Which Yule Lad Will Visit You This Christmas?

The Yule Lads, Jólasveinar are figures from Icelandic folklore. They live in a cave with their mother, the giantess Grýla, their father, an ogre named Leppalúði, and their pet, The Christmas Cat Jólakötturinn. In old tales, the Lads along with their mother and cat visit villages during the Christmas season. Grýla’s purpose was similar to Krampus: she would put naughty children in her bag and take them away. The Christmas Cat was said to eat anyone who didn’t get new clothing for Christmas. And the Lads would come down one-by-one to play pranks on the villagers. There used to be only 9 lads, but the number was upped to 13 in the late 1800s. Their disposition changed for the better then, too! The Lads used to be impish tricksters, but are now more like Santa’s Helpers or Santas themselves. Children will leave their shoes on the windowsills to receive small presents from the Lads, who visit starting 13 days before Christmas and leave at Epiphany. Use the quiz below to select your favorite part about Christmas…and discover which Yule Lad might visit you this holiday season!