You know Dasher and Dancer and Prancer and Vixen, but do you know
Stekkjarstaur,
Giljagaur,
Stufur,
Thvorusleikir,
Pottaskefill,
Askasleikir,
Hurdarskellir,
Skyrgamur,
Bjugnakraekir,
Gluggagaegir,
Gattathefur, Ketkrokur and Kertasnikir? They're the
Jolasveinar, the impish "
Yuletide Lads" of
Iceland, and those are only some of their many names. During the thirteen days before Christmas, legend says that
they do their best to monkeywrench the celebrations with
hijinks like stealing sausages, milk, and candles, and peeping into windows and up skirts. The children of gruesome child-eating trolls
Gryla and Leppaludi, who were known for
snatching naughty children, the elves got their start in the 17th century. In the years since, their image has apparently mellowed, and now they leave children presents in their shoes and limit themselves to mild pranks.
posted by Miko
on Dec 22, 2006 -
21 comments
A Nazi Christmas Since its most ancient days, the Christmas holiday has been continually reshaped to serve commercial, social, and political ends. These Nazi-era Christmas materials, including an
Advent calendar and an
essay on how to turn Christian holidays into National Socialist ones, come from the
German Propaganda Archive of the Calvin College library. Of course, the Allies also enlisted Christmas in both pop culture and propaganda with
cards,
V-Mails,
and posters.
posted by Miko
on Nov 29, 2006 -
21 comments
