Norwegian Forest Cats: The Pets of the Vikings

The “mystic wildcat of fairy tales” is quickly becoming a favorite family pet in Northern Europe. The Norwegian forest cat (or scogkatts in Norwegian) originated between 1500 and 4,000 years ago, as a result of natural selection.

Either way, they have been the subject of Norse folklore for millennia. Breeders from Finland describe the cat as the "mystic wildcat of the fairy tales." Norse mythology says forest cats were the favorites of Freyja, goddess of love, fertility and the hearth, who traveled in a chariot drawn by either two white or gray forest cats. Legend has it that the goddess' presence passing through the countryside caused seeds to sprout and grow. Farmers that left out pans of milk for her divine cats were blessed with bountiful harvests. Forest cats were said to be so huge that not even the gods could lift them.