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EntityQ521604· pop 14· linked from 302 articles

Also known as Cat Sith

The ' (, plural ), in Irish ' (), is a fairy creature from Celtic mythology, said to resemble a large black cat with a white spot on its chest that walks on its hind legs. 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 was not a fairy, but a witch that could transform into a cat nine times.

Key facts

Mythical creature.AKA
Cat-sidhe, Fairy Cat
Mythical creature.image
Page 158 illustration in More English Fairy Tales.png
Mythical creature.image_size
200px
Mythical creature.caption
An Illustration from More English Fairy Tales from the story "The King of the Cats".
Mythical creature.Folklore
Scottish, Irish
Mythical creature.Grouping
Legendary creature
Mythical creature.Sub_Grouping
Fairy, witch
Mythical creature.Country
Scotland
Mythical creature.Region
Scottish Highlands
Mythical creature.Similar_entities
Phantom cat

via Wikipedia infobox

Wikidata facts

Image
Page 158 illustration in More English Fairy Tales.png
Sources (3)

via Wikidata · CC0

~4 min read

Article

7 sections
Contents
  • Appearance
  • The King of the Cats
  • Rituals
  • Witches
  • Summoning
  • See also
  • References

The ' (, plural ), in Irish ' (), is a fairy creature from Celtic mythology, said to resemble a large black cat with a white spot on its chest that walks on its hind legs. 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 was not a fairy, but a witch that could transform into a cat nine times.

The may have been inspired by the Scottish wildcat itself. Furthermore, it is also possible that the legends of the 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).

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