Iceland awaits the Yule Lads Dec 13, 2018

Iceland awaits the Yule Lads

If you’re spending the holidays here in Reykjavik, be sure to keep an eye out for Sausage-Swiper, Window-Peeper, and Door-Slammer. They’re three of the Yule Lads, a group of 13 mischievous pranksters who—according to local folklore—visit homes one by one to leave rewards or punishments for children on each of the 13 days leading up to Christmas. Tonight, the Gully Gawk is scheduled for a visitation, waiting for an opportunity to sneak into the cowshed and steal milk. Modern versions of the lads sometimes portray them in a benevolent light, even dressed like Santa Claus, but other stories are dark. The lads are said to be the sons of Gryla, a mountain troll with an appetite for mischievous children. Let’s hope we’re on the nice list this year.

© Arctic-Images/Corbis Documentary/Getty Images

palette

Today in History

Dec 13, 2019Taking the scenic route
Dec 13, 2020The view will stop you in your tracks
Dec 13, 2021Old Town Quito
Dec 13, 2022Hallstatt, Austria
Dec 13, 2023Svolvaer, Lofoten Islands, Norway
Dec 13, 2024Christmas market, St. Stephens Basilica, Budapest, Hungary
Dec 13, 2025Merced River, Yosemite National Park, California

More Desktop Wallpapers:

Apr 5, 2024The Bahamas
Aug 9, 2026International Day of the Worlds Indigenous Peoples
Mar 25, 2025Tolkien Reading Day
Jul 23, 2018Tokyo welcomes a futuristic new art museum
Jan 27, 2018Bioluminescence at Trwyn Du Lighthouse in Wales
Aug 5, 2026Decorated gate of the Royal Palace of Fez, Morocco
Jan 28, 2024Channel Country, Australia
Nov 10, 2018The Badlands celebrates a milestone
May 25, 2020Here we mark the price of freedom
Jun 22, 2025World Rainforest Day
Mar 7, 2019March of the flowers
Feb 24, 2023Mandarin duck, Richmond Park, London, England
Jan 17, 2025Brown pelican, San Diego, California
Apr 28, 2019A good time in the Badlands
Oct 25, 2026Autumn waterfalls near Sitovo, Plovdiv Province, Bulgaria
Jun 2, 2025National Garden Week begins today
Apr 26, 2025Redwood National and State Parks, California
Mar 7, 2020Summer winds down in the Southern Hemisphere
Apr 7, 2019Busy building wetlands
Jul 26, 2021The dancing trees of Sumba Island
Jul 18, 2025Gulf Islands National Seashore, Florida
Feb 11, 2018Te Rewa Rewa Bridge near New Plymouth, New Zealand
Feb 16, 2021Mardi Gras flower power
Sep 6, 2024Glenariff Forest Park, Northern Ireland, UK
Oct 26, 2025National Pumpkin Day
May 10, 2018Brooklyn Bridge Park in Brooklyn, New York
Apr 15, 2023World Art Day
Sep 8, 2018It’s oh so quiet
Oct 10, 2023Mount Sopris, Colorado
Jan 3, 2024J.R.R. Tolkien Day