Yule cat

This article contains Icelandic names wherein last names are patronymic, not family names; persons are referred to by their given names.

Yule cat
Artwork depicting the Yule cat
Creature information
Other names
  • Jólakötturinn
  • Jólaköttur
  • Christmas cat
GroupingMonster
Sub groupingIcelandic Christmas folklore
Origin
First attestedÍslenzkar þjóðsögur og æfintýri in 1862
CountryIceland

The Yule cat (Icelandic: Jólakötturinn, IPA: [ˈjouːlaˌkʰœhtʏrɪn], also called Jólaköttur and the Christmas cat) is a mythical cat in Icelandic Christmas folklore. It is said to be huge, vicious, to lurk in the snowy countryside during the Christmas season, and to eat people who do not receive new clothing before Christmas Eve. In other versions of the story, the cat only eats the food of the people who had not received new clothing. Jólakötturinn is closely associated with other figures from Icelandic folklore, considered the pet of the ogress Grýla and her sons, the Yule Lads.

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