ICELANDIC YULEMEN

The 13 Santas, or Icelandic Yulemen, have enjoyed a place in the nation’s folklore since the 16th century. They are the sons of two trolls: Leppaluoi, their father, and Gryla, their monster of a mother, who were rumored to snatch and eat children. Their sons were comparatively harmless, noted for stealing and playing tricks.

By 1930, Icelandic seamen had brought home from the North Sea countries tales of St. Nicholas, which blended with the old lore of the Yulemen. Children began to practice a new custom of placing their shoes in the window before going to bed. The Yulemen had become so nice they would leave small gifts or treats in the children’s shoes.

Putting shoes in the window begins Dec. 12, the night the first Yuleman comes down from the mountains. A different Santa comes each night until they are all there on Christmas Eve. They return in the same order they came, night by night, the last one leaving Jan. 6.

Every Yuleman has his weakness. Their names have varied in different locales and have changed over the centuries, but here’s a roster of Iceland’s Yulemen and their bad habits, in the order by which the Yulemen arrive: