Cat Mythology: Cats as Familiars
Cats as familiars have a long and dark history in western mythology. These cats
often found their way into literature. One of the most famous was Grimalkin, the witches’
cat from Shakespeare’s MacBeth. Cats as witch’s companions are still a part of the
popular symbology associated with the modern holiday of Halloween.
What is a familiar? In western mythology a familiar was an animal companion
given by the devil to a witch in order to help her with her evil magic. These familiars
would have names just like any other pet. In the middle ages, if you were caught talking
to your pet (like a lot of people do) you were considered to be consorting with the devil in
speaking to w obviously your familiar. The Middle Ages were a very dark and violent
period in Europe. Their alternative name “Dark Ages” should come as no surprise.
Learning was confined to clergy and nobility. The general population was therefore quite
ignorant and prone to superstition.
A familiar could be any type of animal such as a toad, dog or cat. Black cats
became the traditionally cited companion and hence cats became particularly reviled. In
1233 Pope Gregory IX wrote in his Papal Bull “Vox in Rama” actually denounced black
cats as satanic. The Popes’ proclamation began the persecution of cats all over Europe.
Thousands and thousands of cats were burned alive in the attempt to drive out the evil
Satan. Wild tales of these cats shape shifting into other creatures were common among
the populace and justified these terrible acts in their minds. When the power of the
Knights Templar was broken, some of the knights were said to have confessed to
worshipping cats. As these so-called confessions were given under extreme torture, they
would seem to speak more to the attitudes of their inquisitors than to anything the
Templars themselves had actually done.
Why were black cats in particular singled out? There are a couple of legends that
might explain this singular revulsion. In the first legend, so the story goes, is that cats
who were born at the end of blackberry season were called blackberry cats. According to
this legend, the end of blackberry season coincides with the expulsion of Satan from
heaven. When he fell he landed on a blackberry bush which he defiled with his urine and
spit. Thus, blackberry cats, especially black ones are associated with the devil in this tale.
The second tale comes from Italy. The Italian witches, called streghe, tell a legend about
Diana who is goddess of the moon and also called “Queen of the Witches”. Her brother
who was known in ancient times as Apollo, is renamed Lucifer (Light Bearer) in this tale.
Supposedly, Diana wanted to have a son by Lucifer, so she attempted to trick him by
taking the shape of a black cat.
As you can see, these stories were pretty wild, and yet the people of those dark
times took them as the gospel truth. The irony of this superstitious hysteria against cats
was that by destroying the cats the Europeans nearly destroyed themselves. Cats had been
used for centuries to keep down the population of vermin, especially mice and rats. When
their predators were destroyed, the vermin population exploded. They ate large amounts
of grain that had been meant for human consumption resulting in widespread hunger
among the people. Even worse than the hunger was that the enormous numbers of rats
became disease carriers. The worst of these diseases was the bubonic plague, otherwise
known as the Black Death. The Plagues of the Middle Ages are terrible instance of the
repercussions that can befall humans due to misplaced zeal.
Mail this post
Cat Mythology: Cats as a Diety
Cats as deities are most closely associated with ancient Egypt. The ancient
Egyptians had several feline gods and goddesses. Lions were said to guard the great god
Ra during his nightly journey through the underworld. The Egyptians had a fascination
with lions. They created their sphinx with the body of a lion and the head of Pharaoh.
Three lion goddesses existed in ancient Egypt. Sekhmet was a fierce and powerful
goddess. She was a war goddess who was sent by her father Ra to earth to destroy his
enemies. She is usually depicted as a woman with the head of a lion. Another lion headed
goddess was Tefnut whose name means moisture. She represented a primeval force of
nature. The third lion goddess was Mafdet who was the goddess of protection.
Among her fierce sisters, gentle Bast may seem a bit out of place. Often shown as
a graceful cat wearing bracelets a broad collar and earrings, Bast was the protectress of
domestic cats and those who cared for them. Her principle gifts to the world were joy and
pleasure. She was a much beloved household deity. Her principle temple was at Bubastis
and was said to be one of the most beautiful and popular in all of Egypt. She had a
secondary seat in Memphis as well. There is some evidence to believe that the ancient
Egyptians believed that Bast and Sekhmet were actually two faces of the same divine
force. Sekhmet representing the violent aspect of the divine, and Bast, the gentler
qualities.
Egyptian children were often consecrated to Bastand placed under her protection.
Bast was considered a divine mother and was sometimes depicted with kittens. When a
woman in ancient Egypt wanted to have children, she would often wear a bracelet or a
necklace depicting the goddess Bast with kittens. The number of kittens shown with the
goddess represented the number of children desired by the woman. Ancient Egyptians
seemed to consider cats to be the height of beauty. The styles of makeup they used,
especially around the eyes, tended to give them a feline look.
Cats were so highly regarded by the ancient Egyptians that the penalty for killing
one was death. When a family cat died of accident or old age, its’ human family would
go into mourning. They would shave their eyebrows off to show their grief. Cats were
often mummified. One royal cat was buried in a marble coffin. The hieroglyphs on her
coffin referred to her as “Lady Cat”.
Bast was said to be the wife of the god Ptah. Ptah was the creator god of the
universe. Ptah and Bast were said to have had a son, the fierce lion god Maahes. Maahes
originated as a Nubian god. During the New Kingdom, his worship moved northward
where he was incorporated into the Egyptian pantheon as the son of Bast and Ptah. On
becoming a divine mother, Bast became associated with the protectress of Lower Egypt,
Wadjet. They became linked as Wadjet-Bast. A similar association was created in the
Upper Kingdom By the combination of Sekhmet and the Upper Kingdom protectress
Nekhbet.
The constantly changing nature of Egyptian religion can be rather confusing.
They had an inclusive attitude towards other gods and religions. The ancient Egyptians
freely adapted and adopted these others into their own cosmology. This attitude makes it
difficult for modern readers to understand. Most of us have been raised in religions
whose nature is highly exclusive. With an exclusive religion, outside influences are
rejected or even actively repelled. The Egyptians, as demonstrated by the story of Bast
and Maahes, had a very different way at looking at religion.
Mail this post