The Legend of Catus, France

There is a legend that the medieval village of Catus, in southwest France, derives its name from a large cat that roamed the area in the early middle ages. The story goes that the cat had a lair somewhere to the north of the village and used to terrorise the villagers so much so that the local lord offered his daughter's hand in marriage and half his domain to anyone who could get rid of this menace. A young, handsome, bold and courageous knight presented himself for the challenge. He was given a magnificent horse and arms to carry out the task. When the knight approached the lair of the large cat it jumped at him and the knight thrust his lance up to the hilt in the cat's body. He returned triumphantly with his trophy to the lord's castle and claimed his prize. It is said that from this time the village was called Catus - meaning cat in Latin.