Vikings sure loved cats. In Norway and Iceland it was in high demand. Unfortunately for cats, the people of Norway saw no value in a live cat; It was the fur they absolutely adored. Even the fox couldn’t compete with the cat. The Norwegian king Magnus VI, the legislator (1238 – 1280) issued a law declaring cat fur as legal tender. One piece of cat fur was equivalent to three pieces of fox fur.
The cat’s fur was very precious. Only the rich could afford this luxury. Now as it happens, the Volvas were among the upper classes. Volva was a woman who was a master of prophecy and magic. Volvas were greatly respected and feared. Their services were in high demand, but they were very expensive.
In the saga of Eric the Red, Fulva is described in great detail. She was called upon to help the settlers of Greenland through their hardships. She was called Lisevolve and treated like a queen. The clothes she wore are described down to the last detail in the story. She wore a hat decorated with cat skin on her head. Her gloves were made of cat skin that had fluffy white cat fur on the inside.
Now as it happens, the goddess of love was also a master of charm and magic. Her name was Freyja. No other god or goddess has mastered magic better than Freyja. She was the most beautiful goddess in the Viking world. The goddess of love and magic had an amazing chariot. Yes, you guessed it. The cart was pulled by two cats.
Fulvas of the human world loved to wear clothes made of cat skin and cat fur. Freyja, the goddess of love and magic, was associated with two cats. The tendency to associate cats with magic seems to have been well established in the Viking Age. Cats have certainly been unfairly prosecuted over the centuries in the Western world. Fortunately, large portions of the human race have come to their senses and finally treat cats with the respect and love they deserve.