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Christmas isn’t just a time for presents, cookies, and holiday cheer, but the hunting period of Iceland’s murderous monster feline, the Yule Cat. This giant, fluffy cat towers over buildings, roaming the snowy countryside for human victims who have yet to receive new clothes before Christmas.

Although at first glance this monster may seem random, in this episode you’ll learn how the importance of wool production, the absence of Santa Claus, and a respect for cats drove Icelandic folklore to create such a gruesome Yuletime critter. #yulecat #christmas #iceland #cat #MonstrumPBS

Written and Hosted by: Dr. Emily Zarka
Director: David Schulte
Executive Producer: Amanda Fox
Producer: Stephanie Noone
Illustrator: Samuel Allen
Editor: Sara Roma
Produced by Spotzen for PBS Digital Studios.

We would like to sincerely thank Dr. Árni Björnsson for his expertise and time. Special thanks also to Sylvía Oddný Arnardóttir and the Skógar Folk Museum, and Gróa Finnsdóttir and the National Museum of Iceland.

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BIBLIOGRAPHY:

Árnason, Jón. Icelandic Legends. Trans. George E. J. Powell and Eiríkur Magnússon. London: Richard Bentley, 1864.

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Björnsson, Árni. High Days and Holidays in Iceland. Trans. Anna H. Yates. Mal og menning, 1995.

Björnsson, Árni. Í jólaskapi (In a Christmas Mood). Bjallan, 1983.
Dalrymple, Colin Arnold. “Christmas Cat Cost Causes Controversy.” The Reykjavík Grapevine, Nov. 27, 2018. https://grapevine.is/news/2018/11/27/....

Gunnell, Terry. The Origins of Drama in Scandinavia. D.S. Brewer, 1995.

Guðmundur, Ólafsson. “Jólakötturinn og uppruni hans (‘The Yule Cat and his origins’).” Árbók Hins Íslenzka Fornleifafélags 86, 1989, pp. 111120.
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Raedisch, Linda. The Old Magic of Christmas. Llewellyn Publications, 2019.

Róbertsdóttir, Hrefna. Wool and Society: Manufacturing Policy, Economic Thought and Local Production in 18thcentury Iceland. Makadam Publishers, 2008.

Sigurðsson, Arngrimur. Museum of Hidden Beings. SalkaReykjavik, 2016.

“10 facts about the Icelandic Yule Lads.” Iceland Monitor, Dec. 20, 2016. https://icelandmonitor.mbl.is/news/cu....