#gryla cat

[combodactyl]

"Gasp where am I.

Cthulhu: Why don't you join us

What?

Phobia: October is over we are here to chill

I don't understand

Hatman: Pull up a chair. We saved a plate for you.

As the month of October comes to a close. You feel the monsters power over the world calm down just for a moment. Greeted by the many monsters who once attacked you, you feel unerved as they treat you with respect. You take a step and look for an open seat. Many scents and sounds fill the air. Steak, turkey, fresh baked bread, and you're pretty sure you saw sushi the size of a house. The hovering of Jean jacket, the talk from le spectres, the small his from the alligators, and the splashing of the water fountain made the place come to life.

Cthulhu: Ha chez cthul-hu, my pride and joy after my successful book writing career. Cthulhu asks for you to read his book on the house but the minute you do you wake up from this nightmare turned dream."

Oh my gosh finally done. I wanted this done by October 31st but my ambitions were to high. I doubt yall will see one of these again. Thank you all for sticking through these weeks with me. I will try to upload every Thursday if I can keep up with it. This will not be the last you see of me. (The tags took me forever)

[airitree]

THE YULE MARCH

The air grows cold and the march of the yule beasts, witches, crones, and tricky fellows begin their work. So hide your naughty children and keep them on St Nicholas' good side.

[Prints available in my shop!]

[From left to right: Gryla & her Yule Lads, the Yule Cat, Perchta and her Straggele demons, and Mari Lwyd…]

[thecreaturecodex]

Yule Cat

Image © PBS, by Samuel Allen. Accessed at his ArtStation here

[Part 3 of this year's Christmas series, following the Yule Lads and Grýla. I love this image; it's good at stressing that this is a giant domestic cat, not a "big cat" like a pantherine, indicates scale delightfully, and is a very recognizable feline behavior. Although in context, much more sinister. Bad kitty!]

Yule Cat CR 13 NE Magical Beast This creature resembles nothing so much as a fluffy domestic cat the size of an elephant. Its fur is gray with white mottling, and its eyes are wide and yellow.

Once upon a time, on a distant planet, a god of strength was challenged to perform seemingly simple tasks by a trickster titan. These tasks were all impossible but disguised with illusions, and one of them was to lift the giant’s cat—in actually, the Midgard Serpent, a primordial beast that encircles that globe. When the god tried to lift the serpent, and managed to get one paw off the ground, a kitten was born that was a metaphysical echo of the immovable cat. That kitten kept growing and growing the more she ate, until she was the size of a wagon. This is the Yule Cat.

The Yule Cat is a predator of small game, like any domestic cat, only due to the Yule Cat’s size, “small game” is Medium and Small humanoids. The Yule Cat prefers the taste of succulent young flesh, but hates the taste of newly made clothing. Thus, she preferentially attacks the impoverished and already suffering. In places where the Yule Cat roams, children are given gifts of clothing in the winter in order to make them less palatable to the great cat. The Yule Cat cannot be moved unless she wants to, and can be an impassible obstacle if she decides to set herself in front of a door or bridge and just wait for prey to pass by

The Yule Cat is “owned” by the fey troll Grýla, but like all cats, is as much an associate as a dependent. The Yule Cat stays in Grýla's cave for most of the warmer months and goes off hunting in the colder ones, but always manages to be by Grýla’s table in the winter to demand a portion of her finest human stews. Of Grýla’s children, the Yule Lads, she likes Stumpy the best, and will occasionally let him ride her. Rumor has it that the Yule Lads, Grýla and the Yule Cat once all lived on a distant world called Earth, but a ritual spell intended to force that darn cat to get up and move had the unforeseen consequence of sucking the whole monstrous clan through a portal and depositing them on Golarion. That said, the actions of gods and monsters can send distant ripples throughout the cosmos, and reports of “jotunn cats” may indicate that the Yule Cat is merely the most prominent member of a whole species.

Yule Cat CR 13 XP 25,600 NE Huge magical beast Init +10; Senses clothing sense,darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision, Perception +12, scent

Defense AC 28, touch 14, flat-footed 22 (-2 size, +6 Dex, +15 natural) hp 175 (14d10+98) Fort +16, Ref +15, Will +9 DR 15/magic; Resist cold 20, fire 20; SR 24 Defensive Abilities immovable

Offense Speed 50 ft. Melee bite +21 (2d6+9 plus grab), 2 claws +21 (1d8+9) Space 15 ft.; Reach 10 ft. Special Attacks pounce, rake (2 claws +21, 1d8+9), swallow whole (Medium or smaller, 2d6+13 bludgeoning, AC 17, 17 hp)

Statistics Str 27, Dex 23, Con 24, Int 8, Wis 17, Cha 12 Base Atk +14; CMB +24 (+28 grapple); CMD 40 (60 vs. bull rush, overrun, reposition, 68 vs. trip) Feats Acrobatic Steps, Combat Reflexes, Improved Initiative, Iron Will, Nimble Moves, Power Attack, Skill Focus (Perception) Skills Acrobatics +16 (+24 when jumping), Climb +17, Perception +12 (+8 if target is in new clothes, +16 if target is in old clothes), Stealth +12, Survival +6 (+2 if target is in new clothes, +10 if target is in old clothes); Racial Modifiers +4 Acrobatics, +4 Climb, +8 Stealth, +4 Perception and Survival if target is in old clothes, -4 Perception and Survival if target is in new clothes Languages Giant (cannot speak)

Ecology Environment cold mountains and forest Organization unique Treasure incidental

Special Abilities Clothing Sense (Su) The Yule Cat gains a +4 racial bonus on Perception and Survival checks to detect or track a target wearing clothing six months old or older, and can detect and pinpoint these creatures at twice the normal distance with scent. The Yule Cat also suffers a -4 racial penalty on Perception and Survival checks to detect or track a target wearing clothing a month old or newer, can only detect these creatures with scent at half the normal distance, and cannot pinpoint such targets by scent. Immovable (Su) The Yule Cat can become nearly impossible to move as an immediate action. When it does so, it freezes in place, even in midair, until it decides to move again. When frozen in this way, it can still attack, but cannot move from its square unless it chooses to render itself mobile as another immediate action. The Yule Cat gains a +20 racial bonus to CMD against bull rush, overrun, reposition and trip combat maneuvers (this bonus does not require an action to activate or deactivate).

[kuiperoid]

It's that time of year again

[piratespacex]

Ima do a art challenge until December 24th, I’m gonna design all 13 Yule lads on the day in which they come to town. But before that I’ll start with their parents and pet

Meet Grýla and Leppaluði, the 13th Santa’s mom and dad. Don’t forget about their pet cat the Yule cat, it’s actually pretty big (like tiger big) but he can switch between house cat size and tiger size

Fun fact, if you don’t get new clothing before Christmas Eve the Yule cat will hunt you down and kill you :)

[sixminutestoriesblog]

the yule cat

For most of us with cats, the worst thing we worry about come Christmastime is keeping them from utterly trashing our Christmas trees.

Iceland however has a whole other thing to be worried about when it comes to cats and Christmas.

To quote the title of an article by Danny Lewis in the Smithsonian Magazine (because it is far too perfect to not):

Each Christmas, Iceland’s Yule Cat Takes Fashion Policing to the Extreme

So, what is the Yule Cat and why is he in critiquing Iceland's Christmas clothes?

Freyja's cats aren't the only felines in town. The Yule Cat, the Jólakötturinn, also known as the Christmas Cat, is a gigantic cat the size of a house that roams the darkness of Iceland in the nights leading up to Christmas eve, peering with glowing eyes in through windows. What is he looking for? The Yule Cat is checking everyone's Christmas presents. Not for cans of tuna or kitty snacks. Oh no, the Yule Cat is looking to see who hasn't gotten any new clothes wrapped up and waiting for them.

No new clothes?

The Yule Cat will hunt the unfortunate victim down and tear them apart before eating them. (in other, gentler tales, he simple eats their Christmas 'portion' of dinner)

Still, seems a bit extreme a response to grandma forgetting to knit you yet another one of those hats with the pom-poms on top, doesn't it?

Still, that's the deal. Adults and children alike better be grateful for those packs of new underwear under the tree. Those socks are going to do more than keep their feet warm - those socks are going to save their life!

So, we've got to ask ourselves - why would new clothes be so important that folklore would come up with a monster enforcing them? Is it all a ploy just to make sure Johannes is grateful when he gets that ugly sweater instead of the toy train he was gunning for when he unwraps his presents?

Well, like most things in folklore, if you go back far enough, things get blurry. The first written mention we have of the Yule Cat is in a collection of folklore gathered by Jon Árnason in 1862. In it, the Yule Cat gets exactly one paragraph and a footnote. The footnote is the important part. It mentions a colloquial phrase of the time: "to dress the cat". 'To dress the cat' means to wear the same clothes over and over again, the idea being that cats don't change their 'clothes'.

There was also a tradition that household servants and farm workers that helped turn the season's wool into yarn would receive new clothes as a reward for their work. Those who didn't - didn't get new clothes. You can see how the Yule Cat would come in handy as motivation in this case. It also worked as a motivator for children to finish their chores in the same way, with good children getting rewarded with clothes and bad children being left as fair game for the Cat.

In 1932, Jóhannes úr Kötlum published a collection of poems centered around Christmas and one of his poems featured the Yule Cat. The Yule Cat's popularity soared and the monster soon found itself lumped in together with other Christmastime monsters from the book, becoming the pet of the evil troll, Gryla and ridden by one of her mischievous Yule Lad sons, tiny Stufur.

But wait - let's go back a bit further before we wrap this up. Because there's been some speculation that the Christmas Cat isn't just about new clothes. We need to go back, back to early St. Nick stories, when it wasn't so much Santa and his elves and reindeer. When St. Nick was, as so many winter myths are, only part of the story. Because you can't have good without evil, generosity without greed or light without darkness. Santa Claus doesn't come without Krampus in his shadow. Reward doesn't come without the threat of punishment. Krampus is only one Christmas monster but almost every region had their own version of a dark something lurking in Santa's footsteps. Perhaps, so the theory goes, the Yule Cat was once just such a creature, back when stories were still new at Christmas time and winters crept long and cold in the nights of the snow covered lands. For every saint, there must be a devil.

Which brings us to today. Because there are no stories about the Yule Cat skipping a meal because the child's parents were too poor to afford to buy new clothes.

Maybe the best way we can celebrate the Yule Cat stories today is by making sure no children ever have to think of him as anything more than a shadow that peers in their window - and then passes by.

[thetalkingcow]

Celebrating some Icelandic Christmas folklore with Grýla and her cat. I made my own version giving them some Victorian British symbols to make them fit more with mainstream Christmas canon.

[thewildwitchkeziah]

the Winter Ones: Folkloric Figures of Winter, Yule, & Christmas

by Keziah

The winter holidays are ebbing ever closer for those of us in the Northern Hemisphere. With each passing year, more and more practitioners of witchcraft and/or followers of pagan paths have looked to taking up the customs of their ancestors or incorporating those customs into their practices in some way. Holidays have become a popular way of embracing such traditions, traditions that can make diasporic practitioners feel a little closer to home, traditions that can bring one nearer their ancestors, traditions that can aid in making one’s practice and customs truly unique to them.

Winter has many customs and traditions, and those practices differ from region to region. One of my favorite aspects of winter is the amount of figures associated with the season – folk figures unique to the regions from which they hail. For many people, if you ask them about figures they associate with winter, you’ll hear Father Christmas, Krampus, and maybe even a nod or two to Hans Trapp, but there are so many more winter figures out there! In this post, we’ll meet a variety of these folk spirits, and we’ll learn a bit about their tales. It’s my hope that readers of this blog may find a new way of incorporating beliefs or customs of their ancestors or of their homelands (for our readers who are members of diasporic populations), and that, in doing so, their winter holidays may be brighter for it. Now, shall we dive in? Who to meet first…

GRÝLA, JÓLASVEINAR, & JÓLAKÖTTURINN

Grýla, the Yule Lads, and the Yule Cat

(Icelandic Folklore)

A prominent feature in Icelandic Christmas and Yule folklore is the tale of a mountain-dwelling family that descends upon Icelandic communities during the Yule season, or during the 13 days leading up to Christmas. This family consists of –

Grýla – a large, frightening giantess, ogress, or half-troll/half-ogre (depending on what version of the tale you hear) who feasts upon naughty children;

Jólasveinar / the Yule Lads – Grýla’s thirteen thieving, tricksy sons;

and Jólakötturinn / the Yule Cat – Grýla’s pet cat, a massive, vicious, people-eating creature.

According to lore, throughout most of the year Grýla and her crew keep to themselves in some isolated mountainous area. If not in the mountains, it’s often said that Grýla and co. live in Dimmuborgir (lava formations in north Iceland). During the Yule or Christmas season, though, Grýla and her brood leave their domain behind to bring a bit of terror to the inhabitants of Iceland.

For thirteen nights, Grýla’s sons, the Yule Lads, will leave gifts for (and party with, play games with, and perform for) well-behaved children, and leave tricks or warnings for naughty children, but this version only came about after a shift in the tone of the tale. Most sources state that the Yule Lads were once purely horrible and simply wreaked havoc for the thirteen nights leading up to Christmas. Why the change? Well, apparently the original lore was so terrifying that the parliament of Iceland officially outlawed its use as a scare tactic against children. Thus, the brighter lore of playfully mischievous Yule Lads was born, differing greatly from the ‘creepy and revolting’ ways exhibited in the earlier tales.

As the stories go, one-by-one, the Yule Lads go into inhabited areas of Iceland and sow a little terror and chaos, each carrying out his own special form of mischief. They could only do their deeds at night, and were quite terrifying to behold – large, dirty, and ‘humanoid and bestial in equal measure’ (though now most depictions of the Yule Lads feature cheerful, bearded men with woolen clothes and pointed hats). The Yule Lads arrive (one per night) starting thirteen days before Christmas, and each continues their mischief spree for thirteen nights, only then departing (again, one per night).

The Yule Lads are:

Stekkjastaur ‘Sheep-Cote Clod’ – from the 12th - 25th of December, Stekkjastaur sneaks into pens and stables to harass sheep, attempting to suckle them all, though this is made difficult by his long, stiff, wooden legs, which don’t allow him to bend his knees and kneel on the ground.

Giljagaur ‘Gully-Gawk’ – from the 13th - 26th of December, Giljagaur hides in the gullies near homes until all the household has fallen asleep. Then, he makes his way to the cowsheds to steal milk.

Stúfur ‘Stubby’ –Stúfur will, from the 14th - 27th of December, steal into homes and nab anything leftover in the pans. Some versions say he steals the pan itself, for he likes to eat the ‘crust’ left behind on them from cooking.

Þvörusleikir ‘Spoon-Licker’ – from the 15th - 28th of December, Þvörusleikir sets about his diabolical task of breaking into homes and licking all the spoons (in particular, the wooden spoons).

Pottaskefill ‘Pot-Scraper’ – from 16th - 29th of December, Pottaskefill breaks into homes to steal unwashed pots so he can lick up all that’s left, be that the remnants of sauces, broths, and gravies, or leftover bits of food. He’s also said to eat any unfinished foods from plates.

Askasleikir ‘Bowl-Licker’ – from 17th - 30th of December, Askasleikir hides beneath beds, lying in wait for anyone to set their askur down. An askur is an Icelandic wooden bowl with a lid, which, according to these Yule tales, would sometimes be carried off to bed whilst one was enjoying a late-night snack. The bowl would then be placed on the floor beside the bed or just under the bed, where Askasleikir would be waiting to scarf down whatever is left in the askur.

Hurðaskellir ‘Door-Slammer’ – from 18th - 31st of December, Hurðaskellir starts his rounds, going around slamming doors. He finds it even more fun to do whilst everyone is sleeping.

Skyrgámur ‘Skyr-Gobbler’ – from 19th of December - 01st of January, Skygámur commits the heinous act of robbing any and every pantry or refrigerator he can find of skyr, a traditional Icelandic dairy food similar to yoghurt.

Bjúgnakrækir ‘Sausage-Swiper’ – as if Skyrgámur’s antics weren’t enough, Bjúgnakrækir is a rotten old sausage thief. He sits in the rafters of homes, waiting for everyone to go to bed or to look away. Then, he steals as many sausages as he can manage. Bjúgnakrækir makes his arrival on the 20th of December and leaves on the 02nd of January.

Gluggagægir ‘Window-Peeper’ – perhaps the creepiest of the lot thus far (though someone licking all the spoons is the stuff of nightmares), Gluggagægir makes his rounds from the 21st of December - 03rd of January, peeping through windows into homes, hoping to spy something to steal.

Gáttaþefur ‘Doorway-Sniffer’ – from the 22nd of December - 04th of January, Gáttaþefur, lured to your home by the scent of freshly baked laufabrauð (‘leaf bread,’ a traditional Icelandic Christmas bread), arrives to one’s doorway and will attempt to steal the laufabrauð.

Ketkrókur ‘Meat-Hook’ – from the 23rd of December to the 05th of January, Ketkrókur would find a way to steal the meat from your kitchen. He’d hide in the pantry, behind doorways, in the rafters, up the chimney, and he’d use his long, hooked staff, or meat hook, to quickly snatch away the meat either while it was being prepared or from the holiday table itself.

Kertasníkir ‘Candle-Stealer’ or ‘Candle-Beggar’ – from the 24th of December to the 06th of January, Kertasníker, the last of the Yule of Lads, steals candles, especially from children. Candles were once typically made from tallow and were edible, and some lore states that Kertasníker would steal the candles to snack on.

Nowadays, the Yule Lads are said to leave candies and small gifts for good children, placing the goods in the shoes that kids leave on their windowsills in hopes of finding them later filled with presents. Bad children, however, are said to be left nothing but rotten potatoes.

As for Grýla, well… Grýla comes and kidnaps naughty children, loading them into her sack and carrying them back to her husband, Leppalúði (who most sources say is quite lazy and prefers to stay in his cave than to go with Grýla and the Yule Lads to terrorize Icelandic children). Grýla and Leppalúði then eat the naughty children, cooking them up in Grýla’s giant pot or cauldron. Though Grýla and Leppalúði are known to have a particular fondness for eating children, some sources also warn that they’ll eat adults caught outdoors on their own during those long, dark winter nights.

If Grýla and her husband weren’t bad enough, you still have the Yule Cat to worry about, especially if you didn’t receive any gifts of new clothes for the holidays. It’s said that the Yule Cat, on Christmas night, eats anyone it catches that isn’t wearing at least one new item of clothing.

LA BEFANA

(Italian Folklore)

With particular association with Epiphany Eve (the night of the 05th of January), La Befana is witch in Italian folklore (sometimes called, fondly, the Christmas Witch). She’s said to fly around Italy on her broom on the night of Epiphany Eve, when she visits each household with children and fills each child’s stocking with gifts or punishments, depending on whether they were well or poorly behaved. Well-behaved children receive gifts and sweets, while those who were naughtier receive a coal lump, black rock candy, or a stick. Some tales also say that La Befana (who is obsessively tidy in some variations of her origin story) may sweep or clean your house before she leaves.

La Befana is said to be a very old woman with a cheerful, kindly disposition. She dresses simply, usually wearing a shawl either around her shoulders or tied over her hair (sometimes both), and her clothes are soot-covered, as the tales say she flies into each home via the chimney. She carries a wicker basket or cloth sack filled with all of the gifts and sweets she must deliver.

In some Italian regions, bonfires are burned on Epiphany, and those bonfires sometimes feature effigies of La Befana. Many people dress as La Befana at various Epiphany events and festivals in Italy.

ST. NICHOLAS & KRAMPUS

(Central European Folklore)

On Saint Nicholas Day (observed on the 5th or 6th of December, depending on the region), many children throughout Europe (and in diasporic communities around the world), wake up excited to check in their shoes or under their pillows for gifts from St. Nicholas. St. Nicholas, is a tall, lean, cheerful old man with a long white beard, usually depicted as being dressed in fine vestments, including a cape or chasuble, and almost always wearing an ornate miter atop his head. In Central European (and some Eastern European) folklore, though, jolly old St. Nicholas does not work alone.

The Krampus travels as Saint Nicholas’ companion. Usually depicted as a large red, black, or brown demon with cloven hooves and the legs and horns of a goat, pointed ears, a long, pointed or forked tongue, and a frightening, human face with a crazed or menacing expression, Krampus is truly the stuff of childhood nightmares. Saint Nicholas and Krampus make their rounds on Krampusnacht – the night of the 05th of December. While the well-behaved children received gifts from Saint Nicholas, naughty children meet punishment at the hands of Krampus. The punishment varies from one tale to the next – some say that Krampus switches the children with birch branches; some say that Krampus devours the children, often swallowing them whole; and still other tales say that Krampus nabs the children, loading them into the basket or pouch he wears upon his back and taking them to hell.

Despite attempts by the Catholic Church to ban Krampus, belief in the goat demon is very much still alive, with festivals and parades dedicated to Krampus, such as Krampuslauf, booming in popularity.

BELSNICKEL

(Germanic Folklore)

Belsnickel (also often spelled Belschnickel or Beltznickle) is a figure of Germanic folklore that finds its origins in Rheinpfalz, a historic region of Southwestern Germany. The belief in Belsnickel finds life still yet in some areas within this region, as well as in diasporic German peoples (and the descendants thereof) in Pennsylvania Dutch communities (birthed from settlers from the Rheinpfalz region) throughout the US.

Belsnickel is a man dressed in tattered, dirtied furs and clothes. In some versions, he also wears a mask with a long, pointed tongue. Belsnickel travels around at night (usually on the night of Christmas Eve), wielding a long switch in one hand and carrying a sack filled with cakes, candies, fruits, and nuts in the other hand or on his back. Poorly behaved children would receive a switching, while well-behaved children would be given sweets from the sack.

Brown’s Miscellaneous Writings features a first-hand account (having taken place around 1830) of one Beltznickel tradition from Maryland, USA –

‘One hand would scatter the goodies upon the floor, and then the scramble would begin by the delighted children, and the other hand would ply the switch upon the backs of the excited youngsters – who would not show a wince…’

In some Pennsylvania Dutch communities, it’s said that Belsnickel arrives one-to-two weeks before Christmas to ‘check in’ on how the children were behaving, punishing the bad children and serving as a frightening warning and reminder that they had better correct their ways before Christmas.

PERCHTA

(Alpine Folklore)

Known by many names, such as Pehta Baba (in Slovenian lore), Frau Perchta, and Frau Faste (in some Swiss and Slovenian lore), Perchta is a goddess associated with winter, spinning, and folk magic, particularly in Germany and Austria.

Perchta’s association with winter bears particular emphasis on midwinter and Twelfth Night. It’s said that Perchta would enter homes during the twelve days between Christmas and Epiphany, and she would dole out rewards and punishments. Children and servants of the home who had worked hard throughout the year and who had been good people would wake the next morning to find a small gift left by Perchta (usually a coin or trinket, though some modern customs say she may leave candies).

Her punishments, however, were far greater than her gifts. For children and servants who had been poorly behaved, unkind, and lazy, Perchta enters their bedrooms while they slumber, cuts them open, and replaces their stomach and guts with straw. Some tales say she does not replace one's entrails but simply fills the stomach with straw. It’s also said in some tales that Perchta delivers this same punishment to those who on the night of Perchta’s feast day eat something aside from the traditional foods of her feast day (those foods being fish and gruel).

Perchta’s association with spinning also comes into play in some variations of this tale, in which Perchta’s punishment is reserved for those who did not complete their spinning by the time of her visit. She was also said to trample or set fire to any half-spun fibers she discovered.

Perchta’s links to midwinter come from her ties to the legend of the Wild Hunt. Some tales of the Wild Hunt feature Perchta as the leader of the hunt.

As for Perchta’s appearance, there are two main versions. Perchta is sometimes described as a beautiful, young woman, with white or very pale hair and fair skin, usually dressed in white or silvery white hues. This Perchta differs greatly from that featured in some old depictions, which describe a hag woman dressed in rags, with a wrinkled face and a large beak-like nose made of iron. Some descriptions say this woman carries a cane, and many depictions feature her keeping a knife or blade beneath her skirts or robes.

The difference in these two depictions of Perchta is also reflected in the two variations of Perchten – a term that is used to apply to both the masks worn at festivals and processions honoring Perchta, as well as to figures associated with Perchta and seen as her subjects or helpers. Of these figures, there are two types –

Schönperchten: the beautiful, bright Perchten dressed in silvers and whites, said to deliver blessings of wealth and good luck during the Twelve Nights,

and Schiachperchten: the monstrously ugly Perchten with fangs and tusks, horns, tails, and beastly, fur-covered faces. The Schiachperchten are said to drive away evil spirits, ghosts, and demons.

SPILLAHOLLE

The Spillaholle – also known as Mickadrulle / Mickatrulle, Popelholle (‘Hooded Holle’), Zumpeldrulle –  is believed to be a regional variation of Frau Holle or Perchta. She is said to be a very short old woman dressed in ragged, tattered clothing and a hood, and is, in some tales, said to carry stinging nettles with her.

The Spillaholle appears in towns and villages during winter, especially nearing Christmas or during the Twelve Nights of Christmas. The Spillaholle, who is strongly associated with spinning, is said to travel through town, peeking in the windows of each house to check to see ‘if the children and spinsters are spinning diligently.’ If their spinning hasn’t been taken care of by evening or nightfall, it’s said that the Spillaholle will dole out punishments. It’s even said that the Spillaholle will take the lazy spinsters away, beating them with the stinging nettles she carries with her. As for those who have finished their spinning, instead of a punishment, the Spillaholle leaves a blessing of protection – a single nettle is left upon the stoop or at the threshold of the home, a nettle that shall protect the house from various misfortunes for the next year.

MARI LWYD

(Welsh Folklore)

The origins of the Christmas tradition of the parading of the Mari Lwyd are up for debate. Some say it’s an early Christian practice, while many others believe that it’s a surviving pre-Christian tradition that’s been Christianized throughout the years. Believed to have come from a wassailing custom, the Mari Lwyd (said by some to mean ‘Grey Mary,’ ‘Holy Mary,’ or ‘Blessed Mary,’ and by others to mean ‘Grey Mare’) is a hobby horse, puppet, doll, or effigy that is paraded through town, carried from door-to-door by wassail-singing groups. This is done during the Christmas season, often ‘between Christmas Day and Twelfth Night.’

The head of the Mari Lwyd is usually a skull of a hoarse (and in most cases, the same skull is to be used each year), though there have been accounts of a head being carved from wood or shaped from a pillow. The skull (or makeshift horse head) is beautifully decorated with flowers and ribbons (the ribbons usually making up the Mari Lwyd’s mane), and has lights, baubles, or bottle glass for eyes. A white cloth is draped from the horse’s head down over the base of the Mari Lwyd, concealing the carrier of the doll underneath. A spring or stick is usually attached to the lower jaw of the skull, so that the jaw can be made to open and snap shut.

The parade is to begin at dusk or sundown. Singing and dancing is to be enjoyed whilst the Mari Lwyd makes her way along. At each door, the Mari Lwyd procession would perform traditional songs, and the household was to reply (usually through the closed door) with improvised, taunting poetry, usually delivering some kind of funny insult. A competition then ensues, a back-and-forth between the Mari Lwyd party and the household (this is a ritual called pwnco), until one side was bested and gave up, having no reply. Should the Mari Lwyd procession singers lose, they leave empty-handed. Mari Lwyd winning and entering the house, though, is believed to be a blessing that will bring good fortune to the household for the coming year.

The Mari Lwyd is said to be mischievous as well – chasing people, gnashing her jaws to scare children, and even trying to steal things or knock things about when she enters a home.

DED MOROZ & SNEGUROCHKA

(Slavic Folklore)

Ded Moroz (also called Dedushka Moroz – and other variations of Grandfather Frost – and Morozko) is familiar to many as Russian Santa, but Ded Moroz is much, much more than that. Ded Moroz finds his origins in pre-Christian Slavic paganism and folklore as a great magician and wizard of winter. Belief in Ded Moroz and customs surrounding him were banned during the early Soviet era. Nevertheless, Ded Moroz not only lives on, but has become a winter icon in East Slavic culture and is now the main figure associated with Novy God, the secular Christmas-like Russian celebration of New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day.

Ded Moroz – a tall, old man with rosy cheeks and long white beard, who dresses in a floor-length fur coat and fur hat, and usually wields a magic staff – travels about (usually depicted travelling by a horse-drawn sleigh) delivering gifts to children. Some tales say that he delivers gifts all through December as well as on New Year’s Eve night, when he places the gifts under the New Year Tree whilst the household is sleeping.

One aspect of Ded Moroz’s tale that is rather unique is that of Snegurochka – Ded Moroz’s granddaughter who helps him make his deliveries. Snegurochka (also called Snegurka and the Snow Maiden), unlike Ded Moroz, doesn’t find her roots in pre-Christian Slavic lore, but rather in 19th century Russian fairytales. Snegurochka wasn’t depicted as Ded Moroz’s granddaughter until after 1935, when the holiday of Novy God was permitted by the Russia Federation. From then on, Snegurochka became Ded Moroz’s granddaughter and assistant, and has since been more commonly depicted as wearing wintery silver and blue cloaks and a fur hat (sometimes a crown made of glistening snowflakes).

SOURCES & FURTHER READING:

Þjóðsögur Jóns Árnasonar - the Collection of Folklore of Jón Árnason The Icelandic Yule Lads and their evil mother Gryla A Journey Around the Figure of the Befana – Manciocco, Claudia; Manciocco, Luigi Krampus | Definition, History, & Facts The Origin of Krampus, Europe's Evil Twist on Santa ‘the Krampus and the Old Dark Christmas: Roots and Rebirth of the Folkloric Devil’ – Ridenour, Al The Winter Goddess: Percht, Holda, and Related Figures: Folklore: Vol 95, No 2 ‘Deutsche Mythologie’ – Grimm, Jakob Holda: Between Folklore and Linguistics Who is Belsnickel in Pennsylvania German Christmas lore? ‘Brown’s Miscellaneous Writings’ – Brown, Jacob Yes Helen, there is a Belsnickel ‘A Dictionary of British Folk Customs’ – Hole, Christina The Mari Lwyd ‘Ritual Animal Disguise: A Historical and Geographical Study of Animal Disguise in the British Isles’ – Cawte, E.C. Mari Lwyd, a Welsh Christmas Tradition ‘A Tour Through Part of North Wales, in the Year 1798, and at Other Times’ – Evans, J. ‘Perchta the Belly-Slitter and Her Kin: A View of Some Traditional Threatening Figures, Threats and Punishments’ – Smith, John B. Felix und Ulrich Mueller - Percht und Krampus ‘the Old Magic of Christmas: Yuletide Traditions for the Darkest Days of the Year’ – Raedisch, Linda "Дед Мороз и Снегурочка" (Grandfather Frost and the Snow Maiden) –Dushechkina, E. B. ‘Encyclopedia of Russian & Slavic Myth and Legend’ – Dixon-Kennedy, Mike

[margolestz]

The Yule Cat: Not a Nice Kitty

If the words Christmas and cat bring visions of a cosy December evening sitting in front of a blazing fireplace with a sweet little kitty curled up on your lap and purring… That’s a nice image, but that’s not what we are talking about here.  This Christmas cat is a monster. I’ve written before about some of the darker Christmas characters: Santa’s Evil Sidekicks and Father Whipper. And I’ve also…

[stegrossaurus]

Yule Cat

Yule Cat

by Gunnar

“We should be getting pretty close by now,” Ari says, shielding his eyes from the sun as he gazes at Mt. Strandertindur. He looks back at the town, does some quick calculations, and conforms. “Yep. Gryla’s lair is close. We can make it there before dark.”

I follow his eyes from the mountain to home. I don’t think we’re actually very close to the mountain or very far from town, but that’s okay. Going on an adventure with Ari is always fun enough. Besides, I don’t think I really want to find Gryla. Nothing Ari has told me about the giant child-eating woman makes her seem very friendly, especially for a 7 and 10 year old.

But Ari said Gryla only eats naughty children and we’re not, so we should be safe. Strictly speaking, we’re not supposed to be so far from home without Mom and Dad’s permission, but I know Ari will keep me safe, so it doesn’t count. And like I said, we’re still close enough that I can see the town. 

We keep trekking up the slope leading to the mountain, with Ari finding large dips in the ground and broken branches that can only come from the feet of a hungry giantess. According to Ari, at least. I’m not sure why these footprints aren’t spaced out more evenly like footprints normally are, but I trust my older brother. Mom and Dad let him watch scarier shows and read scarier comics than me so he knows all about these myths and legends.

“What are we going to do when we find her lair?” I ask as Ari leads me to a small forest just a few trees thick on the slope. Creatures like Gryla love forests, Ari had said.

“We’re going to find where her yule lads keep their gifts and take some home,” Ari says confidently. “Not all of them, just what we deserve. We’ve been good all year, right, Gun?”

I nod eagerly. My teacher says I’m one of the smartest boys in class and I never get in trouble. Ari gets even better grades and is the best at everything. Sometimes adults yell at him for little stuff like arguing with his teacher or starting little fires, but Ari says they’re just taking stuff too seriously. There’s no way he deserved that rotting potato in his shoe.

“And just who are they to judge us anyway?” Ari snaps, getting a little frustrated now. “You remember I told you how they’re always licking spoons and stealing candles and whatever? And their mom and cat are always eating people. That’s a little worse than putting a lizard in the principal’s coffee, but I bet they don’t get any rotten potatoes in their shoes.”

I nod in agreement until I realize what Ari said. “Wait, they have a cat?” I try not to sound too excited because I know Ari’s not a fan of cats, but I can’t help it. If it weren’t for Dad’s allergies, I’d ask my parents for a cat every Christmas.

Ari grimaces. “Trust me, Gun, the Yule Cat isn’t the kind of cat you’d want. It’s large and ugly and mean even by cat standards. It’ll gut you as soon as look at you.” He says that kind of thing about all cats, but then again, this cat apparently kills people. “When its blood-red eyes lock on you and it sees that you’re not wearing proper winter clothes, you’d better hide.” 

“Why would the cat care about clothes?” I ask. Do cats even know about things like sweaters and mittens?

“Because it’s a jerk, that’s why,” Ari says. “It belongs to an evil child-eating giant; what did you expect? Gryla sends the stupid thing out at night to hunt all the kids who don’t get winter clothes for Christmas and bring them back for her to cook.”

“I didn’t know you could train cats to do anything,” I say, unable to hide how fun a giant trained kitty sounds. “I thought they just did what they wanted. But my friend says her cat always brings her dead stuff from outside, so I guess that is what they want.”

“Which is why I don’t like cats,” Ari grumbles. “But you don’t need to worry, Gunner. Any cat that gets close is gonna get an eyeful of this.” He hefts the rusty iron spade borrowed from our neighbor’s shed, filed to a point which he swears can pierce a car door. “Mystic beings like Gryla and her cat hate iron.”

We walk on for a while, with Ari occasionally telling me that we were almost there even after we leave the tiny forest. He finds more footprints and claw marks and weird plants that he says are clearly warped by her ancient magic. I feel safe with my older brother and I’m sure he knows what he’s doing, but I’d still rather be home before the sun goes down. If the Yule Cat, Gryla, and her yule lads don’t kill us, Mom and Dad will. As the sun gets lower, I clench my jacket tighter and Ari holds his spike higher. I’m a little relieved when Ari says it’s time for us to head back.

“Gryla probably hides her lair with magic,” Ari explains. “We’re probably not going to find her. Let’s get home before it starts…wait, hold on.” His eyes narrow as he sees something up ahead. The slope gets a little steep here and there’s a short stone cliff face in front of us, but I don’t see whatever he sees and I tell him so when he asks.

“You really can’t see it?” Ari asks. When I shake my head, he points at the invisible thing and says, “It’s a door knocker, like the one on our front door.” 

No matter how hard I look, I don’t see it. But when Ari gives it an experimental poke with his spike, a shimmer ripples out and suddenly it’s there, nailed to the rock like it’s always been there. Everything else in the little forest feels like it’s moving away. It feels like magic.

“Your spike!” I realize with a shout. “It’s messing with the magic hiding the knocker! But why could you see it in the first place?”

Ari doesn’t answer me. He just pauses for a second, grinning at the knocker. It’s the same grin he sometimes gets when he sneaks out of the house or sneaks something into his pocket at the grocery store. Then he reaches up and gives it three very loud bangs. Far louder than I think they should be. So loud, the rest of the world seems to run away as the rocky cliff expands. In a second, we’re not standing in front of a cliff on a slope with our home at our backs. We’re in front of the massive wooden door of a house as big as a neighborhood in a dark, frozen land.

“Ari, where are we?” I whisper, looking around. Everything off of the lawn-sized front porch is nearly pitch-black, but I can make out snow. A lot of snow and nothing else.

“I don’t know, Gunnar,” he says, holding me closer. His teeth are already chattering. “We need to get somewhere warm before we freeze.” He looks around, too, and points to something I’d missed: a patch of light the same color as that tiny forest in the afternoon light. “There! That’s our world! We need to get back there and–oh no.”

Once I see what he sees, I don’t know how I missed it. At the very least, the sound of its massive footsteps in the snow should have been hard to ignore. But, then again, cats are known to be silent. Ari gets in front of and waves his spike as the blood-red eyes of the Yule Cat get closer. When the rest of it is in the glow of the giant porchlight, I can see that Ari was right; I don’t want to be anywhere near this large, hideous, hungry dinosaur of a cat. We press ourselves against the door as the thing comes closer, its sparse black fur bristling on its warty gray skin. Before it can strike, the door swings inward, releasing fiery warmth and the sounds and smells of cooking dinner.

“Is someone there?” a loud, ancient voice howls from inside the house. “Yuley, did you knock? Who taught you to do that?” There’s a loud whiff above us and then, “Do I smell something…naughty?”

Neither of us stop to think. We just rush into the house, dodging the gigantic, bare feet on our way in. Ari doesn’t let me stop once we’re away from the cold and the cat, though. He pulls me across the wooden floor to the first piece of massive furniture we can hide under: a cushioned couch holding another giant. The Yule Cat isn’t far behind and I beat its paw under the couch by a second.

Yowling and moaning, the awful creature keeps trying to stretch its monstrous paw to us. We bolt in the dusty darkness to the other side of the couch, but after a few ground-shaking thumps, Gryla’s warty, wrinkled feet are planted there.

“Leppalúði! Leppalúði, get up!” Gryla screeches. “Yuley found a child! It’s under the couch! Get up so he can kill it!”

The occupant of the couch above us grumbles like an avalanche. “Just get it out with a broom or something, Gryla. I’m tired.”

Gryla groans loudly as her Cat meows for its mistress to do something about its missing prey. The two giants start arguing.

“We’re wearing our jackets,” I mutter in a daze. I can barely form a thought but I know this much. “We’re wearing our jackets. Shouldn’t that be enough? We’re wearing winter clothes so why is it trying to kill us?”

“I don’t know, Gun, but please shut up!” Ari hisses back. He takes several deep breaths, then gets a look on his face. “Stay here. I’ll be back in a second.” While Gryla and her cat yell at her husband, Ari peels off his jacket, inches closer to the edge of the couch, and throws it to where the Cat could reach it. Then he scurries back to me. “The scent’ll keep the Cat busy while we run. Gryla left the door open.”

After a few failed attempts to move her husband and the couch, Gryla stomps off, grumbling about getting a broom like he suggested. The Yule Cat stays, and I can already see how Ari’s plan won’t work. The Cat can’t reach us, but it can see us well enough to not bother with the decoy jacket. Those blood-red eyes locked on my brother, but I’m certain it’ll go for me, too, jacket or no jacket.

Gryla comes back quickly and crouches down on the other side of the couch. She starts probing a tree trunk-sized broomhandle under the couch, forcing us closer to the Yule Cat.

“Come here, little naughties,” she croaks as we try to avoid the broom. She takes another long whiff. “Strayed too far from home.” Another whiff. “Disobeyed the teacher. Stole from neighbor’s shed. Got your brother in danger. No wonder you found your way into my world, little naughty." The spike looks laughably small next to the Cat, so Ari scrambles in his backpack for anything else to use as a weapon. “Did you see my door knocker, little naughty? Sometimes the bad ones can find it. But only the dumb ones actually use it.”

The Yule Cat’s pupils widen in anticipation of its meal. While Ari’s rooting through his bag, I see his phone and get an idea. Before I can stop myself, I grab Ari’s phone, run forward, and show the bright screen to the Cat’s wide eyes. Did you know that cats have very light-sensitive eyes, especially in the dark?

With a yowl, the Cat pulls back. Ari bolts forward, kicking the jacket out from under the couch. Too blinded and angry to think straight, the Yule Cat swipes it across the floor and pounces on it. This is our only chance.\

Ari grabs my wrist and we race for the door while Gryla crowds around her pet to see its prey. We’re almost halfway there before we hear, “There they are, Yuley!” I turn to see the ugly thing coming at us like a freight train and just barely yank us both to the ground in time. But now the Yule Cat’s in between us and the door.

“Good boy, Yuley,” Gryla huffs, clearly worn out. Seeing her for the first time, I’m not too surprised to see that she’s very old. Much like her pet, she’s covered in stone-colored warts and her face looks as much dinosaur as mammal. She looks like something that existed long before humans. “Now hurry up and kill them!”

The giant cat locks its eyes on us again, crouched for a pounce that I know we can’t dodge. Ari holds me and waves his tiny weapon. I can hear him fighting back tears. The Yule Cat bristles up its scant remaining fur and…pulls itself upright. It looks from my brother and me to Gryla a few times, as if unsure what she said.

“What are you waiting for?” the giantess screams. “Attack, already!”

This time, the Yule Cat lets out a harsh snort and fixes its mistress with a glare. It gets up and walks lazily over to Leppalúði on the couch, letting him idly scratch its head. 

Gryla lets out a frustrated howl. “Why does no one in this house do what I say?!” Defeated, she storms over to the door.

Not waiting to see if she attacks us or just closes the door, Ari and I run into the cold and dark. We clear the porch and trudge into the knee deep snow, with Ari pulling me along as quickly as he can to the patch of afternoon light, waving his spike in front to make sure Gryla’s magic doesn’t block our way. It’s not too far, but the snow makes the journey a little longer.

“I told you!” I shout, a little too gleefully. We’re both giggling like maniacs now. “I told you cats can’t be trained! They hate being told what to do!”

“Congratulations, Gun, you were right!” Ari laughs back. “And your idea with the phone was genius! Now let’s get home and never tell Mom and Dad about this!”

The little doorway of light ripples as Ari swipes his spike at it. We cross the barrier to our world and immediately everything shrinks back into place. The trees and the mountain and the town all rush into their proper places. The freezing world behind us turns back into an invisible knocker on a rock. Ari and I hug each other and whoop with delight before running back to town.

We’re almost to safety when another fact about cats dawns on me, one that I remember when I hear something thumping quietly behind me. And hear a quiet moan. And feel an icy breath on the back of my neck.

Cats like to play with their food.

[a-book-of-creatures]

Dear ABC: a relative of mine recently visited Iceland, ignorant of the risk of evil whales, and while she was delighted to discover that their Christmas celebrations center around a family of marauding trolls called the Yulelads and their horrible cat that eats people who don't get clothes for Christmas, she was heartbroken to learn shortly afterward that the only depictions of them that they let tourists see are sanitized versions with rosy cheeks that DON'T traumatize children. Do you, perchance, have any fun Icelandic Yule monster folklore I could provide to cheer her up?

Aha, well, there's always different depictions of things of course. I do like Hlidberg's art for the Jólaköttur, it looks suitably brutish.

As you requested specifically Icelandic folklore, these - the cat, the lads, and Gryla - are the primary Yuletide monsters. But if you were to expand your scope a bit further, you'll find that there is no end of scary beings that want to cause you harm at Christmas. You don't even have to go too far to find that the Yule Goat in Norway also takes those who have not received new clothes, and in Sweden it bites those who have had too much Christmas dinner, giving them indigestion.

[theunexplainable]

In my modern world I think that Freya would run a summer camp kind of thing, the kids she watches over are Thrud, Angrboda, Atreus and Skjoldr.

When the parents arrive at the end of the day Freya shows them the chaos that is four teens and boredom. Aka Atreus and Angrboda are pretending to play out a divorce and Skjoldr has taken Atreus’ side, Thrud is dying of laughter in the background. 

All that I can imagine is Atreus yelling that he’s taking the kids while being carried off bridal style by Skjoldr lol  What’s the bet that Angrboda gets the house? I say carried off bc the kid, in my au, is in a wheelchair half the time bc he’s too weak stand or it wouldn’t be good for him too. Like when his lungs aren’t doing good so too much exercise and movement makes it worse.

All the parents be sitting in the background flabbergasted. Gryla is sitting there like “yes bitch, dump his ass!”    Kratos is just like “who the fuck is Hel??” Mimir is probably laughing with Thrud, although Sif would probably try to play lawyer, since that is her job in my silly modern au. 

If you don’t know, Hel is the daughter of Loki and Angrboda in Norse mythology. I think in the modern au I have, It would just be a cat they have when they live together as adults w/ Skjoldr and Thrud. Yes, I think they would live together, and I think it would be chaos. They probably find Hel when she’s just a kitten when they’re teens.

[thecreaturecodex]

Grýla

Image © "Evanatt", accessed at their Pillowfort here

[Part 2 of a three part series on Icelandic Christmas folklore, following the Yule Lads. Which means yes, a Yule Cat is forthcoming. Earlier Icelandic writings emphasized Gryla's monstrousness; there are versions where she has three heads and forty tails and forty sacks. I quite like this design as a compromise between some of her most extravagant forms, and just making her an ogre]

Grýla CR 16 CE Fey This huge ogress has a crown of horns and four eyes, two in the normal places, one on her forehead and one on the back of her head. She has cloven hooves and clawed hands, and fifteen tails which she keeps tied up in two bundles. She carries a large sack thrown over her shoulder.

Grýla is a fey troll, a vicious giant who devours children. She lairs in a lava tube among frozen volcanic mountains. She is happy to feed on wild game and the occasional traveler for most of the year, but ventures forth in the wintertime begging for food in civilization, disguised as an old woman. In said disguise, she often offers to “take care” of disobedient children, by which she means murdering them, stuffing them into her bag of holding, and returning to her lair to cook and eat them. Unsurprisingly, Grýla is used as a bogey in areas where she has roamed long after her own attention has gone elsewhere.

Grýla prefers to pick on creatures weaker than her. She uses her fey magic and mastery over stone to disorient and hinder opponents, winnowing them down so she can fight one at a time. If she is feeling playful, she will use her many tails to disarm, trip, blind and annoy opponents, but once playtime is over, she merely tears them apart with her hands like fresh bread. Grýla values her own life, and will flee if she feels overpowered by using long step to take cover, then distracting enemies with mislead or project image.

Unlike a number of other bogeys, Grýla is the matriarch of a whole clan. These are her Yule Lads, a gang of fey miscreants who harass towns and farms during the winter solstice. The Yule Lads are friendly to their mother, and treat her consumption of humanoid flesh as more of an uncouth habit than a horrific crime. Grýla is on her third husband (having killed and eaten the previous two); this is the ogre glutton Leppalúði. He is as lazy as he is ravenous, so is happy to have his wife be the primary provider for their household. Their pet is the Yule Cat, a monstrous feline that more closely resembles a domestic cat the size of an elephant than any lion or tiger. Like many cats, this beast roams free much of the time, but always comes back around the home for a good meal.

Grýla CR 16 XP 76,800 Variant fey creature mountain troll CE Huge fey (augmented humanoid, giant) Init +3; Senses all around vision, darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision, scent; Perception +24

Defense AC 30, touch 11, flat-footed 27 (+3 Dex, +19 natural, –2 size) hp 225 (18d8+144); regeneration 10 (acid or fire) Fort +18, Ref +9, Will +13; +4 vs. mind-influencing effects, +8 vs. charm and compulsion effects Resist cold 10, electricity 10, fire 10; SR 27 Defensive Abilities rock catching, stubborn; Weaknesses vulnerable to sonic

Offense Speed 40 ft., burrow 10 ft., climb 40 ft., long step Melee bite +23 (2d10+12), 2 claws +23 (2d6+12), 2 tail slaps +21 (2d6+6 plus vexing blow) Ranged rock +15/+10/+5 (2d8+18) Space 15 ft., Reach 15 ft. Special Attacks rend (2 claws, 2d6+18), rock throwing (120 ft.) Spell-Like Abilities (CL 18th; concentration +21 [+25 casting defensively]) At will—stone shape 3/day—dancing lights, spike stones (DC 17), stone tell 1/day—confusion (DC 17), deep slumber (DC 16), earthquake (DC 21), entangle (DC 14), faerie fire, feeblemind (DC 18), flesh to stone (DC 19), glitterdust (DC 15), irresistible dance (DC 21), major image (DC 16), mislead (DC 19), project image (DC 20), summon monster VIII (earth elementals only)

Statistics Str 34, Dex 17, Con 25, Int 9, Wis 16, Cha 10 Base Atk +13; CMB +27; CMD 40 Feats Alertness, Combat Casting, Deadly Aim, Improved Vital Strike, Iron Will, Multiattack, Power Attack, Quick Draw (B), Toughness, Vital Strike Skills Acrobatics +18 (+22 when jumping), Climb +30, Disguise +10, Intimidate +21, Perception +24, Sense Motive +22, Stealth +15; Racial Modifiers +2 Perception Languages Common, Giant, Sylvan SQ change shape (human or ogre, alter self or giant form I), rocky stride

Ecology Environment cold mountains Organization unique Treasure standard (bag of holding type IV, other treasure)

Special Abilities Long Step (Su) Once every 1d4 rounds, Gryla can teleport up to 180 feet as a move action. Rocky Stride (Ex) Grýla can move through any difficult terrain created by natural rock or stone without penalty. Spell-like Abilities Grýla uses her Wisdom modifier for the purposes of determining the DCs of her spell-like abilities and for concentration checks. Stubborn (Ex) A mountain troll gains a +4 racial bonus on all Will saving throws. In addition, if the troll fails a saving throw against a charm or compulsion effect, it can immediately attempt a second saving throw against the same effect on the next round to end the duration of the effect early. Vexing Blow (Ex) When Grýla hits an opponent with one of her tail slap attacks, she can make a disarm, trip or dirty trick maneuver against them as a free action without provoking attacks of opportunity. Grýla gains this ability and her tail slaps instead of a fly speed from the fey creature template.

[tyrantisterror]

While we’re on the subject of Christmas and monsters, what are your top ten folkloric Christmas monsters? (Yule Cat, Krampus, etc.)

Krampus, Perchta, The Ghosts of Christmas (Past, Present, & Future), the Badalisc, Gryla, the Yule Cat, the Yule Lads, and we're already over ten but I'm including the Grinch and the Winter Warlock too.

[oldbloodrelation]

Icelandic Christmas, Iceland has fantastic Christmas traditions. There’s Gryla, the ogress who kidnaps and eats children. Her gigantic cat who also eats any children not wearing new clothes. Additionally she has 12 sons called the Yule lads that all do things that are mildly annoying. Nowadays there are only 12.

They kept the g-rated ones, but there used to be more including one with his lungs outside his body.

Oh and because the electricity is so cheap a lot of the cemeteries are lit up.

[lola4563747]

@allhallowsthemepark @shaydystheshadowqueen

Xmas food and drink ideas

1. Green hot cocoa with eyeball marshmallows.

2. The Krampusnact: hard apple cider, schnapps, whiskey,grenadine, rum, and cloves. Decorate with white chocolate sleigh bells.

3. Yule log cake

4. Befana’s Brew: Mulled wine, marshmallow vodka, chocolate syrup, cinnamon sugar, and vanilla. Serve in a wine glass rimmed with red luster dust.

5. Gryla’s Stew: Beef broth base with sausage, pork, mutton,wild greens, and little bits of bread shaped like skulls. Green food coloring is used to give the broth an otherworldly look. Gryla is said to eat naughty kids and human flesh is said to taste similar to pork so that gave me the idea.

6. Mari Lwyd Sugar cookies

7. Yule cat Cake Pops: Dark Chocolate Cake pops with chocolate frosting, cat ears, vanilla buttercream muzzle and blue candy eyes.

8. Nutcracker mixed nuts: mixed nuts covered in cinnamon sugar and fire roasted, comes with a little nutcracker to crack the shells.

9. Frozen Heart: Blue Curaçao, Peppermint Syrup, Marshmallow Cream, luster dust,Blueberry Vodka, Vanilla bourbon,blended with ice and served in a Coupe glass with whipped cream, blue glitter and gummy snowflakes.