Since we talked about French last week, let’s do a French Lore Corner, shall we? This one won’t be as well known as many of the others that we’ve covered, but that makes it all the more fun!
Submitted for your consideration: the matagot.
(Remember, French doesn’t like pronouncing things, especially ending consonants, so it’s pronounced ma-ta-goh, not -got.)
The matagot is traditionally a black-colored animal—most traditionally of all is a black cat. But this isn’t a bad black cat (which makes it a rarity in Western mythologies), and it isn’t always a cat, either. Foxes, rats, dogs, goats, and even cows could be matagot. Maybe even more! The point is, black-colored animal. With some spicy magical powers.
Sometimes associated with witches and sorcerers like familiars, they generally lean toward the “evil” side of the sliding scale of morality, but not always. Like with most magical beasts in mythology, they ranged in behavior and what they were known for; some could be seen as protectors of the home, on the “good” end of the morality scale. But their overall reputation was a not-so-nice one—and yet. There’s a very good reason to keep one around, outside of wanting a cool black pet: these little guys make money.
They’re known as wealth-bringing creatures. Not for free, since they’re not golden geese, but they are explicitly mentioned as being able to produce gold coins, usually one a day for their owner. The catch is that they must be well fed. (You can see why they’re traditionally interpreted as cats, right?) You can lure a matagot with a plump chicken, at which point you can take it home with you. Afterward, you must offer it the first bite of every one of your meals. Which, again: sounds a lot like anyone’s pet cat.
But one bite (and some drink, in some myths) out of every meal for an actual gold coin every morning? Do you even know what real, solid gold is worth these days?
There aren’t many downsides, at least none outside of what regularly owning a semi-feral animal could bring, but there is one important thing to note: you can’t keep a matagot until you’re dying or dead. These aren’t lifelong commitments, even if they are magical beasts who would match or outlive a human lifespan. If you keep a matagot to that point, you will suffer a very long, very agonizing death. Do not recommend!
As with the other things I’ve shared in our Lore Corners, there is a matagot in my upcoming novel How To Kill Gods & Make Friends. Unlike the most common interpretation, however, mine is a fox spirit.
Matagot are considered wealth spirits (or spirits of fortune, if you like a fancier title, and since they’re French, they do), and as with the source myth, they can create gold. But they aren’t limited to a one-a-day deal here, no. They’re only limited by their own greed, because they do not like to share their wealth. And as with any rich or rich-seeming people, they get a lot of things for free, so they get to skip paying for a lot of things, too. Lucky them!
The one in my fantasy series is named Lucien Charbonneau, with the surname being a play on his black fur. (It comes from some old terms for ‘coal’ or ‘charcoal’.) Have you ever seen a black fox, by the by? They’re very handsome. Too bad he’s an antagonist (but also a love interest…).
Ending fun fact: I had no idea matagot were utilized in the Fantastic Beasts movie series until I was searching for images.
