Is GrlA the Icelandic answer to Santa?

The Icelandic answer to Santa is sure to put a chill in people’s bones! Grýla, also referred to as “the Christmas Witch”, has a colorful and gory history. Krampus’s sour seasonal antics may have gotten their own movie but some think Grýla would do equally well as a horror villain.

What is a Yule Lad in Iceland?

Grýla and Skyrgámur (a Yule Lad fond of skyr) depicted in a sculpture at Keflavík International Airport. Icelandic Christmas folklore depicts mountain-dwelling characters and monsters who come to town during Christmas. The stories are directed at children and are used to scare them into good behavior.

Who was GrlA in the 1600s?

In the 1600s, little Icelandic boys and girls first heard about a woman named Grýla, who lived in the mountains with her aging husband, 13 sons (The Yule Lads), and a giant, black cat. Grýla was hideous. She was half ogre, half troll, and she had hooves, horns, and 15 tails–not to mention the large warts on her nose.

Is GrlA a beggar?

Grýla [a] is a giantess, first mentioned in 13th-century texts such as Íslendinga saga and Sverris saga, but not explicitly connected with Christmas until the 17th century. She is enormous and her appearance is repulsive. The oldest poems about Grýla describe her as a parasitic beggar.