Tradition / Region: Belgian Mythology
Alternative names: White Cat
Category: Cat, Skeleton
The Myth
The White Skull Cat appears as a small white cat that can transform into a human skull.
According to the legend, a farmer known as Boerke Jans was walking home late one evening from the village square. Near the Lindo on the Windikeveld, a small white cat began walking ahead of him. He picked it up and carried it home inside his coat. Once home, he locked the cat inside his wardrobe for the night.
The following morning, when he opened the wardrobe, the cat had transformed into a human skull.
Terrified, Boerke Jans waited until midnight before carrying the skull back to the place where he had found the cat. As soon as he laid it on the ground, the skull instantly changed back into the white cat, which ran off across the fields and disappeared into the darkness.
The fright affected Boerke Jans so deeply that, according to the legend, he gradually wasted away from fear.
Sources
De Cock, Alfons. Vlaamsche sagen uit den volksmond. Amsterdam: Maatschappij voor Goede en Goedkoope Lectuur, 1921, p. 49.