cats in history and mythology

The deity Mut was also depicted as a cat and in the company of a cat. Only one deity, the goddess named Bastet, had the power to become a cat. A first century CE epitaph of a young girl holding a cat is among the earliest pieces of evidence of cats in Rome and, in Greece, the playwright Aristophanes (c. 446-386 BCE) frequently featured cats in his works for comic effect (coining the phrase, “The cat did it” in assigning blame). A freelance writer and former part-time Professor of Philosophy at Marist College, New York, Joshua J. Here are just a few of the cats found in mythology. Cats which have died are taken to Bubastis where they are embalmed and buried in sacred receptacles” (Nardo 117). James Peter Allen vocalizes the original form of the name as buʔístit or buʔístiat, with ʔ representing a glottal stop. Frey is the god of rain, … According to legend, the `M’ design on the forehead of the tabby cat was made when the prophet blessed his favourite cat by placing his hand on its head. There are a number of tales of cats mentioned in Scandinavian folklore. "Cats in the Ancient World." On the Internet, cats frequently appear often as memes and other humor; and on social media people frequently post pictures of their own cats. Ancient History Encyclopedia Foundation is a non-profit organization. In Mahabharata a famous passage concerns the cat Lomasa and the mouse Palita, who help each other escape from death and discuss at length the nature of relationships, particularly those in which one of the parties is stronger or more powerful than the other. This mutually beneficial arrangement began the relationship between cats and humans which continues to this day. Cats are magical creatures. In 1233 Pope Gregory IX composed in his Papal Bull “Vox in Rama” really denounced black cats as hellish. She also protected humans from venomous animals, and since venomous creatures, such as snakes and scorpions were (and are) in abundance in the Egypt… The Romans respected the vermin-catching abilities of the domestic cat, but also saw them as exotic pets and sacred animals. They have their own press secretary, with about 74 cats of both genders roaming the museum. These are referred to in the Prose Edda as ‘gib-cats’ and are depicted as grey or blue in colour. There were two main breeds of cat native to Ancient Egypt. The Beckoning Cat image is thought to bring good luck when given as a gift and remains a very popular present in Japan. Buddhist, Burmese and Siamese cultures believed that cats acted as hosts for certain … Mosaic, Pompeiiby Mary Harrsch (Photographed at the Museo Archaeologico Nazionale di Napoli) (CC BY-SA). The Norse goddess Freyja, deity of love, fertility, war, wealth, divination … Dr. Kitchener’s findings built upon the evidence of cat’s domestication provided by the discovery in 1983 CE of a cat skeleton in a grave dating to 9,500 BCE on the island of Cyprus. Typically made … It is clearly established that, by 450 BCE, the penalty in Egypt for killing a cat was death (though this law is thought to have been observed much earlier). "Cats in the Ancient World." In the Middle Ages cats were persecuted. [21], One English folk tale in which a cat is given a heroic role is Dick Whittington and His Cat, which has been adapted for many stage works, including plays, musical comedies and pantomimes. The jungle cat (Felis chaus) and the African wildcat (Felis silvestris lybica). The two species eventually merged creating a new breed which was closely related to the modern Egyptian Mau. Mythology of cats: Cats in Egypt Ancient Egyptians called the cats Mau and domesticated them about 4,000-5,000 years ago. Many of the cat breeds known today actually evolved from ancient Egyptian cats. Pages in category "Mythological felines" The following 38 pages are in this category, out of 38 total. It is well documented that cats were kept on ships to control vermin during the time of the 15th century CE Age of Discovery and, most likely, they served the same purpose for the Phoenicians. The medieval writer Walter Map (c. 1140-1210 CE) associated the cat with demonic forces in his work (although it is possible Map was being stirical) and there are records of cats being ritually killed in Cambridge England in the early 13th century CE. There were two main breeds of cat native to Ancient Egypt. During the Victorian Age (1837-1901 CE) cats were again elevated to the previous high standing they had enjoyed in ancient Egypt. The great Persian hero Rustum, out on campaign, one night saved a magician from a band of thieves. The power of speech was then taken from the cats and given to humans but, as humans seemed incapable of understanding the words of the gods, cats remained entrusted with the important task of keeping time and so maintaining order. His little room infested with rats, Dick acquires a cat, who drives off the rats. For only $5 per month you can become a member and support our mission to engage people with cultural heritage and to improve history education worldwide. In 1579, the now iconic ‘black cat’ appeared in a pamphlet on a witchcraft trial in Windsor, where it belonged to an aptly named ‘Mother Devell’ and was purportedly fed blood and milk by its satanic owner. Although cats were kept by people in Greece and Rome, the appreciation for the animal as a hunter was not as great in those cultures owing to the Greek and Roman practice of keeping domesticated weasels for pest control. The Greek myth which suggests this link is the well known story of Heracles (the Roman Hercules) and concerns Galinthius, a maid-servant to Heracles' mother, the Princess Alcmene. Rather than disturb the cat, Muhammed cut the sleeve from his robe and left Meuzza to sleep. When Fitzwarren's ship returned, it was loaded with riches. It should not be assumed that the common people would have read Vox in Rama and responded to it, nor even that the bull was widespread (it was issued only to Henry III, Count of Sayn, in Germany) but the opinion of the church toward cats would certainly have filtered down from the highest levels to the lay-people of the congregations. Superstition #3: Black Cats Are Good Luck. Freyja was in charge of death and the afterlife and known for practicin… [16] Even during later times, weasels were far more commonly kept as pets[16] and weasels, not cats, were seen as the ideal rodent-killers. [11] In the latter country, a black cat entering a house or ship is a good omen, and a sailor's wife should have a black cat for her husband's safety on the sea. It has long been argued that the death of so many cats allowed the mice and rat populations to thrive and that the fleas these vermin carried brought about the Bubonic Plague of 1348 CE. In Medieval Ypres, cats were used in the winter months to control the vermin infesting the wool stored in the upper floors of the Cloth Hall (Lakenhall). The goddess cat was named Bastet, also known as Bast. These cats often found their way into literature. Vikings used cats as rat catchers and companions. Mar 15, 2014 - Find Cash Advance, Debt Consolidation and more at Asian-Antiquites.com. This story was carried by the newspapers of the day and, as Queen Victoria was a very popular monarch, more and more people became interested in having cats of their own. Ancient History Encyclopedia. Frey and Freya are brother and sister gods in Norse mythology. This find, made by the archaeologist Alain le Brun, was important because Cyprus had no indigenous cat population and it is unlikely that settlers would have brought a wild cat, by boat, to the island. The Pope’s proclamation started the persecution of cats right throughout Europe. Books Queen Victoria of Great Britain, who had always kept dogs as pets, became interested in cats through the many stories of archaeological finds in Egypt being published regularly in England. 1. Traditionally, historians tended to think that ancient Egypt was the site of cat domestication, owing to the clear depictions of house cats in Egyptian paintings about 3,600 years old. As of 2017, the domestic cat was the second-most popular pet in … This is evidence that cats were being tamed just as humankind was establishing the first settlements in the part of the Middle East known as the Fertile Crescent. Mark Twain, William Wordsworth, John Keats, and Thomas Hardy were all great admirers of the cat and Lewis Carroll, of course, created one of the most enduring images of the feline through the Cheshire Cat in his Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. [2], The lineage of today's cats stems from about 4500 BC and came from Europe and Southeast Asia according to a recent study. Cats were first domesticated in the Near East around 7500 BC. The last common ancestor of wildcats and domesticated cats lived more than 100,000 years ago” (Derbyshire). Cats were kept as pets by both Greeks and Romans and were regarded highly. It was long thought that cat domestication was initiated in ancient Egypt, as since around 3100 BC veneration was given to cats in ancient Egypt. She also protected humans from venomous animals, and since venomous creatures, such as snakes and scorpions were (and are) in abundance in the Egypt… [14] The earliest unmistakable evidence of the Greeks having domestic cats comes from two coins from Magna Graecia dating to the mid-fifth century BC showing Iokastos and Phalanthos, the legendary founders of Rhegion and Taras respectively, playing with their pet cats. This list of fictional cats in literature is subsidiary to the list of fictional cats.It is restricted solely to notable feline characters from notable literary works of fiction. The association of the cat with ancient Egypt is well known. Cats that were favored pets during the Chinese Song Dynasty were long-haired cats for catching rats, and cats with yellow-and-white fur called 'lion-cats', who were valued simply as cute pets. Feline Forever: Mythology - cats in ancient Greece. The writer David Derbyshire cites a 2007 CE research project in which, “the study used DNA samples from 979 wild and domestic cats to piece together the feline family tree. Wild cats are now known to have lived among the people of Mesopotamia over 100,000 years ago and to have been domesticated there approximately 12,000 BCE at about the same time as dogs, sheep, and goats. Many cats have guarded the Hermitage Museum/Winter Palace continually, since Empress Elizabeth's reign, when she was presented by the city of Kazan in Tatarstan five of their best mousers to control the palace's rodent problem. While this theory has been disputed, there seems no doubt that a decrease in the cat population would result in an increase in the number of mice and rats and it is established that there was such a decrease in the number of cats prior to 1348 CE. January 15, 2020 0 comments Last modified November 17, 2012. We have also been recommended for educational use by the following publications: Ancient History Encyclopedia Foundation is a non-profit organization registered in Canada. The status of the cat, therefore, was further enhanced by its association with a figure of divinity. [33], Cats have also featured prominently in modern culture. Cat can hang itself on a collar, or get tangled in it – the first is obvious, the latter becomes a problem if the cat becomes scared, runs somewhere and becomes lost – the collar can grow into the flesh, I’ve seen enough cases like this. Cite This Work Mythology: Cats in ancient Rome. In Norse mythology the cat was closely associated with Freyja, the goddess of love, sex, attraction, and even crops. [13], Domestic cats were probably first introduced to Greece and southern Italy in the fifth century BC by the Phoenicians. It is known that in ancient times some of the first saints were cat lovers. The esteem in which cats were held is also evident in the Indian cat goddess, Sastht, who served much the same role as Bastet and was as greatly revered. [15]:57–58[16], Housecats seem to have been extremely rare among the ancient Greeks and Romans;[16] the Greek historian Herodotus expressed astonishment at the domestic cats in Egypt, because he had only ever seen wildcats. She was often called upon in matters of the heart. They were never specifically sought out for domestication like dogs were but their coexistence with humans naturally developed from the mutually beneficial nature of the relationship, with their hunting protecting the food stores. Enraged, Hera transformed Galinthius into a cat and sent her to the underworld to ever after serve Hecate. Some referred to Bastet as “Lady of Flame” and “Eye of Ra”.In ancient Egypt there was a death penalty for killing a cat. [16] Cats are rarely mentioned in ancient Greek literature,[16] but Aristotle does remark in his History of Animals that "female cats are naturally lecherous. In the Ramayana, the god Indra disguises himself as a cat after seducing the beautiful maid Ahalya as a means to escape from her husband. Have you ever noticed that there is no Chinese Year of the Cat? Attracted by the cat’s gesture, the emperor entered the temple and, moments later, lightning struck the very spot where he had been standing. Senchan found fault in everything that … The goddess cat was highly admired and respected.Bastet was worshipped as the protector goddess of Lower Egypt and guardian of the pharaoh. She was a warrior goddess, who led the pharaohs in warfare. Ancient History Encyclopedia, 17 Nov 2012. They were associated with the goddesses Isis and Bastet. CHOUPETTE LAGERFELD, THE CAT WHO IS LIVING THE DREAM She is one of the most glamorous cats in the feline world, taking after her famous human, fashion rock star Karl Lagerfeld. Several ancient Egyptian deities were depicted and sculptured with cat-like heads such as Mafdet, Bastet and Sekhmet, representing justice, fertility and power. Wild cats are now known to have lived among the people of Mesopotamia over 100,000 years ago and to have been domesticated there approximately 12,000 BCE at about the same time as dogs, sheep, and goats. The queen’s interest in the cat led her to adopt two Blue Persians whom she treated as members of her court. THEY’LL STEAL YOUR BABY’S BREATH. Owning a cat, and especially letting one into a new house before the humans move in, is said to bring good fortune.[23]. Even though recent studies have concluded that the plague was spread through human interaction (not through interaction with rodents) it was still the parasites from rats and mice which carried the plague. Cats in the Ancient World. [28] The landlord attributed his good fortune to the cat's fortuitous action. Viking-era cats descend from the second wave, which began as early as 1700 B.C., as sailors began bringing cats with them on their ancient voyages for … The Egyptians, reluctant to defend themselves for fear of harming the cats (and perhaps incurring the death penalty should they kill one), and demoralized at seeing the image of Bastet on the enemy’s shields, surrendered the city and let Egypt fall to the Persians. License. In 1233 Pope Gregory IX, in his Papal Bull “Vox in Rama”, actually denounced black cats as satanic. Cats in History and Mythology Mythology is essentially the ancient religion or belief system of a group of people and throughout history the cat has featured prominently. Ancient History Encyclopedia Limited is a non-profit company registered in the United Kingdom. They prefer to come out during stormy weather, or at night, and are usually accompanied by hellish flames or lightning. Mummified cats have been found at Bubastis and elsewhere throughout Egypt, sometimes buried with, or near to, their owners as evidenced by identifying seals on the mummies. It is thought that cats were originally domesticated because they hunted mice that would eat stored grains, but a recent study found that cats domesticated themselves. Treasury of Chinese Folk Tales: Beloved Myths and Legends from the Middle... Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike. [5] White cats, bearing the colour of ghosts, are conversely held to be unlucky in the United Kingdom, while tortoiseshell cats are lucky. Cats were obviously important, and there were enormous cults, which revered these felines. Get the best of Insurance or Free Credit Report, browse our section on Cell Phones or learn about Life Insurance. The deity Mut was also depicted as a cat and in the company of a cat. The greatest example of Egyptian devotion to the cat, however, comes from the Battle of Pelusium (525 BCE) in which Cambyses II of Persia defeated the forces of the Egyptian Pharaoh Psametik III to conquer Egypt. Feline Forever: Cat history and mythology - learn more about the position of cats in Norse mythology. Mythology: Cats in ancient Rome. In Japan, the flapping of the hand is a "come here" gesture, so the cat is beckoning customers. Cats were often housed in private pagodas in Japan and were considered so valuable that, by the 10th century CE, only the nobility could afford to own one. the Parthians exported the longhaired Persian cat (Dembeck, pp. There is no historical evidence that Whittington had a cat,[21] In the tale, Dick Whittington, a poor orphan finds work at the great house of Mr. Fitzwarren, a rich merchant. Exporting them out of the country was illegal, and killing one was a crime punishable by death. Desmond Morris writes, “Because the cat was seen as evil, all kinds of frightening powers were attributed to it by the writers of the day. Cats as Divine Creatures. Yes, there is a Tiger, but no domestic cats. But Mesopotamian cultures elevated the feline to god status. Shakespeare noted that when Senchan began to criticize some mice on his kitchen table with his poetry, they all dropped dead from shame. Web. Cats are sacred to Freya, the goddess of love and beauty, one of the original fertility … Exporting them out of the country was illegal, and killing one was a crime punishable by death. https://www.ancient.eu/article/466/. Long before trick-or-treaters and buckets full of candy, cats were often depicted as the supernatural companions of witches. The Egyptians are also responsible for the very name `cat’ in that it derives from the North African word for the animal, “quattah”, and, as the cat was so closely associated with Egypt, almost every other European nation employs variations on this word: French, chat; Swedish, katt; German, katze; Italian, gatto; Spanish, gato and so forth (Morris, 175). Mark, Joshua J. The kingdom of Cat was a legendary Pictish kingdom during the Early Middle Ages, centred in what is now Caithness in northern Scotland The place name Caithness derives from Cait, which is also preserved in the Gaelic name for Sutherland (Cataibh), in several specific names within that county and in the earliest recorded name for Shetland (Inse Catt, meaning "islands of the Cat people"). Although it has been commonly accepted that cats were first domesticated in Egypt 4000 years ago, their history among human beings goes back much further. Cat mythology in England In 16 th and 17 th century England, witches and witchcraft were all the rage (and not in a good way). A symbol of good luck hence, it is most often seen in businesses to draw in money. The Gayer-Anderson Catby Osama Shukir Muhammed Amin (CC BY-NC-SA). Some Western writers have stated Muhammad had a favorite cat, Muezza. The Egyptians worshiped a huge pantheon of gods and goddesses, with the inclusion of various sacred animals. One day, when the fishermen were collecting rocks to use with the fixed-nets, a stray rock fell and killed one of the cats. Bastets & Sekhmetsby Kotomi Yamamura (CC BY-NC-SA). Several ancient Egyptian deities were depicted and sculptured with cat-like heads such as Mafdet, Bastet and Sekhmet, representing justice, fertility and power. [11] It is a tribute to their perceived durability, their occasional apparent lack of instinct for self-preservation, and their seeming ability to survive falls that would be fatal to other animals. The goddess cat in Egyptian mythology is well known in the world of mythology. This license lets others remix, tweak, and build upon this content non-commercially, as long as they credit the author and license their new creations under the identical terms. The goddess Bastet, commonly depicted as a cat or as a woman with a cat’s head, was among the most popular deities of the Egyptian pantheon. Cat popularity in the United States grew appreciably after the Godey article. When a house caught fire, the Egyptians would concern themselves more with rescuing the cats than with anything else, often running back into the burning building or forming a perimeter around the flames to keep cats at a safe distance. If we consider lions as cats, the cult of the Lion-headed Goddess, Sekhmet, was prominent. The goddess cat in Egyptian mythology is well known in the world of mythology. For example, in Norse mythology, as Encyclopedia Brittanica explains, the goddess Freyja rode a chariot pulled by magical cats. Cats were seen as good luck charms by actors, and the cats often helped cure the actors' stage fright. Godly Cats The ancient Egyptians adopted the lion, the leopard and the cat as symbols of power and virility. In Japan, the maneki-neko is a cat figurine who brings good luck into your home. Another Japanese legend of cats is the nekomata: when a cat lives to a certain age, it grows another tail and can stand up and speak in a human language. The fishermen, feeling sorry for the loss of the cat, buried it and enshrined it at this location on the island. Cats in ancient Egypt were represented in social and religious practices of ancient Egypt for more than 3,000 years. Humans tend to either love or hate cats. 20 Dec 2020. Feline Forever: Cat history and mythology - learn more about the position of cats in ancient Rome. The historian Polyaenus (2nd century CE) writes that, after the surrender, Cambyses rode in triumph through the city and hurled cats into the faces of the defeated Egyptians in scorn. 1. The kingdom of Cat was a legendary Pictish kingdom[7] during the Early Middle Ages, centred in what is now Caithness in northern Scotland [8] The place name Caithness derives from Cait, which is also preserved in the Gaelic name for Sutherland (Cataibh), in several specific names within that county and in the earliest recorded name for Shetland (Inse Catt, meaning "islands of the Cat people"). Modern cats stem from two major lines of lineage. Cats In Mythology: Cats in mythology, especially as familiars have an extended and darkh historical past in western mythology. Please note that content linked from this page may have different licensing terms. For example, a cat named Mimsey was used by MTM Enterprises as their mascot and features in their logo as a spoof of the MGM lion. Legends from Thailand (Siam), Burma, and other Asian countries, have cats as the vessel that transports a monk’s or royal person’s soul to heaven after death. The Persian soldiers painted images of cats on their shields, and may have held cats in their arms, as they marched behind the wall of animals. From agents of pest control to divine or semi-divine creatures, to incarnations of evil, and, finally, to house pets, cats have been the close associates of human beings for centuries. This list may not reflect recent changes (). He joined Mr. Fitzwarren in his business and married his daughter Alice, and in time became the Lord Mayor of London. Evidently, the cat would grow tired of Dickens’ attention being directed toward the page instead of to feline companionship and petting (Morris, 167). 360-63). Many writers of the age owned and admired cats. by Mary Harrsch (Photographed at the Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum, Calif.) (CC BY-NC-SA), by Osama Shukir Muhammed Amin (CC BY-NC-SA), by Mary Harrsch (Photographed at the Museo Archaeologico Nazionale di Napoli) (CC BY-SA). [3][1]. Senchan found fault in everything that … During some periods in Egypt's history, cats were even seen as divine creatures. The inhabitants of the European nations, believing the cat to be evil, shunned not only the animal but anyone who seemed overly fond of the cat. Bastet, also known as Bast, is associated with the Goddess Isis. Freyja’s chariot was pulled by cats, specifically the skogkatt (Norwegian Forest Cat), which is larger and more powerful than most domesticated housecats. The Chinese Year of the Horse will be galloping in this Friday. Black cats are also believed to bring good luck in many ways. This myth, then, associated cats with darkness, transformation, the underworld, and witchcraft and, in time, these associations would prove very unfortunate for the cat. Norse Legend. Over time, the fishermen developed a fondness for the cats and would observe the cats closely, interpreting their actions as predictions of the weather and fish patterns. The power of the church in dictating popular opinion had been broken by the Protestant Reformation (1517-1648 CE) and in the Age of Enlightenment people could choose to believe what they wanted to regarding cats or any other subject. Mythology: Cats in Norse mythology The Norse goddess Freya (Freyja) had a chariot drawn by two large grey or blue cats (possibly Norwegian Forest Cats) called "Gib-cats" in the Prose Edda (a collection of Norse tales compiled in 1220AD by Icelandic historian Snorri Sturluson). During some periods in Egypt's history, cats were even seen as divine creatures. Cats are thought to have been brought to Europe by Phoenician traders who smuggled them out of Egypt. The Norse god Freya (Freyja) drove a chariot pulled by two cats. They looked for markers in mitochondrial DNA - a type of genetic material passed down from mothers to kittens which can reveal when wild and domestic cat lineages were most closely related.” This project was headed by Dr. Andrew Kitchener, a Zoologist at the National Museums of Scotland, who writes, "This shows that the origin of domestic cats was not Ancient Egypt - which is the prevailing view - but Mesopotamia and that it occurred much earlier than was thought. Breeding and having domestic cats have been considered good luck to the funeral of Baldur, her name to! In early Egyptian hieroglyphs, her name appears to have been dedicated to the previous high standing had! Feline Forever: cat history and mythology ) pets cats Mau and domesticated them 4,000-5,000... By in the United States grew appreciably after the Godey article of witches Amin! Nambujinja in the cat breeds known today actually evolved from ancient Egyptian cats and on. 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