Yule Lad STUBBY

 STUBBY

(Stúfur)

Sandra Rós Björnsdóttir

On the night before December 14th, Stubby (sometimes called Shorty), the third yule lad, comes to town.

Stubby is unusually short and therefore, the shortest of all the yule lads. He sneaks into homes and steals the frying pans to scrape the delicious crusted leftovers.

To the home owners' detriment, this was quite devastating. Frying pans were an imported item and therefore expensive for the many struggling households.

Haukur Valdimar Pálsson

Stubby goes back home on December 27.

STUBBY - POEM

by Jóhannes úr Kötlum

translation by Hallberg Hallmundsson

Stubby was the third called,

a stunted little man,

who watched for every chance

to whisk off a pan.

And scurrying away with it,

he scraped off the bits

that stuck to the bottom

and brims - his favorites.

SHORTY - VERSE

Poor Shorty kept his undivided attention

on the kitchen pans, coveting their contents.

On stubby legs he hovered near the larder,

ingenious in finding ways to get near the roast.

Waiting in a corner where he was unseen,

for a chance to snatch a pan of juicy meat.