Grýla

Common card · No. 204217

In Icelandic folklore, Grýla is a monstrous entity who lives in the wilderness of Iceland. The name Grýla is first attested in medieval sources. The earliest unambiguous references to Grýla's gender and her association with Christmas, though, date only from the 17th century. In 17th-century poems about Grýla, she is generally represented as a hideous and greedy troll-like crone, who wanders between human settlements and demands charity from those she encounters, often asking for naughty children. Modern depictions of Grýla tend to focus more strongly on her role as the mother of the Yule Lads (Icelandic: jólasveinar). Today, the most monstrous aspects of her character and appearance (such as her appetite for children) are generally toned down for younger audiences.

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