Matagot

Matagot
A matagot does not look any different from a regular black cat
Origin
CountryFrance

A Matagot is a spirit in French folklore that tends to take the form of a black cat. The name "Matagot" comes from the Spanish mater (to kill) and gothos (goths).[unreliable source?]

Description and folklore

Matagots are generally evil, but some may prove helpful, like the "magician cat" said to bring wealth into a home if it is well fed. Traditionally, a wealth-bringing matagot must be lured with a fresh, plump chicken, then carried home by its new owner without the human looking back. If the cat is given the first mouthful of food and drink at every meal and otherwise treated well, it will bring the human good fortune. A matagot is said to be able to serve up to nine masters at once. In Gascony traditions, you must not keep the matagot all your life: if the owner is dying, they will suffer a long agony, as long as they don't free the matagot.

A matagot looks like a regular black cat, so it is considered good faith to treat black cats well.

The cat from Dick Whittington and His Cat has been described as a matagot, as she brought Whittington great fortune.

Matagot is also the name of an independent French board game publisher best known for Takenoko and Captain Sonar. The company frequently makes use of black cats in their branding.

In Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald the matagot is a hairless, black, cat-like creature with the ability to multiply at will.


See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 Bainton, Roy (10 November 2016). The Mammoth Book of Superstition: From Rabbits' Feet to Friday the 13th. Little, Brown Book Group. ISBN 978-1-4721-3747-0. Retrieved 10 August 2026.
  2. 1 2 3 Conway, D. J. (Deanna J. ) (2000). The mysterious, magical cat. New York : Gramercy Books. pp. 92–93. ISBN 978-0-517-16301-6. Retrieved 10 August 2026.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: publisher location (link)
  3. ↑ Bladé, Jean-François (1886). Contes populaires de la Gascogne [Folktales from Gascony] (in French). Paris: Maisonneuve.
  4. ↑ Masse, Etienne Michel (1842). Memoire historique et statistique sur le canton de La Ciotat [Historical and statistical report on the canton of La Ciotat] (in French).
  5. ↑ "About us". Matagot.
  6. ↑ Acuna, Kirsten (19 November 2018). "Here are the magical creatures in 'Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald'". Business Insider. Retrieved 10 August 2026.