milk rabbit

In Scandinavian folklore, the troll cat was a witch’s cunning and supernatural familiar, a creature of mischief that stole milk from cows and cream from kitchens. These enchanted beings would suckle directly from livestock, only to regurgitate the stolen milk into their witch’s pail. But the troll cat was not alone—other milk-stealing spirits included the elusive milk rabbit, milk hare, and the peculiar troll ball, each with its own eerie legend.

A Creature of Witchcraft
According to legend, witches could craft a troll cat using a strange assortment of materials—human hair, nails, wood shavings, and other odd scraps. Once animated, these creatures prowled farms, draining cows of their milk and licking up any unattended cream. The stolen bounty would then be spat out into troughs placed outside the witch’s home.

The shape of a troll cat depended on the tale: some appeared as ordinary cats, bound to their master in such a way that any harm inflicted upon them would be mirrored on the witch. Others, known as trollnøste or trollnøa, took the form of rolling balls of yarn. These peculiar entities could be shot, but doing so would supposedly cause milk to spray from their wounds, an unsettling sign of their unnatural nature.

Troll cats were so deeply tied to their masters that they had to be buried alongside the witch—otherwise, the restless sorceress would be forced to return from the grave to retrieve her lost familiar.

Legends of Deception and Doom
Scandinavian folklore scholar Peter Christen Asbjørnsen recounted an old trick played by Gypsies who exploited farmers’ superstitions: they would steal milk and blame it on troll cats, making their story more convincing by digging up a bladder filled with red water wrapped in cat skin—a gruesome prop meant to suggest a slain troll cat.

Even in the 20th century, belief in these creatures lingered. Norwegian novelist Johan Bojer recalled a 1914 incident where he, as an army lieutenant, refused local women permission to raise the soldiers’ rent. Soon after, he fell mysteriously ill for three days. A local woman claimed it was the work of a troll cat sent to punish him.

The Icelandic Tilberi: A Dark Twin
A close relative of the troll cat lurked in Icelandic folklore—the tilberi, also known as snakkur. Witches created this creature from a dead man’s rib, stolen wool, and communion wine, crafting it into an unnatural milk thief. One Icelandic farmer famously chased a tilberi on horseback, only for the creature to seek refuge under a woman’s skirts. To prevent its escape, her dress was tied shut—and the woman was burned at the stake.

Whether in the form of a ball of yarn, a phantom feline, or an uncanny milk thief, the troll cat remains one of Scandinavia’s most eerie supernatural familiars, a creature of deception, witchcraft, and whispered fear.