The Icelandic Legend of Jólakötturinn The Giant ‘Yule Cat’ Who Eats Children Without New Clothes On Christmas

Coal may not be the only incentive to keep the kids in line.

Stephanie

• Published in News
• December 26, 2019

Christmas is a time to spread happiness and share joy all around. It's a time to exchange gifts and make each other feel special. Christmas is a particularly joyful time for children - unless of course, they have been naughty throughout the year. Of course, no child wants to receive coal from Santa. However, coal may not be the only incentive to keep the kids in line.

All around the world, there are many different Christmas stories, and some of them have much harsher penalties for naughty children. Take for example the Icelandic legend of Jólakötturinn, or the Yule Cat, who eats small children who don't receive new clothes before Christmas night.

Scroll down to learn about the story.

Back in the Dark Ages in Iceland, all family members were given tasks related to wool production.

The only thing most families could afford as Christmas gifts was woolen clothes. And that was only possible if every family member completed their tasks in time. So the legend of Jólakötturinn was born to scare lazy children into completing their work.

The giant cat pees through the windows of homes looking for children who didn't receive their clothing during Christmas night.

He then hunts them down and eats the naught children. How scary is that?

Before the holidays, PBS aired a special on the scary feline, hosted by Dr. Emily Zarka. You can watch it below.

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Stephanie