Click the tartan to view its entry in The Scottish Registers of Tartans which includes registration details, restrictions, and registrant information.
Unregistered tartans may link to one of the web's online design environments for similar information.
For any questions about reproduction of designs or weaving of these tartans, please contact the registrant directly or via this website.
Thirteenth Night
"Happy Thirteenth to you and all the Huldufólk!"
The 13th night, known as Þrettándinn in Iceland, is celebrated on January 6th and marks the conclusion of Iceland's Christmas season, which spans 13 days beginning on December 24th. This day is steeped in magic and mystery, as the final Yule Lad, Candle Beggar, makes his return to the mountains, signaling the close of the festive period.
Þrettándinn brims with folklore and fascinating traditions. It is a time when the veil between the natural and supernatural is believed to thin, allowing for extraordinary occurrences. Cows are said to gain the power of speech, seals transform into humans, and the night pulses with otherworldly energy. According to Icelandic tales, aquatic metamorphoses and supernatural gifts are not uncommon during this mystical night, adding to its allure.
Some traditions describe naked dancing under the moonlight, a custom symbolizing renewal and connection to nature. Others speak of precognitive dreams, where glimpses of the future are revealed to those who slumber on this night! What will we see? 💙 🖤 🤍 ❤️ 🐄 🦭 🎆 🕯️ 🕯️ 🧝♂️ 🇮🇸
Þrettándinn, also known as Thirteenth Night, is an Icelandic holiday celebrated on 6 January. It is the last day of 13 days of Christmas, andElf bonfires (álfabrennur) and fireworks are a common part of the holiday festivities on Thirteenth Night.
Known as the Twelfth Night in the English-speaking Christian world, Þrettándinn (directly translated as “the thirteenth”) marks the end of Iceland’s epic Christmas season. According to folk traditions and tales, Þrettándinn is a time of talking animals, aquatic metamorphoses, naked dancing, supernatural gifts, and precognitive dreams. It is also one of the four Icelandic holidays considered to have a special connection with the Huldufólk, "hidden" people: New Year's Eve, Thirteenth Night (January 6), Midsummer Night and Christmas night.
There are many Icelandic folktales about elves and hidden people invading Icelandic farmhouses during Christmas and holding wild parties. It is customary in Iceland to clean the house before Christmas, and to leave food for the huldufólk on Christmas. On New Year's Eve, it is believed that the elves move to new locations, and Icelanders leave candles to help them find their way. On Midsummer Night, if you sit at a crossroads, elves may attempt to seduce you with food and gifts; there are grave consequences for being seduced by their offers, but great rewards for resisting.
This design by Carol A.L. Martin was inspired by the elves or “hidden people” in the folklore of Iceland. Iceland’s landscape, filled with volcanoes, hot springs and avalanches and rocked by earthquakes, fuelled the imagination of ancient storytellers. Indeed, many Icelanders to this day, believe in elusive, mischievous and magical elves.
For more about the unique relationship of Icelanders with the lore of elves, click the fireworks on Thirteenth Night.