The Lerwick Up Helly Aa is the largest Up Helly Aa fire festival celebrated annually on the last Tuesday in January in Lerwick, the capital of Shetland, Scotland. A Guizer Jarl has featured in each Lerwick Up Helly Aa since the introduction of the position in 1906. The Guizer Jarl is the chief guizer, who (in the modern festival) leads a squad dressed as Vikings who are the primary focus of the festival's proceedings. Only the Jarl's Squad dresses as Vikings; the festival's other squads dress up in other costumes associated with the act they perform throughout the halls opened after the torchlight procession.
It took until after the First World War until a squad of Vikings appeared in the festival every year. As the festival developed, each Guizer Jarl would select a name for the galley, which is constructed from October the previous year and burned at the culmination of the torchlight procession. Later again, the Guizer Jarl began to portray specific individuals from the sagas, or the history of Shetland, and began to select a tune to be played by the Lerwick Brass Band as the Jarl leads his squad up the ranks of guizers just prior to the torchlight procession.
Those wishing to become Guizer Jarl must be elected to the Lerwick Up Helly Aa Committee (elections are held during mass meetings which all squads' members can attend), and then serve the committee for 15 years. Traditionally, women and girls were not permitted in any Lerwick squad, and as such were not able to become Guizer Jarl, however in 2022 the Lerwick Up Helly Aa Committee lifted this restriction for future festivals, and the first female members in the Lerwick Jarl's Squad featured in 2024. While female guizers are permitted to varying degrees in the other Up Helly Aa festivals in Shetland, three Up Helly Aas have had female Guizer Jarls: Angela Tait (now Leask), being the first female Jarl at the 1988 Walls Junior Up Helly Aa organised by the Brownies; Lesley Simpson, who became the first adult female Jarl at the 2015 South Mainland Up Helly Aa, and Alice Jamieson became the first female Guizer Jarl in 2025 for Cullivoe.
List of Lerwick UHA Guizer Jarls YearGuizer JarlPortrayingGalley NameRanks TuneReference1906J. W. Robertson1907H. J. Anderson1908W. Sinclair1909Jas. Laing1910G. T. Anderson1911E. S. Reid Tait1912E. S. Reid Tait (for H. Kay)1913McG. ScottThor1914Laurence SandisonAegers Hest1915Not held due to First World War19161917191819191920Bertie Robertson1921A. P. HawickVikingsHaco1922George H. BurgessBalderSigr1923John CampbellFreyNjord1924Charles A. PetrieHeimdallGerda1925Laurence GrayNjordMaurildi1926Charles A. MansonHelgeland VikingsHvitabjörn1927James McIntoshOlaf TryggvesonOrmr1928Robert A. JohnsonUllrVegr1929P. Bruce LaurensonVikingsVali1930P. S. GoodladJom VikingsFraegth1931J. W. IrvineJorsalafarersIdun1932Peter MoarVikingsFriðr1933A. R. M. MathewsonFrithiofEllida1934Tom HenryKing Sverre's BirkbeinersHugro1935John GearVikingsSæ-Orn1936J. W. P. AngusVaranger GuardBeykisudin1937Robert GrayLeif EriksonOdur1938James AndersonHjaltlandersJola-Tungl1939Gilbert HalcrowErik the RedVisund1940Not held due to Second World War194119421943194419451946194719481949L. L. JohnsonJarl Rognvald KolsonHjolp1950G. W. BlanceTorf-EinarrMöre1951J. W. HunterSverreMariasud1952J. P. SmithJarl Ragnvald MôreSundmöre1953A. B. WilliamsonEyskeggsEyskegg1954L. T. ThomasonHakon HakonssonKross-Suthin1955J. M. McIntoshThorfin KarlsefniGudrid1956J. P. MoarKing Harald HarfagrGyda1957A. G. JohnstonHaakon the JarlThora1958G. A. W. MansonJarl Erik HaakonssonJernskjegg1959Jack ScottKing Magnus BarelegsHok1960William L. TaitOlaf the SaintVisund1961James YoungHarald Hardrada's VaeringsVæring1962G. W. LeaskOlaf KyrreOlaf Kyrre1963G. A. B. PatonSigurd the CrusaderJorsalfarer1964J. G. HunterKing Harald GraafeldHarald GrafelOur Director1965Thomas MoncrieffOttar the ExplorerLokiOur Director1966Joe S. HunterHaakon the GoodFeeyarsundBelphegor1967Douglas C. SmithErling SkakkiBökesundenStein Song1968Thomas SimpsonHalfdan the BlackViggyrdil (war girdle)Scotland the Brave1969A. T. H. TullochMagnus the LawmenderLagaböter (lawmender)Wark o' the Weavers1970William PetersonEinar ThambarskelverOrmrinn Langi (long serpent)Our Director1971Allan AndersonTore the HoundUlvin (wolf)Imperial Echoes1972John L. LaurensonBonderGula Ting SkibErimus1973Robert GeddesFloki of the RavensGeirhildaStandard of St George1974James KerrMagnus the GoodBisonSaints1975Maurice MansonEarl Thorfinn the MightyBifrostRasmus1976John JohnstonKali KolssonFifa (arrow)Under the Double Eagle1977George HunterSigmund Brestisson of FaroeSkudaRadetsky1978Peter LeithBjorn of MousaThoraMangaster Voe1979J. J. NicolsonEgil ScallagrimssonKveldulf (night wolf)Slantigart1980D. G. LeslieJan BjornejegerenVår (spring)B/M Burgoyne1981Harry JamiesonThorvald ThoresonVirdaBlaze Away1982Kenneth CrossanHakon's FakkelbaereOrmen (serpent)Gerty Boys1983James BurgessKári SolmundarsonNjord (god of wealth, sea & fire)Fraternity1984Peter MalcolmsonEirik Bloodaxe HaraldsonBokiesBlayden Races1985John RatterThorvald InflyterreLaksAces High1986Gordon StronachSigurd's CrusadersNordlys (northern lights)Sigurd's March1987Magnus SimpsonRagnar LodbrokSungamBrown Girl1988Charles SimpsonThorbjorn ClerkRavnurHolyrood1989Willie BlackHalfdan of BrousterJaruinBlack Bear1990John MathewsonSvein AsleifarsonGarekseyColonel Bogey1991Andrew JohnstonThorstein OlafssonSjøormenAnchors Aweigh1992Laurence MoncrieffMagnus ErlendssonShoormalValdres March1993Ronald GairEarl Rognvald BrusasonVagsoyRoll Out the Barrel1994Charles W. GrantGoturm the DaneDrakkerOld Comrades1995Peter R. LeaskJon Petersson of SognAlasundVienna Remains Vienna1996Jim CouttsBrúsi SigurdssonVågarThe Happy Wanderer1997Willie SmithSigurd MagnussonGarvorGammel Jegermarsj1998Colin SummersThorbjorn of Wast BurrafirtLori TafgenJarl Summers Time1999Davie MathewsonSigurd HlodvissonÁsmundarvagLiberty Bell2000Billy GoudieHarald MaddadssonHvit LynBritish Legion2001Michael GroatGunnar HamundarsonOld FaithfulBlaze Away2002Bruce LeaskHarald Gilli MagnussonVestmaenirHighland Laddie2003Alex JohnsonOlaf SitricsonAaksytrikWilds o' Yell2004Stanley MansonNaddod of FaroeBergholmShow Business2005Peter FraserEarl Sigurd o' GordPete's DragonTeddy Bears' Picnic2006Mark MansonEinar of GullberuvikMoogiBlues on the March2007Graham NicolsonGunnar EgilssonJupiterBlaze Away2008Roy LeaskKol KalisonBreckonDambusters March2009Stephen MouatOthere Fra HålogalandIs BjørnThe Great Escape2010Rae SimpsonSigurd "Snake-Eye" RagnarssonAvie-JaneKilliecrankie2011John HunterJohan Sanderrevet of ValsgärdeJägareThe Regiment2012David NicolsonBöthvar EgilssonPer ArduaThe A-Team2013Stephen GrantGamle ErikssonKrisaraOn the Quarterdeck2014Ivor ClunessIvar (The Boneless) RagnarssonCongo WarriorRaiders March2015Neil RobertsonOlav HarldssonNils OlavOut of the Blue2016Mark EvansSolmund Sigurdsson of TønsbergLauren GracePride of Princess Street2017Lyall GairSweyn "Forkbeard" HaraldssonFalconGonna Fly Now2018Stewart JamiesonThorvald ThorvaldssonBlaze AwayOld Comrades2019John NicolsonThorstein EgilssonChloe BarbaraThe Magnificent Seven2020Liam SummersOdin - Lord of the GallowsYggdrasilErimus 2021Postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic 2022 2023Neil MoncrieffNjal ThorgeirssonPetingaerThe Middy2024Richard MoarHarald OlafssonEthenaGerty Boys2025Calum GrainsEystein MagnussonByssenAnchors Aweigh2026Lynden NicolsonKnut the GreatSkyldulíð2027Ryan Leith2028Brydon Wright2029Graeme Garrick2030Robert Geddes2031Ryan Wright2032Neil Fraser2033Brydon Gray2034Gary Smith2035James Leask2036Jon Pulley2037Jordan Hunter2038Shane Jamieson2039Scot Goudie2040John Gair2041Stuart Nicolson
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