Tradition: Norwegian Mythology
Alternative Names: Milk Hare, Milk Rabbit, Troll Cat, Trollnøste, Trollnøa
Category: Rabbit
The Myth
The Milkrabbit is a supernatural creature associated with witches in Scandinavian folklore. It steals milk from cows and cream from households, carrying the stolen milk back to its mistress. Similar creatures include the troll cat, which may look like an ordinary cat or a ball of yarn, and the milk hare. Witches were believed to create these familiars from materials such as human hair, fingernails, and wood shavings.
The creature secretly sucks milk from cows and spits it into containers near the witch’s home. Some traditions claimed that shooting a troll cat caused milk to spray from its wounds, while harming a cat-shaped familiar could also injure its witch. The familiar was supposed to be buried alongside its mistress, who might otherwise have to leave her grave to retrieve it.
In Norway, stories also tell of people exploiting belief in these creatures to steal milk and blame the theft on a witch’s familiar. A related Icelandic creature is the tilberi, a supernatural milk thief created from a dead man’s rib, stolen wool, and communion wine. Both creatures reflect traditional fears about witches secretly stealing the milk and cream on which rural households depended.
Sources
“Troll Cat.” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Troll_cat