Emporiblog - Jólakötturinn
Who is Jólakötturinn?
Jólakötturinn ( pronounced = yola kitt oreen) or The Yule Cat is a giant black monster cat from Icelandic folklore. Jólakötturinn supposedly comes on Christmas Eve and then eats anyone on Christmas Eve/Day who hasn't received any new clothes. I did also read that he only eats children who did not complete their autumn wool work, which in turn would lead to them not having new clothes for Christmas or children that have misbehaved. Another version states that he eats the Christmas feast of those who haven't worked hard enough, with new clothes being a sign that people had worked hard.
Where did Jólakötturinn come from?
Jólakötturinn is thought to have been around since the middle ages and is supposed to be the pet of Grýla. Grýla is a giant ogress who is thought to be a dark and terrifying version of Santa Claus (think Krampus but bigger). She is the mother of the 13 Yule Lads and lives in the mountains near the Dimmuborgir region. She ventures down on Christmas Eve along side Jólakötturinn and eats all of the children who have misbehaved throughout the year. Both of their exact origins are shrouded in mystery despite Grýla being mentioned in middle age poetry but, Jólakötturinn's first written mention was about 200 years ago in a poem by Jóhannes úr Kötlum, which reignited his legend. Grýla also has a husband called Leppalúði (Leppaludi). Leppalúði is supposedly her 3rd husband and is said to mostly stay at home ( her previous husbands/children don't get much of a mention nowadays).
Do Grýla and Jólakötturinn still have a place in modern times?
Yes, although they have been watered down over the years. They no longer eat humans and have replaced this practice with putting rotten vegetables in offending children's Christmas stockings, supposedly. Every year, a monument made of Christmas lights of Jólakötturinn is displayed (like the Christmas lights of the Mousehole Cat in Cornwall) to keep the story of Jólakötturinn in memory.
If I have gotten any of this wrong, please let me know so I can correct it!
I hope you've enjoyed this little post! There will be more Christmas/Yule folklore posts throughout the month!
Blessings,
C )0(
👇🏻👇🏻👇🏻
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