The Yule Cat
Iceland's own ferocious and fashion-conscious feline
Socks and underwear are shorthand for disappointing Christmas gifts.
We all have that clueless relative who zeroed in on giving you practical gifts as a child instead of the newest toys you crave. Well, if you grew up in Iceland, you might have a better appreciation of finding clothing inside that wrapped box under your Christmas tree. That simple gift may have saved you from experiencing the horrors of the Yule Cat firsthand.
Beware the Yule Cat!
The Yule Cat, also known as Jólakötturinn, is a creature of Icelandic folklore traced back to the dark ages. It embodies the term house cat literally since this giant black cat is indeed the size of a house. Stalking rural Iceland on Christmas eve, the Yule Cat roams the countryside searching for prey. Children who fail to receive new clothes for Christmas top the hungry feline’s menu.
The Yule Cat will go from house to house peering through windows. If it sees children in a particular home have been given new clothing, the giant black cat will move on to the next home. When the Yule Cat arrives at a home where children have not received new clothes, their fate is sealed. It steals their food for an appetizer and then devours the children afterward for the main course. Later versions of the legend frame the monstrous feline as a pet of the ogress Grýla — a twisted version of Santa Claus — and her sons, the Yule Lads.
Yule Cat origins
The earliest written account of the Yule Cat first appeared in a collection of folklore from Icelandic writer Jón Árnason published in 1862. Legends detailing the ferocious feline became a staple of Icelandic Christmas folklore after Jóhannes úr Kötlum published a poetry collection in 1932 that included a popular poem titled Jólakötturinn chronicling the Yule Cat.
The Yule Cat may have been inspired by stories of troll cats in Scandanavian folklore. Troll cats were felines conjured by witches and wizards from ingredients like the fingernails and bones of a dead human for the sole purpose of doing their bidding.
As with other Christmas folklore, the Yule Cat serves as a cautionary figure meant to inspire children to be good instead of naughty. Children who finished their chores before Christmas got new clothing as a reward. Lazy and disobedient children were left to face the Yule Cat’s wrath.
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The Yule Cat just continues to fascinate me. Such a strange beast with a particular preference in children snacks. I guess it is one way to make your kids appreciate getting clothes as a gift.
This is why I always get new clothes every year....