First of all, Merry Christmas to you all! I hope everyone ate delicious food, rested deeply and, why not, that you had gifts in abundance. I wish you bonanza in every way. Let's go to the following...
I left this last Christmas chapter for a character that, personally, I loved since I met her: Grýla.
Grýla is a giant, there are those who say she is half troll, half ogre. The association of the name Grýla with a troll, comes from different texts of the thirteenth century. In the Prose Edda, written by Snorri Sturluson this character appears, which is said to be a sorceress, as in the Saga of Sverre, which begins with the story of Grýla. But it is not until the seventeenth century, in the Poem of Grýla, that this character is mentioned and her relationship with Christmas.
Her appearance is unpleasant, but it has been changing over the years. It has been said that she looks like a goat, that she has horns and tail, that she has eyes on the back of the head, that she has 15 tails, or that she has 300 heads. Today, her appearance is a bit more relaxed, while still being a bit grotesque, with a prominent nose, warts and horns. She lives in the mountains, it was originally said that she had a small house, but today she is thought to live in a cave in Dimmuborgir.
As they live in the mountains, Grýla and her family do not have much where to make a big feast. So her favorite dish is the spoiled child stew. As you read it, Grýla eats crying and disobedient brats. She and her husband, Leppalúði, travel through the villages in search of children for dinner. Apparently, the nutritional value of this dish is quite promising, since it lasts until the following winter.
By the way, Grýla is the matriarch of the family, as in many legends and stories of the Icelandic sagas, evil women are often depicted with lazy and negligent husbands. And that is the tragedy of Grýla (maybe the root of her anger?), Leppalúði, who is Grýla's second or third husband (depending on the story you read), is a lazy man who only likes to stay in his cave waiting for Grýla to give him dinner. Despite that, Leppalúði helps her to kidnap spoiled children. Grýla and Leppalúði tour the city and villages, putting the children in a sack, to boil them in their large cauldron. It is said that physically Leppalúði is not as grotesque as his wife, although, he is a malevolent being. The minutiae of their relationship have varied over the years, which are worthy of a Mexican soap opera.
Grýla's first husband, Boli, also ate humans. However, he died of old age. According to Jón Árnason, the couple had 20 children and Leppalúði had a child out of wedlock. The mother of this son had taken care of Grýla when she became ill. Leppalúði being a good-for-nothing, could not handle taking care of his wife and his 20 offspring so he hired this woman. Once recovered, Grýla sent the woman and the son away. It is also said that the couple had twins who died in the crib. But it is until the 19th century, that Grýla's children acquire relevance in the couple's narrative, as they are associated with their role within Christmas, so their malevolent character was diluted.
Grýla was a nightmare for the Icelandic children of the 18th century, El Coco of yesteryear (before Disney related it to a Mexican grandmother). So much so that in 1746 the Icelandic government banned using Grýla as a scolding tactic, since the children did not want to leave their homes.
The story of Grýla and her family in relation to Christmas has in principle a very clear message: OBEY to enjoy the festivities. But, the most interesting reason of this tale is that it is precisely during the winter, when is dark most of the day, it is snowy and cold, when it is very dangerous for children to go out alone. The creation of this story served to prevent something that was common at the time, that a child did not return home and be lost forever. The family also has a cat with a very specific taste. The so-called "Christmas Cat" is a feline who chooses to eat children who did not got new clothes for Christmas. Fashion police is on the loose. It is said that the relationship of this cat with the lifestyle of the time was to encourage people to finish their clothes and hasten the pace when knitting and making clothes for the winter.
What did we learn today?
- It is better to be alone than in bad company
- The spoiled child stew is a good solution to save expenses at home
- You have to run to the stores, do the shopping, and be on the latest trends in fashion so that the cat does not eat you.
