Читать книгу The Element Encyclopedia of Magical Creatures: The Ultimate A–Z of Fantastic Beings from Myth and Magic - John Matthews - Страница 328

This giant cat features in several early Welsh poems. Cath Palug’s name means ‘the cat with the sharp claws’. It is described as one of the offspring of the sow Henwen, which having been chased to the edge of the sea dropped a litter of kittens which took to the water and swam away. Henwen resembles the many monstrous Murchata or sea cats of Irish tradition. Cath Palug itself was no stranger to the sea, having swam the Menai Strait between North Wales and the island of Anglesey where it was said to continue its marauding. It was successfully slain on that island by Cei (the Sir Kay of later medieval Arthurian legend) who went against it with a shield that looked ‘a mere fragment’ next to the gigantic cat. A medieval French story tradition tells how a cat called Chapalu or Chatloup (a corruption of Cath Palug) pushed King Arthur into a bog and then overcame him in war, passing through Britain to conquer it, wearing the crown of Britain. This tale may relate to the early medieval stories of the conflict between King Arthur and Mordred (or Medrawt), in which Mordred’s symbol is the cat.