24 December- Kertasnikir

And now we're on the last Yule Lad sighting, right on Christmas Eve!

This is the day for Kertasníkir (CARE-tuh-sneak-ear), Candle Beggar.

This all began with raiding sheep, and now it ends with candle fire. Kertasníkir loves coming to houses to steal candles when the inhabitants are not looking.

During this time of the year in the North Atlantic, it is maybe only a few hours of daylight, so candles are extremely important, especially for Berk's neighbor, the island of Iceland (about 2-4 hours daylight on this day). Even today, many homes in Iceland, the North Atlantic and Scandinavia, put candles (usually electric these days) in their windows. The Swedish Advent Light is especially popular in the whole region. This is an arch shaped base holding 7 candles, each candle with a little wreath around it. (Hey, I even have one in MY window!). It sure looks comforting seeing it shine in the window when I come home on a dark, blizzardy night. If you want to see one looks, here is an image: [link]

In the olden days, candles were a very precious commodity, and they were often given as presents to people. They meant warmth, light, cheer in a time of cold and dark, so the gift was a thoughtful one. Candles were also given to little children as gifts. In this time of no blinking lights, a candle flame that you could have all to yourself was a special treat. I imagine kids probably acted with them the way kids today act with sparklers.

Candles were not usually made from wax but rather from melted tallow, a substance rendered from sheep and beef fat. It was good to use in candles and soap. Candles could be made with molds, but also were made by repeatedly dipping a cotton or yarn wick in the tallow until it built up into a candle shape around the wick.

Of course, since they are made of animal fat, this means they are also edible. In the oldest days of the Yule Lads, Kertasníkir had a real appetite for candles, so he made a killing on Dec 24, snatching up all the unused candles after the household went to bed. Of course, he also wound up depriving families of their winter light and warmth to satisfy his craving.

Since this is now Christmas Eve, Kertasníkir has softened over the years, becoming the most benevolent of the Yule Lads. He heralds the beginning of Christmas and its joy and peace.

The Berkians picked up from an Icelandic merchant how to deal with Kertasníkir. Just get the kids to leave new candles in their shoes, so Kertasníkir would get his snacks and see no need for stealing them. He's actually pretty touched that kids are giving him a present. He takes the candles with him and then leaves the gifts for the kids in place of the candles.

He gets so many candles from all the North Atlantic Islands that there are more than he can eat, so he now likes to draft one of the more literate dragons in various islands to help him leave messages for each of the communities as a way to say thank you. It actually makes him happy to see people walking outside on Christmas Eve to family and community gatherings. When they see this primitive "sidewalk art they often wind up gathering at the place to sing songs, and that actually makes Kertasníkir and all his family (who now have all come down from the mountains) happy. Like most of the supernatural creatures, they cannot create anything artistic, so it is a treat to hear humans sing.

So, this is the last part of my series. Thank you to all who have followed me with this. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed making it.

Og ég oska ýkkar gleðileg jól og gott nýtt ár! (I wish you all happy holidays and a good new year)

Toothless (soon to be famous author) property of Cressida Cowell and Dreamworks

Go to the beginning: [link]

Dec 11 sighting: [link]

Dec 12 sighting: [link]

Dec 13 sighting: [link]

Dec 14 sighting:
[link]

Dec 15 sighting:
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Dec 16 sighting:
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Dec 17 sighting:
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Dec 18 sighting:
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Dec 19 sighting:
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Dec 20 sighting:
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Dec 21 sighting:
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Dec 22 sighting:
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Dec 23 sighting:
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