First up, we have the Yule Cat. The Yule Cat eats children who don't receive clothes for Christmas!
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| "He roamed at large, hungry and evil." Ho! Ho! Ho! |
(from http://www.simnet.is)
You all know the
Yule Cat
And that Cat was
huge indeed.
People didn't
know where he came from
Or where he went.
He opened his
glaring eyes wide,
The two of them
glowing bright.
It took a really
brave man
To look straight
into them.
His whiskers,
sharp as bristles,
His back arched
up high.
And the claws of
his hairy paws
Were a terrible
sight.
He gave a wave of
his strong tail,
He jumped and he
clawed and he hissed.
Sometimes up in
the valley,
Sometimes down by
the shore.
He roamed at
large, hungry and evil
In the freezing
Yule snow.
In every home
People shuddered
at his name.
If one heard a
pitiful "meow"
Something evil
would happen soon.
Everybody knew he
hunted men
But didn't care
for mice.
He picked on the
very poor
That no new
garments got
For Yule - who
toiled
And lived in dire
need.
From them he took
in one fell swoop
Their whole Yule
dinner
Always eating it
himself
If he possibly
could.
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Hence it was that
the women
At their spinning
wheels sat
Spinning a
colorful thread
For a frock or a
little sock.
Because you
mustn't let the Cat
Get hold of the
little children.
They had to get
something new to wear
From the grownups
each year.
And when the
lights came on, on Yule Eve
And the Cat
peered in,
The little
children stood rosy and proud
All dressed up in
their new clothes.
Some had gotten
an apron
And some had
gotten shoes
Or something that
was needed
- That was all it
took.
For all who got
something new to wear
Stayed out of
that pussy-cat's grasp
He then gave an
awful hiss
But went on his
way.
Whether he still
exists I do not know.
But his visit
would be in vain
If next time
everybody
Got something new
to wear.
Now you might be
thinking of helping
Where help is
needed most.
Perhaps you'll find
some children
That have nothing
at all.
Perhaps searching
for those
That live in a
lightless world
Will give you a
happy day
And a Merry,
Merry Yule.
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Next we have the "Yule Lads," troll children who descend on Icelandic farmsteads to perform a number of charmingly horrific acts. They have names like "Window Peeper" and "Sheep Botherer," although the names and translations vary.
A company in Iceland sells figurines of them, too. Here they are are with their parents (and the Yule Cat):
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| The Yule Lads |
I love Iceland.
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