Gulon/Jerff

The Gulon is a creature from Swedish folklore, also called called Jerff in Northern areas of Sweden. It was described by Olaus Magnus in 1555. They have long bodies covered in fur, are shaped like hybrids of lions and hyenas and have fox tails and massive claws. They live in snowfields and consumes carrion. When they eat, they are ravenous and eat so much that their bodies swell from the gasses released from the rotting flesh. They then squeeze their bodies between two trees to relieve the swelling and improve their movements. They are incredibly vulnerable when squeezing their bodies and may be killed for their fur. The meat of these creatures is never eaten, but their blood may be mixed with honey and drunk at weddings.

Citations:

Rose, Carol. Giants Monsters and Dragons: An Encyclopedia Of Folklore Legend And Myth. United Kingdom, WW Norton, 2001.