A wooden spoon with a little supper still clinging to it is just what Þvörusleikir is looking for. Known as Spoon Licker, the fourth Yule Lad arrives during the night of December 14th, ready for the morning of December 15th. Like his smaller brother Stúfur, he has a taste for the scraps left behind in the kitchen.
A Skinny Thief With a Taste for Supper
Þvörusleikir is all skin and bones. In the poem below, he is as thin as a spindle—a fitting description for a fellow who tries to make a meal of whatever he can lick from a spoon.
His favourite targets are the wooden spoons used to stir and scrape the cooking pots. Once the cook is out of the way, he helps himself to the traces of dinner. It is a small reward for all that sneaking about, but Spoon Licker is not easily discouraged.
One Last Lick Before Going Home
On December 28th, Þvörusleikir heads home to Grýla and Leppalúði. Until then, keep an eye on your wooden spoons. If you feel sorry for this skinny visitor, you might be tempted to leave a little porridge on one for him.
Spoon Licker in Verse
translation by Hallberg Hallmundsson
The fourth was Spoon Licker,
like spindle he was thin.
He felt himself in clover
when the cook wasn’t in.
Then stepping up, he grappled
the stirring spoon with glee,
holding it with both hands
for it was slippery.
A Ladle Too Hot to Lick
Ladle Licker lingered on the road,
long and thin he looks like a flagpole.
Hurrying in the dark he found a pot at once
A Small Taste of Christmas Mischief
Þvörusleikir does not need a feast. A spoonful of leftovers is enough to draw him into the kitchen—and to earn him a place among Iceland’s thirteen Christmas visitors.
Meet the previous visitor, Stúfur, then follow Pottasleikir, the next brother with an appetite for kitchen scraps. You can also meet their mother, Grýla, or explore all the Yule Lad stories.
