Icelanders have 13 Santas! Wow, that's a lot of presents, you might think... But the Icelandic Santas are a little bit naughty. They steal sausages, lick the porridge bowls and scare the sheep ...
Tweet
Share
Share
Pin
Share
ShareThe Icelandic Santa Claus
The Icelandic elves come down from the mountains before Christmas. The first of them (Stekkjastaur) comes today, 12 December. Then one comes every day, until they all arrive on Christmas Eve.
After Christmas Eve, the elves disappear one by one and when they are all gone, 13 days after Christmas, a big bonfire is lit to celebrate their absence! The elves' parents are Gryla and Leppaludi, two evil goblins who eat disobedient children ...
The 13 Santas
Here is a list of the 13 Icelandic Santas, and the date they arrive:
- 12 December: Stekkjastaur (Klumpfoten)
- 13 December: Giljagaur (The Gorge Tomb)
- 14 December: Stúfur (Stump)
- 15 December: Þvörusleikir (Slevslickaren).
- 16 December: Pottaskefill (Kastrullkraparen)
- 17 December: Askasleikir (The Bowl Lick)
- 18 December: Hurðaskellir (The Door Slammer)
- 19 December: Skyrgámur (Filglupsken)
- 20 December: Bjúgnakrækir (The Raven Thief)
- 21 December: Gluggagægir (the Spaniard)
- 22 December: Gáttaþefur (The Snuffer)
- 23 December: Ketkrókur (Köttkorpen)
- 24 December: Kertasníkir (Light Tiger)
Read more about Icelandic traditions
As well as having 13 Santas, Icelandic Christmas food is different from Swedish Christmas food. Iceland also celebrates another exciting holiday called Þorrablót. This old traditional holiday is celebrated in February, and involves eating food that is much more special than what is eaten at Christmas.
Iceland - Land of storytelling
Guest writer: Mia Ulin Iceland is worth staying on for days or weeks, but if you have...
12 Volcanoes in Iceland - dramatic facts
Updated 2023 Have you experienced any of the dramatic volcanoes in Iceland? The landscape in Iceland is...
Around Iceland by car - 9 places you must see
Have you thought about travelling around Iceland by car? Recently, we've seen...
Fish Company in Reykjavik
Today we are going to tell you about another great fish restaurant here in Reykjavik, the Fish Company. Yesterday...
What do you eat in Iceland? - 15 Icelandic specialities
What do you actually eat in Iceland? We list 15 Icelandic specialities and share our experiences...
The Icelandic language
As I've told you before, I spent a year in Iceland, and learnt that...
Horse riding in Iceland
Today it was time for our long-awaited horse riding trip in Iceland and we woke up to ... windy...
Reykjavik sights - self-guided city tour
Reykjavik's attractions, what are they? When we were recently in Reykjavik, we had a hectic schedule,...
Travelling by motorhome in Iceland
What is it like to travel by motorhome in Iceland? We recently wrote a post about...
Blue Lagoon in Iceland - guide for your visit
The Blue Lagoon in Iceland offers a cosy and relaxing spa in geothermal hot water. Although...
Exchange student in Iceland 1992
I was asked to tell you a bit more about my year as an exchange student in Iceland....
Geysers in Iceland - Strokkur and Geysir
Have you seen geysers in Iceland? We have recently visited the Haukadalur geothermal area with the geysers...
Facts about Iceland - 30 things you (might) not have known
Today we're bringing you facts about Iceland - 30 things you (maybe) didn't know. We...
Gullfoss in Iceland - The Golden Circle and its waterfalls
Gullfoss in Iceland is an incredibly dramatic waterfall that can be seen during the Golden Waterfall tour....
Some reflections from Iceland
Today we offer some reflections from Iceland. We have pretty much finished reporting from...
Reykjavik - a city of contrasts
Today we present a guest article Reykjavik is the capital of Iceland and a very interesting city. It...
Excursion to the island of Viðey in Iceland - 1000 years of history
The island of Viðey in Iceland is located just outside Reykjavik and is easily reached by a short boat journey. In summer...
Iceland Fever - 5 reasons to love Iceland
I'm not even interested in football and yet I was glued to the England game...
Þingvellir National Park in Iceland
Þingvellir National Park in Iceland is a fascinating place, whether you are interested in nature, geology,...
Fish Market in Reykjavik
We had a magical dining experience yesterday at the Fish Market restaurant in Reykjavik. We ate the most...
Icelandic traditions: Christmas celebrations and Þorrablót
Today on FREEDOMtravel we will be talking about Icelandic traditions. A while ago I wrote...
Weekend in Reykjavik - some highlights
Here is a greeting from our weekend in Reykjavik! We have been through a lot during...
What do you pack for Iceland?
What to pack for Iceland? We are only a few days away from travelling to Iceland for...
The Icelandic Phallological Museum
This is probably the strangest museum we have ever visited. The Icelandic Phallological Museum is located...
14 things to see and do in Reykjavik
Here are some tips on things to see and do in Reykjavik. The Icelandic capital is...
Food and Fun Reykjavik Festival - Iceland's gourmet week
The Food and Fun Reykjavik festival is definitely a reason to visit Iceland's capital during February/March....
You might also like:
English (UK) 
Svenska 
Deutsch 
Suomi 
Polski
Henny Lindgren says:
I ended up on your site by pure coincidence and couldn't help but "steal" the post about the Icelandic gnomes. I have of course linked back to you. Have a nice Christmas holiday with a nice Swedish Santa 😀.
12 December 2009 - 21:24
Veiken says:
Fortunately, Iceland is an island at a safe distance, so the elves stay where they belong - in Iceland, that is. Have a nice Lucia!
13 December 2009 - 10:50
Johanna SIljehagen says:
How wonderful to have different traditions.
13 December 2009 - 16:55
Emmy says:
Scary with 13 gnomes!? Fun thing otherwise, had no idea about it 🙂 ðŸ™'
15 December 2009 - 22:22
Bára Ragnarsdóttir says:
Hi, just wanted to comment on this story about our Santas. They are not just mean. Today's Santas give the children presents in their shoes which they put in the window in the evening. If they have been good they get a present but if they have been bad they get a potato.
MVH Bára
28 March 2010 - 12:13
admin says:
Thanks Bára, for the addition and clarification!
😉
28 March 2010 - 12:24
s says:
Jólasveinnar heter de á islénsku
14 December 2010 - 23:17
admin says:
S, exactly right. Why do you know?
15 December 2010 - 8:34