Cat Sith: Magical Felines of Scotland (Scottish Folklore)
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- čas přidán 30. 10. 2020
- The Cat sith is a mostly malevolent fairy or spirit from Scottish and Irish folklore. It commonly appears as a black cat. The cat sith is said to be as big as a large dog and is often seen with an arched back and sharp bristle like fur. The identifying mark of a cat sith, apart from its size is a spot of white coloured fur on the chest of the beast. When around humans the spectral cat will walk on all fours, but some tales say that if you were to sneak up on a cat sith, you may be able to catch them walking on their hind legs and singing to themselves.
Thank you for listening. Happy Halloween.
Intro Music: Written for me by Bobbin bobbin.bandcamp.com/
References:
Bowers, A. (2006) Kellas Cats, Scotching the Myth. [scotcats.online.fr/abc/identif...]
EsoterX (2014) Big Ears and the Taghairm: Atrocious Celtic Ailuromancy [esoterx.com/2014/08/01/big-ea...]
Francis, D. (1993) My Highland Kellas Cats. ISBN 0224036084, 9780224036085
Maclean, L. (1840) The History of the Celtic Language Wherein it Is Shown to Be Based Upon Natural Principles, And, Elementarily Considered, Contemporary. ISBN-10 : 1298895952. ISBN-13 : 978-1298895950
Martin, M. (1716). A Description of the Western Islands of Scotland (2nd ed.) ISBN-10 : 1841580201. ISBN-13 : 978-1841580203
Moffet, R. (2018) The Cat Sìth in Celtic Mythology. [www.scotclans.com/cat-sith-ce...]
Mudge, R. (2015) Meet the “King of Cats” From Celtic Folklore [www.catster.com/lifestyle/cat...]
Mythology wiki (2012) Cat Sith [mythology.wikia.org/wiki/Cat_...]
The Scotsman (2017) The Highland myth of the soul-stealing black cat [www.scotsman.com/whats-on/art...]
Westwood, J., Kingshill, S. (2012), The Lore of Scotland: A Guide to Scottish Legends, Random House, ISBN 978-1-4090-6171-7
*eyes my tuxedo cat in the corner who stands on his hind legs regularly*
Good Lord, mine does too. 😳
7:09 "beginning to fear their sanity slipping away" I feel like if you've spent four days roasting dozens of cats alive in a barn whilst being bullied by cat demons you're already pretty far gone
I’m so glad I read the comments before watching this video. I love cats so much, I can’t even hear about them being hurt or it will destroy my soul for the day. I guess I won’t watch the video 😢
@@MisssAliC I love cats too but that story of the Taghairm ritual is one of my favourites. Both disturbing and extremely memorable with an ending that sounds like it's from some epic poem or romantic literature. Out of all the things I read in the Gaelic Otherworld that was what stuck in my mind the most.
:D
Yet another fantastic post, full of stories and related beliefs. Always wondered about the 9 lives of cats. Now I know! 😮 Just love this channel. Would give anything to visit this magical land. I do believe in fairies 😊
one of my favorite ghost stories is called wait till martin comes. Its about a man taking shelter in an abandoned cabin during a rain storm. He makes a fire and falls asleep. he wakes up three times. Each time a bigger black cat is sitting by the fire, and the others ask "should we do it now?" and it would say "Lets wait till martin comes" After he woke to a cat as big as a loin, and they STILL did not attack, he leaps out of the window yelling back, "if martin comes, tell him im sorry i missed him"
Sounds like an interesting tale
Why isn't shamans in witches from different do dark art so they can turn into animals
As the story originated in the Scots-Irish areas of the Old South, it might have been a tale about cait sith in a new land.
Ah, scary stories to tell in the dark.
@@scarletshield009 It was a tale featured in several books like that, yes. Being scared to pieces as a child about every Halloween was part of the fun, back then.
There is a special place in Hell for those who hurt or murder cats. 👿
indeed...
and for cats who murder dogs
@@MegaMegajennifer ?????
@@elizabethsullivan7176 what? its in the video
@@elizabethsullivan7176 I have many relatives that agrees with you
As a Scottsman that was not taught these stories, I love these I feel like I’m sitting by the fire with ma granda
Well as a black man here in Chicago I to love these tales my friend🙏🏿
@@mercymylord5139 It's pre Christianity mainly so it probably rings a bell with folks over the world who built up similar myths.
I just adopted a black kittent with a white spot on its chest, nice to know I've got a little fairy. Nice video
Give it plenty of love, and it will love you in return.
Me too! I didn't see it at first.
My old girl Cleo had the same markings. Found her starving and hiding under a junked out car. Brought her inside and loved her for almost 20 years and she loved me in return. You're very lucky to be starting out on your life with your little fairy. Cherish every day!! 🐈⬛❤️
So if you see it waking on 2 legs you know your doomed and the cat has your soul now so your doomed
What a demented lot those two men were. To impale and spit roast countless cats ALIVE and then claim to not to evil doers is terrifying to say the least.
Hope they got their come uppance in the afterlife.
@@taraelizabethdensley9475 perhaps their souls are being spit roasted as you read this message?
You say that but cats consume many of rhe local wildlife, eating frogs, newts, salamanders, birds and anything else they can. Cats are nasty creatures that enjoy causing pain, you people with your irrational love of those horrible creatures make me sick
I knew my cat was DIFFERENT. She sings to herself all the time.
why do I picture someone sitting for a wake armed with a water gun?
Yeaahhh... I'd've probably been burned at the stake for trying to keep all the kitties safe.
You and me 🙂☮✌
Me too.
Funny how listening to the stories bring a sense of inner peace to many Scottish blooded. The horror or happy stories are not disturbing. Its making the connection to early ancestoral roots perhaps.
_The cats of Ulthar would like to know your location_
Yog-Sothoth :)
Yes Lovecraft did have a story about a town where it was illegal to kill a cat.
In Ulthar the kitties are cuddly if you’re nice, yet should you get not so nice…. Well beware.
This "ritual" makes me want to cry. I love cats and the idea that anyone would hurt them makes me angry and sad. 😢😞
Shut up.
@@staticcharm3808 Someone's triggered.
@Flash Frozen
Me too 💔
ikr 😢
how..... in the name of all that is good could anyone do this kind of thing!?
So that cat thing from final fantasy 7 was based on this. Never knew that.
My favourite game of all time! 😊
That’s delightful! I thought of him too!
I learned a lot, especially how to pronounce Cait Sith, for all those years I did it wrong 😭
I think a lot of people including myself probably learned what the Cait Sith was because of that game. 😀
Long live the Highland Tiger.
My caitsidhe, Little Caitsidhe (she got her name because of her appearance...black with the white at her throat, but she is actually smaller than the average domestic house cat), is a sweetie pie. She stands on her hind legs alot. She is very very vocal. However, she loves to snuggle. Also, if I ask, "can I have a kiss?", she will put her nose to mine.
I will say, should someone attempted to roast my kitties alive, I would skewer the perpetrators myself.
The thing is - modern cat owners know that cats sometimes stand on two legs and 'sing'... Usually if they see another, stranger, cat.
@@batintheattic7293 The thing is, she is the only one doing it. I have 3 cats. The other two talk to me...the sole human in the house. She goes berserk talking and going after things I cannot see. Even the two tabby cats look at her like she's lost her mind.
So would i, i love cats
anyone hurting cats should indeed be skewered.
sounds adorable. :3 whats her breed? ive been looking up Kellas cats and i cant find enough information about them. maybe a mini version would be easier to learn about
I have a black cat, with a white spot on her chest. And, she used to stand on her hind legs to look at birds out my basement apartment windows! Now that I'm on the sixth floor, she no longer does that.
Thank you for this, my black cat is called Cait Sith. Named for the King of the cats.
King of cats huh
how do you pronounce it?
@@Kittykattarina it is pronounced Cat (with a soft t) Shee
Or awesome Final Fantasy 7 Cait Sith
@@DonkeyFilms that was named and modelled on the fairy cat of Scottish legend!
Crest of my ma"s family is a black demi lion with silver accent & red claws.
My boy Dean is almost 13 and he is all black with a little patch of white on his chest. He's a VERY vocal cat. My little fairy cat!
I'm from the U.S. with both Scottish & Irish ancestors. When I was around 12 or 13 I was playing in the basement of my house when I saw a spectral cat that walked on it's hind legs.
At first I didn't see it but then from the corner of my eye I spotted a large black cat walking on it's hind legs like a man. It was then that I focused on the beast & when I did it stopped dead in it's tracks, turned & looked at me. The hair on the back of my neck stood up because as it turned it's head to look at me, I could see it's green florescent eyes. They didn't reflect light like a normal cat's. They had a hellish light of their own. It was at this time that I bolted off upstairs with speed.
I found out through a family member last year my great grandpa was Scottish. Now I know why I have always felt so.
Thank you for teaching us!
I am loving these stories, ever since I was a young girl I've wanted to travel Scotland and Ireland, and the Orkney isle
This will be one of those videos that goes unwatched for 5 years then gets 4 million views.
Thanks
I just found this in my recommended video queue today and I cannot tell you how happy I am to have found this channel. I used to live in Scotland and it is so fascinating to learn about my ancestors' culture and history. I hope that this channel get more views.
Love this! Much more in depth than what I could find online and some extra scottish tales on top! Braw stuff. I saw one of these mysterious cats (unsure if it was spectral or fae like but it was HUGE no one believes me but I saw it twice and it was rather terrifying)
Thanks for watching, there has been so much sightings that there must be something out there haha.
@@LiathWolf oh deffo man! I loved the fact u are scottish too as all the other stuff I find is all americans haha not saying they are awful but they say it wrong and it's like no lol xx
I love my half scottish half irish heritage because the scottish and irish have the best folklore and tales in the world. I grew up hearing tales of kelpies, faeries, leprechauns and changelings etc. Terrifying but really interesting at the same time
Just one tiny thing though, the name lachlan is pronounced lock-lan
My cat, Id-Bastet, looks just like this cat. She is black with a white splotch on her chest.
Better be extra-nice to her, just in case ;-)
My partner and I found a black kitten coming up 3 yrs ago (Oct 7, 2020). He used to have a little white spot on his chest and I was convinced that he was gonna be a tuxedo but it disappeared…. Perhaps Binx doesn’t want to reveal just how powerful he really is 😆
We had a half curly eared cat. She was solid black, but had a white bib. We called her Elle Bella De' Albo. She was a sweet girl to me but everyone else she scratched.
There are still some people who try this ritual on Halloween and if I find one they'll be sorry.
This is why you NEED to keep cats indoors all October
This is also why shelters, even in the USA, do not adopt out black cats after a certain point come fall.
@@osakarose5612 TRUE! And that's not even mentioning what the cats do to the other animals outside. Keep them indoors!!
My black cat with a white patch swears she's not a cat sith, just a she cat. Even though she is Death to any mouse fool enough to wander into her den.
Those poor cats.
Poor cats,such a horrific death.
I have a tuxedo cat called Chloe. She looks like she's wearing a black tuxedo and white shirt with white cuffs. She has a white diamond on her forehead and a white chest and throat and the white continues all along her tummy and she has white booties on her black legs. She has white whiskers and eyebrows and bright green eyes. Yoir description of the cat sith reminded me of her although she has much more white in her fur. Tuxedo cats have a dominant black gene and a recessive white gene which is how they get their markings in their fur. She's very sassy.
Never heard of any of this before. Thanks for sharing. Also I really like your editing. Happy Belated Halloween.
Happy Halloween, and thanks for watching
I truly hope folk traditions such as this aren't used as an excuse for animal abuse... At least in the States, sometimes hapless black cats are abused, injured and killed by fools who have absorbed ignorant, Christianity-derived legends which they think excuses their behavior. 🥺
Uh, nothing in this story said anything about Christianity, sounded kinda pagan to me.
@@robinrinsmith Oh yes, but, some of the folk, at least hereabouts, who are cat-negative, use Christianity as an excuse. 🤷
@@mdlahey3874 I've never heard of Christian's hurting black cats. I have heard of ignorant people claiming to be satanists hurting them as part of uneducated "rituals".
@@mdlahey3874 Satanists are the ones who hurt cats. Not Christians. You sound ignorant and an anti-Christan bigot.
Those aren’t Christians. Satanists/necromancer use and believe in “Familiars”. Cats are a common Familiar. All those of God do not fear these claims because they know they have no power. Satanists also sacrifice animals.
You clearly know nothing about the word of God. Just because someone says they are of God and know his word doesn’t make it so. Your comment is just as ignorant as those so called Christians.
The kellas cat specimen is in my local zooology building! It is quite big compared to my cat and looks quite vicious even stuffed! Great video!
I could have gone my entire life and happily not known about the animal torture in this fairytale.
How horrible.
Fantastic storytelling! I can’t get enough of these fabulous tales, especially when they are so well told. Thanks!
These are just lovely, I’ve now watched your Ghillie Dhu and Cat Sith videos. Your voice, pace, retelling style, music and accompanying imagery is really refreshing and well done. You’ve made a fan of me.
Who else is watching this with a cat on the lap?
🙋♀️
My black cat, 1 white chest hair & 3 white whiskers only on her right side of her face!
I had a cat that fits the cat sith description, but she was one of the sweetest cats I’ve ever known. I named her Blair after the Soul Eater character, and she even took an interest in what other anime I watched with her. Her favorite nickname that I gave her was “little familiar”. She was the best homework buddy that liked to sit on my sewing project bin. Maybe I ended up with a crossbreed cat sith/chat d’argent. 😅
Thank you for sharing this wonderful history. I absolutely appriciate this. 🔥🖤🔥
More please! I love folklore and myths! And the sound of your voice is ......😍💋
Thank you! Will do!
One of my asshole neighbors had an unpleasant reputation for capturing and torturing cats, and when one of my husband's cats (a fairly large female with a white spot on her chestand a ferocious disposition that we called Rosie) went missing my husband (who also had a particularly ferocious disposition) went after our neighbor. The cat returned a few days later.
Well, -this- is going to add a bit of flavor context to a changeling the dreaming based character i've been mulling over for the better part of a decade...
my kittie had that .. a white spot on the chest .. i miss my son ...
We used to put a wee dish of milk out every Hallowe'en. I was told it was to bring luck from the black cats and bad luck not to. Now I know where that was fae. Thanks for the video.
Ya know, I've been searching for folklore online trying to fill out more Fey type creatures for D&D, and in doing so, I categorized the Nekomata yokai, from Japan as fey, as I probably will with many others from the Kamaitachi to the Kappa. but this video surprised me with how I might be close to the mark with that, and how many similarities there are between the Scottish Cait Sith and the Japanese Nekomata. Namely walking on their hind-legs when they think no one is looking, and jumping over the bodies of the deceased to claim their souls.
Thank you for this, I very much appreciated it.
Well, my cats have definitely stolen my soul because here I am cleaning up cat vomit again...
Damn, my ancestors must have hated cats
It's a horrible thought, isn't it. There's also an element of reverence, though. And maybe the bravest and cleverest Scots would have been sufficiently comfortable with that reverence to allow the cat to be a pussycat and snuggle with them on cold nights. Innate, observable personality and a prowess at protecting the food stores has been a double edged sword for cats throughout human history.
I think I might be the only non British or Scottish person here lol thank you for the video it's great! It really helped me with a writing assignment for school plus it was insanely interesting and easy to understand, I think I'm gonna start studying cryptids/folklore in my free time now. The images are also extremely detailed, interesting, and beautiful!
Glad it helped!
These pics all look like variations of my tuxedo cat XD good thing I've got catnip in spades.
My great-Aunt always put a saucer of cream on our back porch on Halloween eve. Now I know why! My aunt referred to the Cat Sith as " The Grey Malkin." Also called the Grimalkin in Irish folklore.
This is just the video i needed today. Thanks xx
Love the tale but am sorry for the cats and the dogs in it
Oh darn,my black cat has the markings of a Cat Sith.🤔
Your voice is really relaxing and you’re a really good storyteller loved it!
Beautiful video! Thanks!
I ain't a-scairt o' no Cat Sith! All you need to do is give 'em some kibble. They melt and love you forever.
So well done!
thanks for making this, I wanted to get some insight to my scottish ancestory and this video helped in some small way
Thanks for the good work
fascinating.
There is a real Scottish wildcat
beautiful, thank you
The story is told down the family as more of a warning now days
Once again, you have captivated me. I have a tuxedo,who is quite unique in his ways. You teach so mych about lore and Scotland, truely a magical land. I will always believe in fairies! Thanks agin. I watch your podcast every day and share with my son😊
That was a great video. Thanks.
excellent video
Excellent. You know a lot of this.
funny thing in bavaria we have a similar Legend but there its the Wolperthinger and it's more like a Squirel than a cat
Sounds interesting
So that's where World of Warcraft got that from!.
Having stumbled across the Taghairm a long time ago in my own research, when he brings it up at 3:56, I said outloud:
"Oooo....what you're about to hear, kids, is rather fucked up".
A brief story of my big cat sighting.
1984 and i was 16, away fishing with pals who were all older than me, except one, my best friend ay the time. Unsuccessful where we were, we decided to head a few miles further south east of our fishing hole. A beautiful summer morning and as we neared our final destination, we saw a btight light about the size of a football. It was shining brighter than the sun and floating above the ground about 2ft. Next thing we saw was a monster black cat, easily the size of a large dog. To say we craped ourselves was an understatement!
The cat had come over a slight rise in a hillside, about 200yrds away. They came side by side and honestly looked like they were out for a stroll together. Definitely a cat, tail straight out and just strolling as the ball of light changed from a ball to a half moon, quarter moon and back to a ball again beside it.
Myself and my friend ran closer along a tree line beside the hill they were on. Must have got to within 40yrds of them when suddenly they stopped dead together and the cat looked our way. At the same time the ball of light faded out rapidly and the cat put its head to the ground like going into a hole/den... but there were none once we got to where they were. Both just vanished with the cat head first. Absolutely true.
Since then, as an adult man, i recently photographed cat prints in the sandy mud near to that location and although big feline prints, they couldn't belong to that cat as it was massive, certainly not a Panther as it was twice the size of one but definitely cat prints.
I don't suppose the big cst is alive now but, being mysterious in nature, who knows, could be another one, perhaps a young one.
Since those days ive seen a bounding, Wallybe/Kangaroo thing with wings, with fuxxxng wings!!! It swooped in front of my vehicle about 4am onr day, bounced along in front of my artic truck for maybe 7-9 hops, jumped up to the left side of a single tracked road and d away
Sorry so short, i must get driving back to Scotland now and big hands on small phones make spelling mistakes lol. Thanks 👍
Great story, a lot of people have seen large cats all over scotland, many thought it was a panther or at least thats what they described. I have no idea about your winged marsupial haha
Ha, Dresden Files brought me here, Cat Sith and the Winter Knight.
Yes!!!!
thanks for explaining this
Catchy story.
My cat must be an ancestor. He’s all black with only got 3 little white hairs in his chest
I just found out I've been pronouncing Star Wars episode 3 wrong this whole time.
My black cat Luna has white furs on her chest, she also “sings” (meows) to herself a lot
When I was a little kid we lived on a farm and had barn cats. They were mostly wild as they didn't get handled much. One year there was a little black kitchen he had a white spot on his chest. He got sick. His eyes were gunked shut and he rattled when he breathed. So I took him into the house. I tried to sneak him up to my room so he would warm. I'm allergic to cats. My father heard the kitten meowing and took a look at him. He didn't think it was going to make it but gave it a shot of medicine anyways. He actually gave it way more then it should of had. He figured the kitten would be dead by morning and this way would be more humane. A few hours latter the kitten woke up and was tare assing around the living room. He did lose an eye but otherwise was fine. He gut big during the summer and soon ran the old Tom cat off and took over. He was my buddy. We would go sledding off the calf barn during the winter. During the summer we would explore the farm. Lots of cool places a little kid and a cat could hide on 20 archers. I miss that cat. He never acted like other cats. How many cats would willing jump on someone's lap after the first time of riding a sled off a snow packed roof. Or in a small metal wagon down a hillside. He only clawed me once. And I had almost gotten us killed. Anyways this reminds me of him. So thank you.
Da kommt doch auch Helloween her.Danke für s hochladen.
Thank you for watching
That horrible ritual makes me wonder how the bezos and musks of the world have aquired such obscene wealth.
I always called my Cat a little witch...it seems I am Not so far off 🤗
In Ireland a black cat is considered good luck as are most black animals. But a black cat with a white mark on his chest and neck may be seen as a Cat Sidhe.
Black and White cats are still kept away from the dead at a Wake as to prevent it from devouring the soul of the dead.
Nice to see our Celtic folklore being shown off in such great quality
The story of the witch of Laggan was unexpectedly sad
I'm loving this channel so far, also at 8:52 the picture on the right is from the manga berserk
#Subbed and #Shared in my group on fb!
Blessed be🖤🔮🌠
Thanks
Very cool 👏
The dark side of the force is a pathway to many abilities that some consider to be... unnatural
Does this imply the existence of Cat Jedi?
@Gi Gi only a sith deals in absolutes
Jajajaja i thought the same thing when i saw the name cat sith.
I want to think so.
She is called Catsidhe in Gaeilge as well.
I once based a D&D character off the cat sith. I am glad to know that making her a witch who enjoyed collecting souls was the right choice, but clearly I wasn't mean enough.
That's an interesting tale.
I think My family owned a sat sith when I was a kid lmao
Wait.. I was led to believe that _all_ cats are magical.
Oh, kitty! Have you been telling me _lies?!?_
Catnip was used to "distract"? Yeah, I'd assume a cat said "oh, whatever you do, don't get me hIgH! I have a job interview this week.. oh, alrighty, maybe just a little bit of the nippy."
By the weekend, kitty is dancing in the clubs & singing (off-key, of course) in karaoke bars, all night _every_ night.
It's almost time to put out the milk for the Cat Sidhe.....Samhain looms. We remember here in the USA. :)
Legendary cat.Spirit of spring.
So the Cat Sith is a giant Tuxedo Cat? Hmmm I'll never look at my tuxi the same way again.
COME TO THE CAT SIDE