Cait Sith

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The Cait Sith ( Scottish Gaelic : [ kʰaht̪ ˈʃiː ]) or Cat Sidhe ( Irish : [ kat̪ˠ ˈʃiː ], Cat Sí in the new spelling) is a legendary figure in Celtic mythology . It is a large black cat that is believed to live in the Highlands . Because of its suspected connection with the so-called Kellas cat , which was first sighted in 1984, it is also assigned to cryptozoology .

Characteristics and origin

The cat has a white patch on its chest and, apart from that, is entirely black. Like the fairy dog Cu Sith, she is a being associated with fairies (see Sidhe ). In contrast to the dog, however, the cat is not green and, apart from the somewhat unusual size, looks normal. In some tales, the Cait Sith is a transformed witch.

Stories about the animal are told in Scottish folk beliefs , but occasionally also in Irish. The name translates as "fairy cat" ( cait = cat; sidhe = Celtic fairy). The Cait Sith is usually not out to harm humans. However, should you surprise or threaten it alone in remote locations, it can become very wild and dangerous.

The Kellas cat was first mentioned on September 19, 1984 in the Forres Gazette from Moray , Scotland. A large unknown cat had been caught in a fox trap three months earlier in the highlands at the Revack Lodge near Grantown-on-Spey . After a rather superficial examination, the hide was stripped off the carcass, but it was unusable. A second specimen was shot and stuffed at Kellas on the Lossie River , hence the name. In further investigations it was finally found that it was very likely that it was a hybrid of domestic cats and wild cats .

The Cait Sith in the modern age

Cait Sith is mentioned in computer games such as Final Fantasy , Princess Maker or Persona 5 Royal and mostly shows an antagonistic character. Cait Sith are also mentioned in animes such as Aria , Sword Art Online or Blue Exorcist , but without acting as a reception.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Kellas Cat - Scotland's legendary Cait Sìth . kryptozoologie-online.de. Retrieved November 2, 2014.

literature

  • Carol Rose: Giants, Monsters, and Dragons. An Encyclopedia of Folklore, Legend, and Myth . Norton, New York NY et al. 2001, ISBN 0-393-32211-4 .