Yule Lad no. 1 of 13

Sheep-Cote Clod - Yule Lad Ornament

Name: Sheep-Cote Clod - Yule Lad Ornament
Brand: The Icelandic Store
SKU: YULE000032
Price: 25.90 USD
Availability: InStock

Stekkjarstaur, the first Yule Lad (12 December) · hand-painted hanging ornament designed by Brian Pilkington · about 7.5 cm (3 in)

$25.90

The first of the thirteen to arrive, and the natural first ornament if you are starting the family: from his night on, a new brother comes every day until Christmas Eve.

Stiff-legged and wide-armed

Facing straight out, arms flung wide to grip both sides of the ring
Legs straight and stiff, shoes planted on the bottom of the ring
Wide-eyed and open-mouthed, with a long white beard
Grey sleeves with red-and-yellow striped cuffs; STEKKJARSTAUR in gold round the foot

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First down from the mountains, 12 December
Stiff legs, arms flung wide
Window box with a winter scene

Description

Stekkjarstaur, Sheep-Cote Clod, is the first of the thirteen Icelandic Yule Lads and comes down from the mountains on 12 December. The National Museum of Iceland says he tried to suckle the ewes in the farmers' sheep sheds, and the 1932 poem that named the thirteen gave him stiff legs, so it never went well.

The ornament shows him facing straight out, arms flung wide across a red ring, legs stiff. His back is modelled and painted as carefully as his front. About 7.5 cm (3 in), designed by Brian Pilkington for Sólarfilma; the booklet in the box calls him Sheep Worrier.

Product facts

Character: Stekkjarstaur (Sheep-Cote Clod, also Sheep Worrier), the first of the 13 Yule Lads
Comes to town: 12 December
Size: about 7.5 cm (3 in), by the maker's measure
Design: Brian Pilkington
Brand: Sólarfilma
Finish: painted by hand, back as well as front
Hangs from: a gold-coloured cord loop
In the box: the ornament in a clear window box, with a small booklet in English about the 13 Yule Lads and the Yule Cat
Good to know: a decoration, not a toy
EAN: 5690666911014

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Sheep-Cote Clod - Yule Lad Ornament

$25.90

Why you'll love it

The shoe in the windowOn the night before 12 December, Icelandic children put a shoe in the window for him and hope for a small gift by morning. A child who has misbehaved may find a potato.
He looked like someone she knewOne customer bought him because he looked just like her husband, and called these the nicest Yule Lad ornaments she had seen.
Designed for a Reykjavík family firmSólarfilma, founded in Reykjavík in 1961 as a family company, had Brian Pilkington design these fourteen ornaments for it alone.
Ready to give as it comesThe window box has a printed snowy backdrop behind the ornament and a booklet in English inside.
First at the museum tooWhen the Yule Lads visit the National Museum of Iceland each December, one a day, he opens the run on 12 December.

Popular together

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

Sheep-Cote Clod, sheep and all
The standing figure, about 9.5 cm, has him astride a shaggy black-faced sheep in the middle of his raid. The ornament for the tree, the figure for the shelf.
Sheep-Cote Clod - Yule Lad Ornament Icelandic Yule Lad - Sheep-Cote Clod

$63.80 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

Why are his legs so straight?

Stiff legs are his trademark. The 1932 poem by Jóhannes úr Kötlum that fixed the thirteen names gives him stiff legs, which is why his raids on the sheep shed never went well. The booklet in his box says the same stiff legs make his walk down from the mountains hard going.

What did he do?

The National Museum of Iceland says he tried to suckle the ewes in the farmers' sheep sheds.

Sheep-Cote Clod or Sheep Worrier?

Both. Sheep-Cote Clod is the National Museum's English name; the booklet in the box calls him Sheep Worrier. His Icelandic name, on the ring, joins stekkur, a sheep pen, and staur, a post.

Is the back painted?

Yes. From behind, his brown breeches, shaggy waistcoat and grey stockings are modelled and painted too.