Icelandic Yule Lad - Cristmas Cat

Yule cat - Jólakötturinn

According to legends, the Christmas or Yule Cat is a monstrously huge black cat that only appears at Christmas Eve, looking for children who are not well dressed or wearing new clothing. If the Yule Cat finds one, he eats it.

It’s still traditional in Iceland to give children something new to wear before Christmas “so that the Christmas cat doesn’t get you” — although, of course, no one really believes in its literal existence.

What is the purpose of the Yule Cat?

The idea is that families gift each other new and warm clothes for the winter, and make the Yule cat an offering of some warm weather gear.

Why would the yule cat eat children in iceland?

Though referred to as an ancient tradition, written accounts of the Yule Cat have only been located as recently as the 19th century. The threat of being eaten by the Yule Cat was used by farmers as an incentive for their workers to finish processing the autumn wool before Christmas. The ones who took part in the work would be rewarded with new clothes, but those who did not would get nothing and thus would be preyed upon by the monstrous cat. The cat has alternatively been described as merely eating away the food of ones without new clothes during Christmas feasts. The perception of the Yule Cat as a man-eating beast was partly popularized by poems of Jóhannes úr Kötlum as with the rest of the folklore.

Story of the Yule Lads

In Iceland there is a folk tale about the 13 Icelandic Christmas Trolls or the Santa Clauses, called Yule Lads. 
Care to know more about the other Christmas lads?

Buy set of all the Yule Lads Christmas decorations?

You can get Christmas figurines with the 13 Icelandic Yule Lads here to decorate your home.
Here is a set of all 16 yule figurines
Here is a set of all 14 yule ornaments
Here is a set of all 7 yule lads ornaments