Yule lad

noun

One of several trolls, children of the ogress Grýla, who, according to Icelandic folktales, arrive one each day from December 12th through December 25, and leave one each night from December 25 through January 6. The Yule lads are associated with tricks and mischief, but also with carrying off naughty children in a burlap bag and eating them.

OriginIcelandic jólasveinn →
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Meanings

nounYule lad (plural Yule lads)

plural Yule lads

  1. One of several trolls, children of the ogress Grýla, who, according to Icelandic folktales, arrive one each day from December 12th through December 25, and leave one each night from December 25 through January 6. The Yule lads are associated with tricks and mischief, but also with carrying off naughty children in a burlap bag and eating them.

Origin

  1. Icelandicjólasveinn
  2. EnglishYule lad

Calque of Icelandic jólasveinn. Compare also Yule swain.

More words from Icelandic

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

Yule lad. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Yule%20lad

MLA

“Yule lad.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Yule%20lad. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Yule lad,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Yule%20lad.

Source: Yule lad on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.