Yule Cat (Christmas Cat) - Icelandic Christmas Ornament
Jólakötturinn, the Yule Cat of Icelandic folklore · hand-painted hanging ornament designed by Brian Pilkington · about 7.5 cm (3 in)
A present that comes with its own reason to give clothes. Hang it on the tree, put a sweater or a pair of socks underneath, and tell the story: in Iceland, whoever gets nothing new to wear for Christmas ends up in the Yule Cat.
The cat on the ring
- Free shipping over $149 — US, Canada & Europe
- US & Canada — duties & taxes settled at checkout
- Ships worldwide from Iceland with tracking
- Goes with a gift of something to wear
- Grey tabby, tail round the ring
- The fourteenth ornament of the series
Jólakötturinn, the Yule Cat, is the Christmas monster of Icelandic folklore that goes for anyone who gets no new clothes for Christmas. It is not one of the Yule Lads, though some say it is the house cat of their parents, Grýla and Leppalúði.
On this ornament the cat clings to the front of a red ring, a grey tabby with dark stripes, yellow eyes and a frown, its tail curled round the outside. Painted by hand, about 7.5 cm (3 in), on a gold-coloured cord. Brian Pilkington designed it for Sólarfilma, and the booklet in the box tells its story in English.
Product facts
- Character
- Jólakötturinn, the Yule Cat (also called the Christmas Cat). It is not a Yule Lad
- Size
- about 7.5 cm (3 in), by the maker's measure
- Design
- Brian Pilkington
- Brand
- Sólarfilma
- Finish
- painted by hand
- Colour
- grey with dark stripes, yellow eyes
- Hangs from
- a gold-coloured cord loop
- In the box
- the ornament in a clear window box, with a small booklet in English about the 13 Yule Lads and the Yule Cat
- Good to know
- a decoration, not a toy
- EAN
- 5690666911144
Shipping, duties & returns
Shipping — DHL Express worldwide, fully tracked. Rates & times
US & Canada duties — collected at checkout; nothing to pay on delivery. How it works
Returns — unused items in original condition within 30 days; see our returns policy.
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Why you'll love it
- Why the knitting got doneThe National Museum of Iceland links the story to work: those who kept at the knitting before Christmas were given a new garment, and so stayed out of the cat's reach.
- Related to the Christmas BuckThe museum compares it most closely with the Nordic Christmas Buck, which also watches people through Advent and preys on anyone without new clothes.
- For people who miss their own catOne reviewer with two black cats at home missed them while travelling in Iceland, and chose this ornament for that reason.
- Designed twice by the same handBrian Pilkington designed the Yule Cat for Sólarfilma both as a standing figure and as this ornament, along with the thirteen brothers.
- Its story is in the boxThe English booklet that comes with it covers the Yule Cat as well as the thirteen Yule Lads.
Questions people ask before they buy
What does the Yule Cat do?
Is it one of the Yule Lads?
Is the cat black?
How big is it?
The thirteen Yule Lads it keeps company with
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