An illuminated cat sculpture in downtown Reykjavik on November 29, 2021. Icelandic folklore tells of a giant cat that eats children who do not wear their new clothes at Christmas time.
Halldor Kolbeins/AFP via Getty Images
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An illuminated cat sculpture in downtown Reykjavik on November 29, 2021. Icelandic folklore tells of a giant cat that eats children who do not wear their new clothes at Christmas time.
Halldor Kolbeins/AFP via Getty Images
The holiday season is just around the corner and even though kids hate receiving new clothes as gifts, the best thing they can do is put on that new, itchy sweater or slip on those unwanted socks. Otherwise you risk being eaten alive by a giant cat, at least according to Icelandic folklore.
That's right. A child's worst nightmare – new clothes under the tree – can only be surpassed by a somehow even worse nightmare: being devoured by a feral cat that preys on children caught not wearing their new clothes.
The story of Jólakötturinn, which translates to “Christmas Cat,” is an Icelandic Christmas classic dating back to at least 1932, according to the Icelandic Folklore website, a research project at the University of Iceland.
Jóhannes úr Kötlum, an Icelandic poet, wrote about the Christmas cat in his book Jólin koma (Christmas is Coming), published in 1932.
Kötlum's poem tells the story of a “very large” cat with shining eyes. It roams the countryside, going from house to house, looking for children who are not wearing the new clothes they got for Christmas, the poem says.
Memes about the Christmas cat have been circulating on social media, some intended to be creepy while others are a mix of fascination and satire.
As Christmas approaches, memes about the Christmas cat are circulating on Instagram and other social media platforms. Some portray the giant cat as a scary figure, others take a more satirical approach.
Screenshot by @SkullValleySheepKill on Instagram
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Screenshot by @SkullValleySheepKill on Instagram
“I'm really fascinated by other cultures' holiday traditions, so I say hello to my boy the Christmas cat,” one meme reads. “A monstrous cat that roams Iceland eating people who aren’t wearing the clothes they were given for Christmas.”
The Christmas Cat isn't the only scary character to appear at Christmas.
Another European folklore figure, according to mythology.net, is Krampus, an anti-Santa demon who kidnaps and punishes naughty children. Munich, Germany hosts an annual Krampus Run that attracts hundreds of participants – and more spectators – each year.