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Grýla the Christmas Witch: Iceland’s Creepiest Holiday Legend
Erika Karl Erika Karl

Grýla the Christmas Witch: Iceland’s Creepiest Holiday Legend

Gryla is the terrifying matriarch of Iceland’s holiday folklore. She’s part ogre and part witch with a penchant for eating misbehaving children. (My favorite kind of Christmas Creep!) According to legend, she lives in a cave in the mountains, emerging around Christmas to hunt for naughty kids to toss into her stew pot. No amount of “nice” behavior can save you if you’ve been bad—Gryla keeps a year-round naughty list, and she’s not shy about checking it.

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