose from each building – reindeer bellowing, men shouting, women screeching, cows moo’ing, and the clatter of dishes falling and breaking.

The thirteen Yule Lads hadn’t really meant to cause such a fuss.  Gully Gawk and Sheep Cote Clod just snuck into the barn for a little milk. 

It was a total accident that Gully Gawk slipped off the beam while he was walking and landed on the backside of a sleeping reindeer, who jumped up so suddenly she kicked the water bucket, which went flying into the wall, spraying water all over two cows, a horse and three other reindeer and a small flock of chickens.  Truly, it was the chickens that raised such a fuss and then the whole barn was in a tizzy.

Stufur, Door Sniffer, Pot Scraper, Bowl Licker, Spoon Licker, Sausage Swiper and Meat Hook were all in the kitchen and couldn’t be blamed for the ruckus outside.  Inside was a different story.  When everyone ran outside to see what was going on, Door Sniffer took advantage of the empty kitchen – and the other six Yule Lads were right behind him. 

Well, empty kitchen except the one girl that screamed and fell over faint at the sight of the Yule Lads.   They tore through the kitchen, snatching every sweet treat, spoon, pot, pan, and sausage link they could find, leaving behind a terrible mess.

Grinning wickedly, they ran to the forest nearby and devoured the stolen goods.  Their troll lips smacked together as they drooled and slobbered their way through the treats. 

Pot Scraper spit out a mouthful when the forest around them exploded in shouts and snorts!

Yule Lads: Mayhem at the North Pole Part 14

Door Sniffer’s huge nose quivered as he took a deep breath.  The smells were wonderful.  There were cookies, of course, and sweet breads, cinnamon rolls and terta, pastries and pies and so much more! 

Troll slobber oozed out of his mouth and slowly globbed in huge drips, smearing on his shoulder, pooling by his knee as he crouched near the kitchen building. 

The compound was very busy and he had been waiting a long time for a chance to run across the courtyard.

Reindeer bellowed to each other and the trainers shouted as they worked with the newbies.  The Big Guy’s Southern Training camp was in a state of frenzied excitement this time of year. 

The Mrs used the big kitchens here to try out new recipes and everyone wanted to taste test.  Door Sniffer wanted to be a part of it, but he was definitely uninvited.

Skyr Gobbler kept him company until he found the stock of Viili, the Finnish yogurt that was a lot like Icelandic Skyr. 

Door Sniffer hadn’t seen him since but heard a lot of yelling of “troll trouble!” from the dairy buildings.

Now that Stufur, Pot Scraper and Spoon Licker were here, they would work together to get into that kitchen and get their hands on those treats!  He shivered in excitement.  He saw the signal and knew the ruckus was about to begin.

“Ka-plow!  Wham!  Boom!”  Rumbling sounds thundered across the small village. 

A small avalanche of snow slid off the barn roof and three figures jumped under the eaves of the stable.  Sheep Cote Clod and Gully Gawk were after the milk!

Trolls converged on the kitchen - Door Sniffer ran in the back as everyone else ran out the front. 

“EEEKKKKK!!!”

 

 

 

 

Episode #14 of 20. Written by Heidi Herman, Illustrated by Colleen Stiles

#Christmas
#trolls

#Iceland

#yulelads

Yule Lads: Mayhem at the North Pole Part 13

 

“Hey!  What’s this?” cried Window Peeper to the swooping, crashing Puffin.

“Come, come,” it squawked.  “Door Sniffer says meet in Finland.  We have whale-ride ready for you.”

“Whale?  Sweeeet….” Howled Gully Gawk.  “Let’s go!”

They followed the weaving puffin, who waddled into a fast run, desperately flapping its wings to awkwardly gain flight.  Ducking from building to trees, the Yule Lads kept out of sight of humans, making their way to the coast. 

They arrived at the Baltic Sea just as night fell and they waded out to the waiting whales.  Window Peeper and Candle Beggar jumped on one, while Gully Gawk and Sheep Cote Clod scrambled atop the other.  The whales took off across the Sea towards Finland, diving and jumping through the water, the Lads hanging on for the ride of their life. 

“Whoo Hoo!”

The puffin flew off to deliver the same instructions to the group of Yule Lad trolls on the trawler once it docked in Norway.  He flew fast and made it to the port to find the ship deserted and watched as the five stowaway Yule Lads snuck ashore.

“Stufur!” he squawked, wings flapping wildly as he crashed in the troll’s head.

“What the?  Arrgggg, what does Door Slammer want now?” Stufur growled.  “He always sends message by puffin!”

“He says to go to Finland, that you would know where and why,” the puffin said in his whistles and clicks.

 “Hah!” Sufur replied, rolling his eyes with a fiendish smile.  “Oh, Yes, I know!  Our favorite kind of Troll Trouble!” he shouted to his troll-brothers.


#Trolls
#Iceland
#Christmas
#YuleLads

Written by Heidi Herman, Illustrated by Colleen Stiles

 

 

 

6 Fascinating Mythologies of Icelandic Folklore and Fairy Tales

6 Fascinating Mythologies of Icelandic Folklore and Fairy Tales

 

Iceland is one of the most amazing countries in Scandinavia with a rich culture and heritage quite well-known for its folklore and fairy tales. The Icelanders are regarded as one of the most civilized and humble people and are also known to be true believers of the supernatural beings. Here, it is important to note that the Icelandic world of folklore and fairy tales has its roots in the Nordic Viking traditions which have been passed down from one generation to the other, keeping the mythologies alive.

A reasonable amount of the Icelanders believe in Huldufolk that are the unseen people, often regarded as elves, who protect the land. This belief is so widespread throughout Iceland that if unexplained misadventure plagues a household or area, they consider that they must have angered the local elves, who must be consulted to find and correct the problem. But Huldufolk aren’t the only mythology associated with the Icelandic folklore and fairy tales.  To look at some of the others, as well as the Huldufolk, in this post I have compiled an interesting list of “6 Fascinating Mythologies of Icelandic Folklore and Fairy Tales”.

1.      The Trolls: While there are many stories of trolls throughout Iceland, a few are legendary.  The village of Vik in Iceland is famous for its three trolls that stand frozen in the ocean, which are known as the Trolls of Vik. Trolls are said to be large creatures who are huge in build and who dwell in isolated caves and mountains. Trolls are known to live together in family units and are not quite helpful to humans. Time and time again, the Scandinavian folklore shows that due to a huge difference between their eco-system with the human beings, trolls are considered to be dangerous to human beings.

2.     The Huldufolk: As discussed earlier, the Huldufolk are considered to be hidden people who are elves in the Icelandic folklore. They are believed to live in the rocks and are quite smaller in size as compared to the human beings. Their dislike of electricity or disruption to the natural landscape is quite famous all across Iceland and among the enthusiasts of Icelandic folklore.

3.      Alfhol: Throughout Iceland and in the Icelandic folklore, Alfhol are among one of the most commonly mentioned mythologies. Alfhol are small wooden houses where elves are supposed to live in. People in Iceland build themselves and place these houses all across the neighborhood to facilitate their local elves to keep them happy and avoid any unwanted happening. People also build small churches to lure the elves into converting to Christianity. Alfhol range from uniquely designed large homes to a lot simpler and smaller homes.

4.      Yule Lads: Yule Lads, also known as Yulemen, are figures from the Icelandic folklore who in the modern times are referred to as the Icelandic version of the Santa Claus. Yule lads are considered to be thirteen in number and their responsibilities are to put either rewards or punishments in the shoes placed by children on their window sills throughout the last thirteen nights before the Christmas Eve. Every night, one Yule Lad visit one child to either leave gifts or rotten potatoes in their shoes, depending on how they behaved throughout the year.

5.      The Icelandic Christmas:  The Icelandic Christmas runs from thirteen days before the Christmas Eve, then continues for thirteen days afterward. It starts each year on December 12^th, with the first Yule Lad, Sheep Cote Clod to visit.  Each day, another arrives until Christmas Eve, when all 13 are present.  Then, starting on December 25^th, they leave each day one at a time, with the departure of the last one coinciding with Three King’s Day, or January 6^th.

6.      Sea Monsters: Sea Monsters are known as skrimsli in Icelandic folklore who are believed to live in the sea according to many Icelanders. Being a part of Icelandic folklore and fairy tales, Sea Monsters are considered to be very dangerous and Icelanders feel reluctant to talk about them since they are afraid that people will not trust them. Sea Monsters are considered to live in very deep waters and in secrecy from the whole mankind.

 

 

 

Illustrations from the book "The Guardians of Iceland and other Icelandic Folk Tales" written by Heidi Herman, Illustrated by Michael DiGesu

Yule Lads: Mayhem at the North Pole Part 12

Gully Gawk peeked out from under the low table in Kronborg Castle with Sheep Cote Code beside him. 

Their mouths stretched wide in troll-like grins.  Candle Beggar was in the shadows and Window Peeper was high on top of a cabinet.   

Sheep Cote Clod snickered at the confused lady looking for her car keys, which now hung from Window Peeper’s bony fingers. The keyring’s rhinestones glittered in the beams of sunshine and they clinked as Window Peeper moved, admiring them.

She heard the noise and started to look up.  Quickly, Candle Beggar squawked from one side of the room.  She whipped around to the direction of the noise. 

Gully Gawk gave a horribly fake sneeze and the lady jumped in that direction. 

Sheep Cote gave a troll-moan and the lady jumped straight up in the air then ran for the door, shouting, “Oopha, we got troll trouble!”

They had snuck across Denmark for days now, swiping milk, and pilfering shiny keepsakes, taste-testing and playing troll pranks.  They had slinked and slithered from Amalienborg to Rundetarn.  They never got tired of hearing someone groan, “Troll trouble!”

They snickered at the frightened lady and they jumped from their hiding places.  Hauling Window Peeper to the door, they peered out to see if the coast was clear.

A white and orange object was flung straight at them!  Candle Beggar was hit straight on the head and knocked on his backside.

Yule Lads: Mayhem at the North Pole Part 11

Door Slammer loafed in Norway as Spoon Licker recovered from his encounter with the Monster Worm.  Within days of their arrival, spoons started disappearing from kitchens and restaurants.  Door were caught by unexplained drafts, slamming shut with bone-jarring force. 

Thump-thump-thump…..tap-tap-tap.  Door Slammer pounded on doors, knocked softly, and every now and then just blew the door back and forth to hear the hinges squeak and squawk.

Spoon Licker ran happily from house to house, grabbing spoons that were globbed with dough, batter and sauces.

“More troll trouble?” one cook groaned.  “A few days ago it was sweet breads and cakes, now spoons gone missing?”

Spoon Licker stopped.  They must be talking about Door Sniffer!  He came by this way and they had to find him before he went back to Iceland and ran into Gryla!

Grabbing Door Slammer, they headed northeast, across Sweden.  They stayed out of sight but snuck through all the kitchens in the best restaurants and inns.  They found his trail and followed him clear to Finland. 

“First the coffeecake and now the yogurt too!” a sous chef moaned.  Door Slammer knew Skyr Gobbler was with Door Sniffer. 

They consulted trolls in Finland, who promised to send word to Stufur and the other four Yule Lads to meet them.  They were getting closer.  Door Slammer had a pretty good idea of the source of those amazing smells Door Sniffer was tracking.

If he was right, they were going to need all their troll power together in one place!

Yule Lads: Mayhem at the North Pole Part 10

“YAY!”

Stufur jumped, crashing his head into the low rock ceiling after Gully Gawk shouted in his ear.

The relief at seeing his brother-troll unharmed almost made Stufur want to hug him, or would, if he weren’t a troll.

“What happened?” Stufur asked.

“Sina came by and told us about Gryla and how you brought part of the glacier down on her.  Har! That would have been fun to see!  We’re packing fast to, um, RELOCATE for a while.”  His troll grin was more of a sneer.

“Good!  We meet the others in Tromsø”

“You go ahead.  Window Peeper, Candle Beggar and Sheep Cote Clod went to Kreative Dage in Denmark.  Stir up a lil’troll trouble yes?”  Stufur cackled. 

“I’ll go get them, but we might be a few days!” Gully Gawk shouted over his shoulder as he ran out the cave entrance

Pot Scraper, Bowl Licker, Sausage Swiper and Meat Hook left with Stufur, sneaking a ride on a fishing trawler heading to Norway.

It was a long four days for the fishermen.

“Argh, Troll Trouble!” one shouted when he found the fish storage empty.

“Yow!  Troll Trouble,” groaned another when he found nets tangled in the winch.

The Yule Lads tampered with the sensors, the sonar, and the GPS.  While the fishermen all worked on the problems, the Yule Lads were having a great meal in the food mess.  Sausage Swiper had both hands full and Pot Scraper had his head in a pan when they heard heavy boots clomping down the stairs.

Yikes!  They had to hide – quick!