Folklore Workshop – Grýla & The Yule Cat

Each Tuesday afternoon workshop will centre around the myth or folklore topic of that week. The aim will be to discuss ideas surrounding that belief or narrative and to come up with a finished piece using any of the methods and materials that are available. You will have access to paper/card, printing materials (linocut, block, mono or collagraph), paints, drawing materials, 3D resources (clay, paper mache, wire, wool), paints and other bits and pieces. You will have an experienced artist to help you develop your ideas and produce your artwork.

In Icelandic folklore, Grýla is a terrifying, child-eating ogress and mother to the 13 Yule Lads. Her pet, the Yule Cat (Jólakötturinn), is a giant, vicious feline. Legend dictates that on Christmas Eve, the Yule Cat prowls and devours anyone—child or adult—who hasn’t received a new piece of clothing before the holidays. Grýla has been a part of Icelandic folklore for centuries, dating as far back as the 13th-century Sturlunga Saga. Far from being a cute holiday pet, the Yule Cat is a massive and hungry beast. The legend likely originated as a way to encourage farmhands and children to finish the grueling autumn wool harvests before winter set in. Those who worked hard were rewarded with new clothes, while those who slacked off were left with nothing and were eaten.