The Yule Cat, gouache [View all]

Last edited Tue Dec 23, 2025, 11:37 PM - Edit history (2)

Gleðileg jól!

The Yule Cat, Jólakötturinn, is a creature of Icelandic folklore. He is the pet of the troll woman Grýla, her husband Leppalúði, and their thirteen troll sons, the Yule Lads. The cat is enormous, bigger than a house, and he prowls around on Christmas Eve looking for people who didn't get new wool clothing for Christmas, whom he eats. "The Yule cat was used as a threat and incentive for farm workers to finish processing the wool collected in the autumn before Christmas. Those who took part in the work were rewarded with new clothes, but those who did not would get nothing and thus would be prey for the Yule cat."