When we think of a time when scary tales are told, we instantly think of Halloween. However, this has not always been the case. Christmas also had its own share of spooky stories.
The Wild Hunt
There is a particular tale that has been told in many different forms across the world. It was simply known as the wild hunt. This was said to be a ghostly procession that thundered across the sky at Yule. A mythical leader usually leads the wild hunt; in many cases, this was a god or goddess. Descriptions of the wild hunt all seem to be somewhat similar. The leader was followed by men on horses and ferocious dogs, all accompanied by raging winds.
In Norse mythology, it was the god Odin who roared across the sky. The spirits of the dead followed Odin. They would roam the skies, accompanied by furious winds, thunder, and lightning. In Norse mythology, it was the god Odin. The spirits of the dead followed.
Greek mythology has the goddess Hecate roaming the earth on moonless nights with a pack of ghostly, howling dogs.
In the 16th century, King Arthur would take the lead in this ghostly procession. As he lay dying, he said that he had no wish to go up to heaven but instead wanted to hunt. His wish was granted for eternity, it seems. In other versions of the story, he is said to be cursed to hunt the night sky as punishment for his sins.
In Welsh mythology, the leader of the hunt was Gwynn ap Nudd. The “Lord of the Dead” was followed by a pack of white hounds with red eyes. Herne, the hunter, was another who led this deadly hunting pack.
There was one theme that was in all of these tales. If you were to see the Wild Hunt, it was indeed a bad omen, as it usually foretells a time of strife or death. Not the thing you want to see in an already harsh winter!
Saint Nicolas, the devil and Krampus
Another tale sees Saint Nicolas teaming up with the devil, or, in some legends, the devil is either disguised as Krampus or was Krampus. The duo decided which children had been naughty or nice. While Saint Nicolas rewards children for good behaviour, Krampus either beats them with a stick or kidnaps naughty children!
Both Saint Nicolas and Krampus have pagan origins. If you are a little unsure of what Krampus looks like, he is usually depicted as half-wolf, half-goat, and half-demon!
It is still traditional today in some parts of the world for people dressed up as Krampus to run around the streets, scaring children into being good!
In Austria, for example, a Krampus parade takes place either on the 5th or 6th of December, and anyone can take part, although many prefer to just watch. Nowadays, it is more of a parade, but in the past, it was actually a race in which entrants tried to outpace a runner dressed as Krampus. I can imagine that getting a bit chaotic!
Whitby is possibly the only place in the UK that does the Krampus parade. A few dozen krumpusses and Saint Nicolas walk the streets,accompanied by drumming. This is usually held on the first Saturday of December.
The Christmas witch
In Icelandic folklore, there is the story of Grýla, a giantess with an appetite for naughty children, whom she cooks in a large pot. Her husband, Leppalúði, doesn’t do a lot and is described as being lazy. He stays home, roaming about their cave!
Grýla, whose name translates loosely to “growler”, comes from the nearby mountains at Christmas with her giant sack to search the town for naughty children. Her favourite dish is a nice stew! According to the legend, she never goes hungry!
The Yule Lads
The yule lads are the 13 mischievous sons of Grýla and Leppalúði. Each son had his own unique talent, much like the seven dwarfs from Snow White. However, these talents were used to terrorise people. Let’s take a look.
1. Stekkjastaur (Sheep-Cote Clod): He harasses sheep.
2. Giljagaur (Gully Gawk): He hides in gullies and steals milk from cows.
3. Stúfur (Stubby): He is short and steals pans to eat the crust left on them.
4. Þvörusleikir (Spoon-Licker): He steals spoons to lick them????
5. Pottasleikir (Pot-Licker): He steals pots to lick them.
6. Askasleikir (Bowl-Licker): He steals bowls to lick them.
7. Hurðaskellir (Door-Slammer): He likes to slam doors, especially during the night.
8. Skyrgámur (Skyr-Gobbler): He has a great appetite for skyr, a traditional Icelandic yogurt-like dairy product.
9. Bjúgnakrækir (Sausage-Swiper): He hides in the rafters and steals sausages.
10. Gluggagægir (Window-Peeper): He peeks through windows, looking for things to steal.
11. Gáttaþefur (Doorway-Sniffer): He has a large nose and sniffs around doorways, trying to find bread to steal.
12. Ketkrókur (Meat-Hook): He uses a hook to steal meat.
13. Kertasníkir (Candle-Stealer): He follows children to steal their candles.
Not only do they terrorise people, they each take turns visiting children on the 13 nights leading up to Christmas.
Each of the 13 nights, children would place one of their shoes on the windowsill. If they were good, they got sweets; if they were bad, they received a rotten potato!
The Yule Cat
We are not done with Grýla and her family; she has a cat. Before you get too comfy and think you are safe, this is no ordinary cat. The Yule Cat, known as Jólakötturinn, is a huge, terrifying beast that strolls alongside Grýla, looking through windows to see what people had for Christmas. If there were no new clothes among the gifts, the yule cat gobbled up the unfortunate person!
In 1746, Iceland officially banned parents from telling tales such as these, as they were understandably too scary!
I think that is enough for today, don’t you think?
