Grimvar the Snow-Eater

The story goes that the whistling of the winter winds wakes Grimvar from his summer hibernation, in a cave deep within the mountains. Awaking both hungry and thirsty, Grimvar begins his long trek through the countryside, looking for a hospitable inn. Each year, however, with the warmth and lights of civilisation just within his grasp, he finds himself unable to resist the ravenous hunger raging within, and instead eats his fill of the blanket of snow covering the ground. His stomach full to bursting, he retires to his cave, to await the next snowstorm.   Grimvar's bitter rival, Squinzor the Grit-Bringer, is said to pride himself on preventing the snow, on which Grimvar subsists, from even settling to the ground, depriving him of his fated feast.

The character of Grimvar realistically arose purely as a fanciful explanation for, following a snowstorm, there not being quite as much snow on the ground as the residents of a community expected. The true origins of the story are lost to time, but it is likely that the whole thing is just a joke that got out of hand.