Hand Painted Christmas Baubles Sheep Worrier and Gully Gawk

Yule Lads no. 1 and 2

Handpainted Christmas Ball Ornament, Sheep Worrier & Gully Gawk

Name: Handpainted Christmas Ball Ornament, Sheep Worrier & Gully Gawk
Brand: The Icelandic Store
SKU: PSF922010
Price: 38.90 USD
Availability: InStock

Stekkjarstaur and Giljagaur, the first two Yule Lads · ball ornament painted by hand from the inside, after Brian Pilkington's drawings · about 8 cm (3.1 in)

$38.90

The first two brothers down from the mountains, together on one ball. A customer gave it to a daughter who had just spent two weeks in Iceland with her husband and sons, as something to remember the trip by and one day hand down. If someone close to you has come home from Iceland, this is where their Yule Lads begin.

On this ball

Stekkjarstaur on one side, with a toothy grin and his fist round a tall wooden pole
Giljagaur on the other, laughing beside a hooped wooden pail with froth on top
A deep blue night sky with pale stars behind both of them, between gold-coloured bands
About 8 cm (3.1 in) across, hanging from a gold cord

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The first two nights: 12 and 13 December
Painted by hand from the inside
Comes in a lined red box

Description

Stekkjarstaur and Giljagaur are the first two of the thirteen Icelandic Yule Lads, arriving on 12 and 13 December. In the old stories both were after milk: Stekkjarstaur from the ewes in the sheep shed, Giljagaur from the froth on the cowshed buckets.

This ball shows one brother on each side against a deep blue starry sky. The pictures are painted by hand from the inside, based on Brian Pilkington's drawings, with gold-coloured bands at the top and bottom. The ball is about 8 cm (3.1 in), hangs from a gold cord and comes in a lined red box.

It is one of seven. See the set of all seven balls.

Product facts

Characters: Stekkjarstaur (Sheep-Cote Clod, here Sheep Worrier), Yule Lad no. 1, and Giljagaur (Gully Gawk), Yule Lad no. 2
Come to town: 12 and 13 December
Size: about 8 cm (3.1 in)
Design: based on drawings by Brian Pilkington
Brand: Sólarfilma
Finish: painted by hand from the inside, gold-coloured bands at top and bottom
Background: deep blue with pale stars
In the box: one ball on a gold cord, in a lined red box
Good to know: a breakable tree decoration, not a toy
EAN: 5690666922010

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Returns — unused items in original condition within 30 days; see our returns policy.

Handpainted Christmas Ball Ornament, Sheep Worrier & Gully Gawk

$38.90

Why you'll love it

The two milk thievesStekkjarstaur went for the ewes' milk in the sheep shed, Giljagaur for the froth on the cow's milk. One ball, one story, easy to tell a child in a sentence.
A post in his name, a pole in his handStaur is Icelandic for a post. On this ball Stekkjarstaur grips a long wooden pole, and the 1932 poem that fixed the thirteen names gave him legs as stiff as one.
Painted from the insideThe pictures are painted by hand on the inside of the ball, after the drawings Brian Pilkington made of the lads. You can see the brushstrokes in the blue sky.
Where the countdown startsIcelandic children put a shoe in the window from the night before 12 December and hope for a small present in it each night. Stekkjarstaur brings the first.
A box for the other eleven monthsEach ball comes in a red box with a lining, so it goes back in safely when the tree comes down.

Popular together

Made to be used together. One click adds both to your cart.

Start at the beginning, finish on Christmas Eve
The set of seven balls brings all thirteen Yule Lads and their mother Grýla, each ball in its own red box. It costs less than buying the seven one by one and ships free to the US, Canada and Europe.
Handpainted Christmas Ball Ornament, Sheep Worrier & Gully Gawk Yule Lads Christmas Ball Ornaments - Set of All 7

$281.90 for both

Family-owned since 2013Run by two brothers in Iceland

2,600+ verified reviewsRated 4.9 out of 5

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Authentic Icelandic goodsPacked and shipped from Iceland

Questions people ask before they buy

Who are the two lads on this ball?

Stekkjarstaur and Giljagaur, the first and second of the thirteen Yule Lads. The National Museum of Iceland says Stekkjarstaur used to try to suckle the ewes in the farmers' sheep sheds, and that Giljagaur, in the days before milking machines, crept into the cowshed to steal the froth off the milk buckets.

Why does the title say Sheep Worrier?

That is the English name the publisher of the ball, Sólarfilma, gives Stekkjarstaur. Sheep-Cote Clod is the one you will meet more often. In Icelandic his name joins stekkur, a sheep pen, and staur, a post.

Is the ball glass?

The publisher does not say what the ball is made of, so we will not guess. What it does say is that the pictures are painted by hand from the inside. Hang it as you would any breakable ornament, on a branch that will hold its weight and out of reach of small children and pets.

Do the other balls match this one?

Yes. There are seven in the series, all the same size, two characters to a ball, following the order the lads arrive in. This one opens the row.

Does one ball ship free?

Not on its own. Free shipping starts at $149 to the US, Canada and Europe, which four balls together reach. Below that, you see the shipping cost at checkout before you pay.