Gävlebocken

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🌲🧚‍♂️The Year Walk ('årsgång') was a Swedish ritual, usually practiced on New Year's Eve. The practitioners would venture into a dark forest all alone at night, and face challenges like encounters with supernatural beings. Those who persevered, would see the future. Art by Jana Heiersdorf.🌲🧚‍♂️

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Royal Court [of Sweden]: “In this year’s Christmas Speech, The King urged Swedish people to hold on to hope for the future. The King also highlighted humanity as driving force throughout the country. And that the message of Christmas hope and reconciliation – that darkness never has the last word.”

Merry Christmas and I hope Jólaköttur the Yule cat didn’t visit last night 😆🎄🐈‍⬛ (The Yule cat of Icelandic folklore is supposed to eat people who do not receive new clothing before Christmas Eve)

Art of Jólaköttur or the Yule cat of Icelandic folklore. It supposedly eats people who did not get new clothes for Christmas. Giant black cat smiling and standing in front of a house with some kids sweater in its mouth.

The Yule Goat Born of Thor’s thunderous beasts, he massive & wanders village to village, testing the cheer of the season. Sometimes he brings gifts, sometimes he demands them. To honor him is to welcome Yule. He is Capricorn the God of Saturn 🪐 the Star ⭐️ a top the Yule Tree. God Jul to him.

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🎄ขอเปิดตัวภูตผีแห่งฤดูหนาว🎄 Krampus🐐 : ปกติเป็นอ้วนใจดี แต่หากใครเป็นเด็กซนจะเอาไปเป็นต้มยำ Mari Lywd🐎 : ใจดี ชอบกิน ชอบเที่ยว แต่คนส่วนใหญ่กลัวซะงั้น Yule Cat🐈‍⬛: ชอบแทะเสื้อผ้าโดยเฉพาะผ้าใหม่ๆ แต่ชอบกินเนื้อคนใส่เสื้อผ้าเก่าๆ มากกว่า #CreepyCat #IFEXPOWINTER25 #IFEXPOWINTER2025

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The Jólakötturinn, or the Yule Cat is a monstrously large creature from Icelandic folklore that is said to roam the snowy countryside during Christmas, with a particular appetite for anyone who has not received new clothes before Christmas Eve or who did not wear them.

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Tonight Pottaskefill (Pot Licker), the 5th of Icelands 13 Yule Lads, will come down from the mountains. He likes to sneak into houses and lick the used pots clean. Children leave their shoes out in the window, he gives the good ones a small gift, the bad ones get a potato.

A Yule Lad with a white beard and a red hat with a stack of pots in his arms. Illustration by Brian Pilkington.