Grýla
Description
Giant ogress mother of the 13 Yule Lads who descends from mountains each Christmas to boil naughty children in her cauldron. Has 15 tails and hooves. Her husband Leppalúði is useless
Origin & Background
Grýla is a monstrous figure in Icelandic folklore, said to live in the wilderness of Iceland. The name 'Grýla' is first confirmed in medieval literature. However, clear references to Grýla's gender and her connection to Christmas only appear in the 17th century. In 17th-century poetry, Grýla is generally depicted as an ugly and greedy troll-like old woman who wanders between human settlements, demanding charity from those she encounters, and is often known to demand mischievous children.
The Legend
Grýla is closely associated with Christmas folklore, and modern depictions primarily focus on her role as the mother of the Yule Lads (Icelandic: jólasveinar). Today, Grýla's most monstrous trait, her appetite for children, is generally toned down for younger audiences. She is depicted as wandering between farms in Iceland, and in 17th-century poetry, she is sometimes portrayed as roaming between farms during the summer.
In Popular Culture
Since the 20th century, the Yule Cat has appeared as Grýla's pet. In Netflix's series 'Chilling Adventures of Sabrina', Grýla is a recurring character who initially appears to come for unseen children but causes chaos. Later, she joins the group of exiled witches among the protagonists. In the 2024 Christmas action-comedy film 'Red One', Grýla appears as the main antagonist, depicted as a Christmas witch with magical powers. Additionally, she appears in the animated series 'Hilda' in an episode of the same name, where a Yule Lad offers her vegetable soup instead of a human. In the 2022 video game 'God of War: Ragnarok', she also appears as Angrboda's grandmother.
This article is based on the Wikipedia article "Grýla" (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Wikipedia
Abilities
- 불명