Jólakötturinn is the Icelandic Christmas cat said to eat people who do not receive new clothes.
The name is usually translated as “the Yule Cat” or “Christmas Cat.” In the best-known version of the legend, the enormous, vicious cat prowls Iceland’s snowy countryside during the Christmas season and devours anyone who has not received a new garment before Christmas Eve. Some versions say it eats the person’s Christmas food instead.
The story was connected to wool work and winter preparation. Farm workers who helped process autumn wool could be rewarded with new clothing, while those who did not participate might receive nothing. The frightening cat therefore acted as a dramatic incentive to finish textile work before Christmas and to ensure people had warm clothes for winter.
The earliest definitive written account appeared in Jón Árnason’s 1862 collection of Icelandic folklore. The character became especially prominent after poet Jóhannes úr Kötlum included a poem titled “Jólakötturinn” in his 1932 collection Jólin koma. The Yule Cat is often associated with the ogress Grýla and the Yule Lads, but it is a separate figure.