History of Cats As Told By a Cat: Nordic Region

Guess what, everyone?! I’m back! Obviously, I’ve needed lots of beauty sleep after helping Mum with the book release. But alas, I’m a hardworking kitty and now I’m back with another history lesson for you hoomans.

This time, come with me and head to the badass, Nordic region. For the hoomans who have no idea which countries make up that region, that would be Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Norway and Iceland. The autonomous territories also include Faroe, Greenland and Åland.

So, why did I say badass? Well, Vikings! Let’s all agree on one thing—we all know they are badass. Know what else makes them more badass? The fact that WE accompanied them through history. And you know that is the most obvious reason.

Take to the Seas!

The Vikings loved us. Our hunting skills would put Tyr’s to shame. My feline ancestors proved we were indispensable on long journeys at sea. Rats and mice threatened the food supply, and we just so happen to love munching on them. We didn’t just ensure the survival of the crew and their supply, we also kept the spread of diseases!

Norse Meowthology

The Nordics believed that we had supernatural powers. Like many other nations, it was believed that we were guardians against evil spirits and brought good fortune.

This all tied in with Norse meowthology. The famous goddess Freyja, symbolized love, fertility and war. So obviously, we were tied to that, as we should. It was often depicted in stories and artwork that Freyja had two meowgical cats who would pull her flying chariot. We were sacred to her. And naturally, with Vikings having a high respect for her, that same respect was extended to us.

Not only were we associated with Freyja, we were also associated with the god, Thor. Known for his strength and thunderous power, he once lost a fight against a common house cat!! There is actually a story behind this. Thor was travelling with Loki through the land of Utgard. The two found themselves in the presence of a giant called Utgard-Loki who challenged Thor to complete some simple tasks. They had him wrestle an old lady, drink a cup of ber and pick up a house off the floor. I guess what happened next was Thor realized he couldn’t do any of that. Pathetic god if you ask me. But it turns out Thor was in an illusion conjured by Utgard-Loki. The old lady turned out to be Old Age, the cup of beer was the Sea, and the house kitty was actually the Midgard Serpent. So, I guess after all this, Thor couldn’t look at us the same way again.

And here’s one more story with Thor. I guess at some point he meets a giant named Þrymr and disguises himself as Freyja. Obviously, because he did that, he was accompanied by a couple of large kitties!

Just so you know, we’re not done yet! My ancestors were associated with the formidable Jörmungandr! For those who don’t know, that’s the really big snake that eats its tail for some reason. I guess it is fun chasing your own tail, so I get it. Anyway, we were both believed to possess hidden, mythical powers and represented chaos and unpredictability.

Immeowtalized Through Art…Yet Again

Let’s be honest, you KNOW we are supurrior. History has told us time and time again that we simply just are!

Because we were seen as purrtectors of homes and ships, the Vikings would carve artwork of my ancestors into their ships and buildings. Our presence symbolized strength, agility and adaptability. All these qualities were highly valued by the Norse hoomans. We made sure that long, sea-faring journeys were safe, and we kept evil forces at bay.

Kitten Gifts to Brides

As I said above, the goddess Frejya was the symbol of love and fertility. By extension of that, we represented all of the above. So, I guess when a Viking hooman with their tail on backwards wanted to mate with a pretty female hooman, they would use us as a gift.

I’ll never understand why hoomans with their tail on backwards nowadays threaten others about being a crazy cat lady. They KNEW back then that we were the way to someone’s heart. Life is just better with us around and you know it. Don’t be jealous. We are simply better.

So yes, to get meowried, these muscly hoomans would come back with a kitten for their love.

Biology and Meowdern Day Things

Today, my cousin, the Norwegian Forest Cat, is believed to be the descendant of the badass cats that sailed alongside the Vikings. The thick and fluffy fur made it so they could withstand the harsh climates and is reminiscent of their seafaring ancestors. Not to mention meowjestic!!

We Are Badasses

In this day and age, where ego is so fragile, just open a history book. The most badass hoomans were accompanied by no other than my own ancestors! As mentioned in my previous issues, emperors had us by their sides. The powerful and most-feared all respected and worshipped us. We had so much influence over your kind that even some Popes were so afraid of us they had to outlaw us. We are carved into buildings, turned into art and immeowtalized through meowthology for a reason. Admit it, we are badasses. And the Vikings knew that!

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