In earlier centuries, the number of Yule lads varied according to regions. The number 13 is first seen in a ballad about the giantess Gryla in the eighteenth century, the names of the lads first appear in the "Iceland Folk Tales" compiled by Jón Árnason in 1862. About 60 other names for the Yule lads are known from various sources. The following are those most commonly used nowadays: Sheep-Cot Clod, Gully Gawk, Shorty, Lable Licker, Pot Scraper, Bowl Licker, Door Slammer, Skyr Gobbler, Sausage Swiper, Window Peeper, Door Sniffer, Meat Hook, Candle Beggar. The lads come down from their mountain dwelling, one each day. The first to arrive is Sheep-Cot Clod. He appears on the 12th of December and leaves on Christmas Day. The last one, Candle Beggar, arrives in Christmas Eve and goes back to the mountains on the 6th of January, the Thirteenth Day of Christmas.
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In memory of this beautiful story the flight received a free glass of malt & appelsín (some sort of fermented orange drink) served on the below napkin. ...I think the Black Death may have had more far reaching consequences than the Icelandic are willing to admit.
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