Tradition / Region: Dutch Mythology
Alternative names: Demonic Cats, Witch Cats
Category: Cat
The Myth
The Brommende Katten appear as two unusually large and aggressive cats that block lonely roads after dark. They refuse to move aside, attack anyone who challenges them, and possess supernatural strength far beyond that of ordinary cats. Like many spectral animals in Dutch folklore, they can only be driven away by silver.
According to the legend, a farmhand was returning home late one evening to his farm near Hoeksmeer when he found two large cats sitting in the middle of the road. The animals growled continuously and refused to let him pass, as though the road belonged entirely to them.
Growing impatient, the farmhand picked up a stone to drive them away, but it had no effect. Instead, one cat leapt directly at his chest while the other clung to his trousers. He drew his iron knife to defend himself, but the weapon proved completely useless against the creatures. The cats were so fierce that he feared they would tear him apart.
In desperation, he searched his pockets and found nothing except a single silver quarter coin. The moment he grasped the coin, the situation changed. The cats suddenly lost their courage and fled as quickly as they had appeared.
The farmhand later learned that ordinary iron could not harm such supernatural cats, but silver possessed the power to overcome them. Had he carried a silver knife instead of an iron one, it would have served just as well. Thanks only to the silver coin in his pocket, he escaped the attack of the demonic cats unharmed.
Sources
Ter Laan, K. Groninger volksleven. I. Verhalende folklore. Groningen: J.B. Wolters, 1959. 1st ed.