Skip to content

Top 3 Terrifying Christmas Folklore Creatures | Winter Is Watching

December 22, 2025 · 13 min

Show notes

Christmas wasn’t always warm fires and comfort.
In folklore, winter was something to fear.

In this video, we explore three of the most terrifying Christmas folklore creatures, born from harsh winters, hunger, and punishment — figures used to warn farmers, frighten children, and explain survival when the cold closed in.

From the frozen landscapes of Scotland and Iceland, these beings watched the land, judged behaviour, and punished those who failed to respect the season.

This is winter folklore at its darkest — where Christmas meant endurance, obedience, and fear.

🎄 Featuring:
– The Cailleach
– Grýla
– The Yule Cat

If you enjoy dark folklore, winter horror, and unsettling Christmas stories, you’re in the right place.

#christmashorror #winterhorror #darkfolklore #folklorehorror #christmasfolklore #mythology #wintermyths #folkloretales #horrorstory #ghoststories #spookystories #paganfolklore #icelandicfolklore #scottishfolklore #yulecat #gryla #cailleach #winterlegends #creaturelore #andotherstoriespodcast


All episodes of And Other Stories

Settings

Display

Language

Decides which stations you see first on the home page.

History

Recently played stations and episodes and your latest searches are only stored in this browser.

Notifications

A short notice when a podcast you follow has a new episode. Turn off single podcasts with the bell on their page.

Account

Save favorites – in the app and on the website.

Keyboard shortcuts

/
Open search
Space
Play or pause
← →
In the player: back 15 s, forward 30 s (episodes) · in a row: next tile
↑ ↓
In a row: target within the tile
Home / End
In a row: first or last tile
Esc
Close window or menu
?
This overview
Now playing

Go to station page

Play next

    Add episodes with “Play next” – they play after the current episode.