Sign up to save your podcasts
Or
Share HH01 Iceland's Troubling Trolls: The 13 Yule Lads
Share to email
Share to Facebook
Share to X
Share to email
Share to Facebook
Share to X
Or
HH01 Iceland's Troubling Trolls: The 13 Yule Lads
Description
Today on Ghost Bites, Mike and JT take a festive, yet deeply unsettling, trip to Iceland to explore the folklore of the 13 Yule Lads (Jólasveinar). Mike details the Lads' evolution from child-eating trolls to modern gift-givers, and introduces their cannibalistic mother, Grýla, and the giant, garment-obsessed Yule Cat. JT dissects the sheer absurdity of their crimes—from Spoon Licking to Skyr Gobbling—and critiques the administrative chaos of having thirteen Santas. It's a hilarious look at a holiday tradition that proves sometimes, the best way to get children to behave is still a credible threat of a rotten potato.
Sources
● Arctic Portal. (n.d.). The thirteen Icelandic Yule Lads.
Retrieved from https://arcticportal.org/education/quick-facts/people-and-culture/3469-the-thirteen-icelandic-yule-lads
● Arctic Portal. (n.d.). Icelandic Yule Lads. Retrieved from https://arcticportal.org/x-mas
● Gale, T. (n.d.). The Yule Lads History. Retrieved from https://icelandicyulelads.com/yule-lads-timeline/
● Icelandair. (n.d.). Christmas in Iceland: The Yule Lads.
Retrieved from https://www.icelandair.com/blog/the-yule-lads/
● Icelandic Christmas folklore.
(n.d.). Wikipedia. Retrieved October
9, 2025, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Icelandic_Christmas_folklore
● Nordic Visitor. (n.d.). Christmas in Iceland with the Yule Lads.
Retrieved from https://www.nordicvisitor.com/blog/the-13-yule-lads-of-iceland/
● WorldStrides. (n.d.). Iceland's 13 Yule Lads. Retrieved from https://worldstrides.com/en-us/teachers/how-it-works/blog/icelands-13-yule-lads
Intro Music by - Jayme McDonald (Chatterless) Spotify, Linktree
Copyright & Licensing Notice: This podcast adheres to all applicable copyright laws. The music and sound effects featured in this production have been explicitly licensed for use. Permission for the broadcast, synchronization, and distribution of these audio elements has been secured through active licensing agreements with Epidemic Sound and Suno AI. All rights reserved by their respective copyright holders.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
View all episodes
By Brew CrimeDescription
Today on Ghost Bites, Mike and JT take a festive, yet deeply unsettling, trip to Iceland to explore the folklore of the 13 Yule Lads (Jólasveinar). Mike details the Lads' evolution from child-eating trolls to modern gift-givers, and introduces their cannibalistic mother, Grýla, and the giant, garment-obsessed Yule Cat. JT dissects the sheer absurdity of their crimes—from Spoon Licking to Skyr Gobbling—and critiques the administrative chaos of having thirteen Santas. It's a hilarious look at a holiday tradition that proves sometimes, the best way to get children to behave is still a credible threat of a rotten potato.
Sources
● Arctic Portal. (n.d.). The thirteen Icelandic Yule Lads.
Retrieved from https://arcticportal.org/education/quick-facts/people-and-culture/3469-the-thirteen-icelandic-yule-lads
● Arctic Portal. (n.d.). Icelandic Yule Lads. Retrieved from https://arcticportal.org/x-mas
● Gale, T. (n.d.). The Yule Lads History. Retrieved from https://icelandicyulelads.com/yule-lads-timeline/
● Icelandair. (n.d.). Christmas in Iceland: The Yule Lads.
Retrieved from https://www.icelandair.com/blog/the-yule-lads/
● Icelandic Christmas folklore.
(n.d.). Wikipedia. Retrieved October
9, 2025, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Icelandic_Christmas_folklore
● Nordic Visitor. (n.d.). Christmas in Iceland with the Yule Lads.
Retrieved from https://www.nordicvisitor.com/blog/the-13-yule-lads-of-iceland/
● WorldStrides. (n.d.). Iceland's 13 Yule Lads. Retrieved from https://worldstrides.com/en-us/teachers/how-it-works/blog/icelands-13-yule-lads
Intro Music by - Jayme McDonald (Chatterless) Spotify, Linktree
Copyright & Licensing Notice: This podcast adheres to all applicable copyright laws. The music and sound effects featured in this production have been explicitly licensed for use. Permission for the broadcast, synchronization, and distribution of these audio elements has been secured through active licensing agreements with Epidemic Sound and Suno AI. All rights reserved by their respective copyright holders.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices