The cat-sìth (Scottish Gaelic: [kʰaʰt̪ ˈʃiː], plural cait-shìth), in Irish cat sí (Irish: [kat̪ˠ ˈʃiː]), is a fairy creature from Celtic mythology, said to resemble a large black cat with a white spot on its chest. Legend has it that the spectral cat haunts the Scottish Highlands. The legends surrounding this creature are more common in Scottish folklore, but a few occur in Irish. Some common folklore suggested that the cat-sìth was not a fairy, but a witch that could transform into a cat nine times.[1][2][3]
 An Illustration from More English Fairy Tales from the story "The King of the Cats". | |
| Grouping | Legendary creature |
|---|---|
| Sub grouping | Fairy, witch |
| Similar entities | Phantom cat |
| Folklore | Scottish, Irish |
| Other name(s) | Cat-sidhe, Fairy Cat |
| Country | Scotland |
| Region | Scottish Highlands |
The cat-sìth may have been inspired by the Scottish wildcat itself.[4] Furthermore, it is also possible that the legends of the cat-sìth were inspired by Kellas cats, which are a distinctive hybrid between Scottish wildcats and domestic cats found only in Scotland (the Scottish wildcat is a population of the European wildcat, which is now absent from elsewhere in the British Isles).
Appearance
editThe cat-sìth is all black with the exception of a white spot on its chest.[5] It is described as being as large as a dog and chooses to display itself with its back arched and bristles erect.[1][5]
The King of the Cats
editIn the English folk tale "The King of the Cats", a man comes home to tell his wife and cat, Old Tom, that he saw nine black cats with white spots on their chests carrying a coffin with a crown on it and one of the cats tells the man to "Tell Tom Tildrum that Tim Toldrum is dead." Old Tom then exclaims, "What?! Old Tim dead! Then I'm the King o' the Cats!" The cat then climbs up the chimney and is never seen again.[6]
Witches
editSome people believed that the cat-sìth was a witch or demon in the guise of an animal, and that cat-sìth had no connection to fairies. [1]
Summoning
editThe demonic cat-sìth called Big Ears could be summoned (Gaelic taghairm Scottish Gaelic pronunciation: [tɤrʲɤm]) to appear and grant any wish to those who took part in the ceremony. The ceremony required practitioners to burn the bodies of cats over the course of four days and nights.[1][7]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c d Campbell, John Gregorson. "Superstitions of the Highlands & Islands of Scotland". Retrieved 29 November 2024.
- ^ MacGillivray, Deborah. "The Cait Sidhe". Archived from the original on 21 August 2012. Retrieved 14 September 2012.
- ^ Robin Mudge (28 January 2015). "Meet the "King of Cats" From Celtic Folklore". Catster. Retrieved 11 March 2019.
- ^ Matthews, John; Caitlín Matthews (2005). The Element Encyclopedia of Magical Creatures. HarperElement. p. 91. ISBN 978-1-4351-1086-1.
- ^ a b Grimassi, Raven (2000). Encyclopedia of Wicca and Witchcraft. St. Paul: Llewellyn. p. 76. ISBN 1-56718-257-7.
- ^ Jacobs, Joseph (1894). "The King o' the Cats". More English Fairy Tales.
- ^ Rowan Moffet (15 August 2018). "The Cat Sìth in Celtic Mythology". scotclans. Archived from the original on 24 October 2018. Retrieved 24 October 2018.
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