Honestly ,this whole month of December has been snowy around where I live
and on the 24th which is like the main event of Christmas in Iceland ,
the whole country is covered with snow ,even the islands off its coast!
The 25th is more like a resting day afterwards ,but we open the presents 24th ,
generally at least. 25th is Christmas day / Yuleday and 26th is 2nd of Yules ,
or Boxing day ,which is a date I kind of like ,as I can attribute fun things to it. :3
In Iceland ,there was a legend of trolls in the mountains who had sons which
went out and did mischief in villages. There were 13 of them and each one
was named after a certain trait unique to each as they preffered different things.
This is the tale of the 13 Santas ,or the so called Yulelads. Their mother ,Grýla ,
be a horrible troll with terrifying looks and bad habits like eating newborn babies.
Their father was the dumbest oaf of a troll and a wandering goof named Leppalúði.
Leppar happens to mean Tatters (as in tattered clothes) and Lúði means a Loser.
The old ugly troll hag Grýla had a cat ,terrifyingly long black figure which would
appear to be able to do most incredible things ,having a craving taste for nudies.
The 13 sons eventually gave up their mischief and started leaving goodies out
for nice people instead. Sneaking around and putting things into windowsills
and empty idle shoes. For meanies they‘d sometimes leave rotten potatoes.
Here are the names of the Yulelads along with some of their unique traits ;
First one ,Stekkjastaur or "Gimpy" as he be dubbed by english speakers ,
be a very long lad. He‘d shake and be clumsy ,often removing fences and poles.
Second one was called Giljagaur ,which means one who hides in gorges.
"Gilly Oaf" he be sometimes called ,as he be very oaf-like as his father.
Third one was tiny! That‘s why he was called Stúfur which means shorty ,
which made him be called names as "Itty Bitty" or in Japanese ,the "Chibi"
Fourth one kept licking spoons and various tools for eating with which had
caught some leftovers that he‘d fancy. That‘s why they call him Þvörusleikir
or "Ladle Licker" as you could most often tell who he was by his lickings.
Fifth one went even further than his brother and licked pots of various kinds ,
which is why we call him Pottasleikir or "Pot Licker". Fancy that <.<
Another one yet who licked was the Sixth one. He‘d lick bowls as the pots
were too deep to his liking and eating tools weren‘t quite enough for him.
That‘s why he be named Askasleikir or "Bowl Licker" because of his bowl fetish.
Next one or the Seventh ,was very loud. He‘d slam doors everywhere he went ,
shatter things ,ring bells and bang into stuffs so he became to be known as
Hurðaskellir ,or the "Door Slammer" He also liked spooking people out.
After him we had someone who found the Icelandic Skyr to be the most delicious
delicacy in the world and as he the Eighth would follow his brothers in lickings ,
he‘d gobble up any and all Skyr he could find. Skyrgámur means Skyr container
but he‘s also known as "Skyr Gobbler" or "Skyr Glutton".
The Ninth was very fond of sausages which he‘d steal whenever he saw thems.
For this the people dubbed him Bjúgnakrækir or "Sausage Stealer"
The Tenth had a habit of stalking and sneaking up to peek through windows ,
earning him the name Gluggagægir or "Peeper" as he kept peering inside.
The Eleventh had an unusually big nose ,with which he‘d catch the scents
and sniff around for gates or way in. Gáttaþefur they called him or "Sniffer".
Ketkrókur appeared next as the twelfth and stole whatever meats he could.
He‘d be very skilled with hooks which extended far and wide into peoples homes
with which he‘d hook the meats and then run for it like a retard. "Meat Hook".
The last one ,the Thirteenth ,had the bad habit of eating candles which
in those days were made of an edible substance much like bee‘s wax.
He‘d beg for candles and not go away until he be given one he could eat.
That‘s why they called him Kertasníkir , "Candle Eater" or "Candle Beggar"
Last one arriving on the 24th ,they‘d stay a while and then leave ,
as the Yuletide ends on the 6th of January with flares and fireworks.
I just felt like sharing that story so I did ,hope someone enjoyed reading it.
I got a few nice things for christmas ; pajamas ,a tablet / digital pen ,
some books about knitting ,a crystal pendulum ,an external hard disk drive ,
a lucky award of little monies from a holiday ticket and some more monies.
Myeah ,our Christmas starts at the stroke of 6 pm on the 24th of December.
First we eat ,then we open the presents one by one or however we like ,
depending on who‘s around and what the preferable style is.
At the start of the day it was storming a bit here but then it settled down
and became nice and quiet. At least on the outside. Some ruckus on
the other floors as some be stumbling over their new presents no doubt.
My inner feelings have been coming out a bit more and things are really
looking up for me nows! My time is coming ,just wait and see.
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