The Gulon [16th century Nordic folktales]
In the 16th century, Olaus Magnus wrote a large book on the Nordic countries, detailing its people and customs as well as the strange animals that dwelt there. Though his work became very influential and was widely copied, it contained descriptions of strange animals that were likely the product of people’s imagination.
Among them is the gulon, a strange mammal with a face that resembles both a cat and a dog. These animals supposedly dwell in deep layers of snow during the winter, and they are prized among hunters for their valuable fur. They eat carrion, and it isn’t mentioned whether they attack living animals as well. But what really makes them stand out is their peculiar and disgusting method of feeding:
The gulon is an insatiable glutton. It eats and keeps eating until it physically can’t shove another bite into its overfilled stomach, which is swollen and stretched like a drum at this point. Still gluttonous for more, the gulon then sets out to find a pair of trees that stand close to each other, so that the animal would only barely fit between them. It will then attempt to force its body between the two trees, pushing the contents of its bloated stomach backwards until it forcefully leaves its body. This process is helpfully illustrated by Matthäus Merian the Elder. When this is done, its stomach is empty again and the creature resumes feeding.
When attempting to kill these animals (for the fur), hunters would wait until the gulon is squishing itself between two trees as it can easily be killed with an arrow during this process. Another method is to strangle the creature with wire while it is feeding on a carcass. One should never attempt to catch a gulon with hunting dogs, as these creatures have razor-sharp claws and fangs that scare off even the most experienced hounds.
In reality, these mythical creatures most likely originated from sightings and old wives’ tales about wolverines.
Source:
Magnus, O., 1555, Historia de Gentibus Septentrionalibus, Rome, page 607.
(image source: 1300 Real and Fanciful Animals from Seventeenth-Century Engravings, by Matthäus Merius the Elder)
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