YULE CAT, A Cross-Cultural Reference Guide To Christmas, Yule, Solstice Customs

[KittyWampus]

Please let us know of any fun, peculiar or noteworthy Yuletide Customs from around the world or that your family or friends might have.





Yule Cat:

Grýla, the ghastly child-eating ogre and mother of the Yule Lads, has a rather under-publicized yet sinister sidekick: jólakötturinn, or the Yule Cat, who lives with her in her cave.

In the Iceland of yore, every person who did not get a new item of clothing for Christmas ended up in the belly of the Yule Cat. Today the Yule Cat is still alive and thriving, particularly in the minds of crafty teenagers who maintain that they absolutely must have that new – or else the Yule Cat will get them.

Actually, it does seem like a rather bizarre bit of folklore. Why should the poor unfortunates who could not afford new items of clothing also become the hapless victims of the Yule Cat? Garðar’s invaluable Yule site offers a possible explanation: “…this tradition is based on the fact that every effort was made to finish all work with the Autumn wool before Yule. The reward for those who took part in the work was a new piece of clothing. Those who were lazy received nothing. Thus the Yule Cat was used as an incentive to get people to work harder.”

Sounds plausible enough. Although why every Icelander today should still insist on having a complete new outfit for Christmas on account of the dreaded Yule Cat remains a mystery.

[Demoiselle]

1. That is one butt ugly kitteh. And I speak as a cat lover.