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 has lived in Greece and Germany and traveled through Egypt. Egyptian Cat Deities The famous story of Puss in Boots (best known through the French version by Charles Perrault, 1628-1703 CE) is taken from a much older Indian folk tale in the Panchatantra from the 5th century BCE (though the character of the cat’s master has a very different personality in the older tale than the one in Perrault’s story). Cats in History: Chinese Truth and Mythology - Playful Kitty. The association of the cat with ancient Egypt is well known. Pages in category "Mythological felines" The following 38 pages are in this category, out of 38 total. Cats in ancient Egypt were represented in social and religious practices of ancient Egypt for more than 3,000 years. They were known to have been domesticated there approximately 12,000 BCE―about the same time as dogs, sheep, and goats. Why were Cats so Important in Ancient Egypt?Wild Ciencias Channel :https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDBgTJ_aPb8YT4FuLZ6WU2w♦Consider to Support the … She is shown riding a chariot, driven by 2 large gray cats. In an 1860 article, Hale wrote that cats were not solely for older women or monarchs and that anyone should feel comfortable in embracing the “love and virtue” of the cat. If we consider lions as cats, the cult of the Lion-headed Goddess, Sekhmet, was prominent. Exporting them out of the country was illegal, and killing one was a crime punishable by death. Modern cats stem from two major lines of lineage. 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. Mark, Joshua J. Last modified November 17, 2012. As the Phoenicians are acknowledged to have extensively traded with every known civilization of the time, cats could have been spread around the region on a fairly regular basis. Cats, known in ancient Egypt as the mau, played a large role in ancient Egyptian society. The period of mourning was considered completed when the people’s eyebrows had grown back. Archaeological excavations in the past ten years have provided evidence that the Near Eastern Wildcat is the closest relative of the modern-day domestic cat and was bred by Mesopotamian farmers, most probably as a means of controlling pests, such as mice, which were attracted by grain supplies. The cat in ancient Egypt was closely linked to the goddess Bastet who presided over the h… Elderly women who cared for cats were especially susceptible to punishment for witchcraft simply on the grounds of being so accused. Mythology: Cats in ancient Rome. When a family cat died, the people of the home observed the same grief-rituals as those for a human family member and cats were routinely mummified in the finest linens. [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. Attracted by the cat’s gesture, the emperor entered the temple and, moments later, lightning struck the very spot where he had been standing. Norse Legend. Only one deity, the goddess named Bastet, had the power to become a cat. However, there is enough evidence to suggest that wild cats indeed lived among the Mesopotamians over 100,000 years ago. There were two main breeds of cat native to Ancient Egypt. In the Renaissance, cats were often thought to be witches' familiars (for example, Greymalkin, the first witch's familiar in Macbeth's famous opening scene), and during festivities were sometimes burnt alive or thrown off tall buildings. Cats were obviously important, and there were enormous cults, which revered these felines. 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. 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. A few seconds later a lightning bolt struck where the landlord had been previously standing. In her fictional life, she is from the outskirts of London and a part of the Sanrio universe. They continue to be valued companions for people across the world today and, in this, these individuals carry on the legacy of the ancients in their devotion to, and appreciation for, the cat. Why were Cats so Important in Ancient Egypt?Wild Ciencias Channel :https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDBgTJ_aPb8YT4FuLZ6WU2w♦Consider to Support the … When he opened his hands toward Rustum, the warrior saw a small, smoke-grey kitten with eyes bright as the stars and a tiny tongue which darted like the tip of flame. "Cats in the Ancient World." History of cats, (part two) (History and mythology) pets. Published by Louis A. Godey of Philadelphia from 1830 -1878, this monthly periodical featured stories, articles, poems, and engravings and is perhaps best known for helping to institutionalize the practice of the family Christmas tree in America (although it also advocated for women's rights, education, the celebration of Thansgiving, and was among the first to publish Edgar Allen Poe's work). Zeus’ wife, Hera, was thwarted in her attempt to kill Alcmene and Heracles through the cleverness of Galinthius. These cats often found their way into literature. The concept, known as “transmigration of soul” is also found in Egypt. Unlike the gods and goddesses of ancient Greece or Rome, who looked human for the most part, Egyptian deities were often depicted as having the form of an animal. 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. [26][27] Cats could be pampered with items bought from the market such as "cat-nests", and were often fed fish that were advertised in the market specifically for cats.[26][27]. 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. [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. 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. [10], Folklore dating back to as early as 1607 tells that a cat will suffocate a newborn infant by putting its nose to the child's mouth, sucking the breath out of the infant.[11]. The export of cats from Egypt was so strictly prohibited that a branch of the government was formed solely to deal with this issue. [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. Cats first came to North America, it is thought, in 1749 CE, from England, to help control the mice and rat population but they seem to have been largely considered utilitarian until the Victorian Age when they became cherished pets and, in the United States, this was largely due to the influence of Godey's Lady's Book and Sarah Hale's contributions to it. https://www.ancient.eu/article/466/. She was often called upon in matters of the heart. Cat popularity in the United States grew appreciably after the Godey article. 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. She too, was a very popular goddess who was thought to embody the importance of cats in the early days of creation. Breeding and having domestic cats turned into a fashion at the end of the nineteenth century. 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. Cats were so highly valued that, according to Herodotus, when an Egyptianhouse caught fire, the people first concerned themselves with rescuing their cats and only then thought to put the fire out. This trend spread to the United States and was encouraged by the most popular magazine in America at that time, Godey’s Lady’s Book. [15]:77–79 In Ovid's Metamorphoses, when the gods flee to Egypt and take animal forms, the goddess Diana (the Roman equivalent of Artemis) turns into a cat. 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). Cats in Egypt held a special importance to the people, as they still do today in most cultures — just think of how people react when they see a black cat on the street. Here are just a few of the cats found in mythology. 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. In 1233 Pope Gregory IX, in his Papal Bull “Vox in Rama”, actually denounced black cats as satanic. In this way, the first Persian cat came to be created as a token of gratitude to Rustum. In ancient Egypt, black cats were held in the highest esteem because they resembled Bastet, the cat-headed Egyptian goddess of home, fertility, and protection from disease. The Cat in Celtic Lore and Shakespeare Ancient Celtic lore speaks of Grimalkin, a grey cat with magical powers. THEY’LL STEAL YOUR BABY’S BREATH. The cats were a gift from Thor, and she used them to travel to the funeral of Baldur, her lover. The goddess cat was highly admired and respected.Bastet was worshipped as the protector goddess of Lower Egypt and guardian of the pharaoh. Status of Cats. In today's Kattenstoet (Cat Parade), this was commuted to the throwing of woolen cats from the top of out houses and also the people from the Middle Ages often used to suck on the wool as a sign of good luck. Cat - History and Mythology. While the exact history of human interaction with cats is still somewhat vague, a shallow grave site discovered in 1983 in Cyprus, dating to 7500 BCE, during the Neolithic period, contains the skeleton of a human, buried ceremonially with stone tools, a lump of iron oxide, and a handful of seashells. In the Middle Ages cats were persecuted. People of the time, however, had no idea where the plague came from (the bacterium Yersinia pestis,which causes plague, was not isolated until 1894 CE) and saw no correlation between the number of rodents, cats, and the disease; therefore cats continued to be suspect of all manner of ill-will and dangerous attributes. Learn how and when to remove this template message, "Cats Domesticated Themselves, Ancient DNA Shows", "The Evolution of House Cats; Genetic and archaeological findings hint that wildcats became house cats earlier--and in a different place--than previously thought", "Dick Whittington and his Cat: The myth and the reality", "Московский Музей Кошки - MOSCOW CAT MUSEUM", "5 Interesting Facts About Maneki Neko (Lucky Cats or Fortune Cats)", "Cats in Japanese Culture and History - KCP International", "Hello Kitty, My Melody, Badtz-Maru and other Sanrio characters at SanrioTown.com", "All About/Cat Supplies; Billions for Food, And Knicknacks to Boot", Revered and Reviled: A Complete History of the Domestic Cat, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Cultural_depictions_of_cats&oldid=995314383, Articles needing additional references from April 2016, All articles needing additional references, Articles containing Japanese-language text, Articles containing potentially dated statements from 1990, All articles containing potentially dated statements, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 20 December 2020, at 10:59. In Greek mythology, Diana, goddess of the hunt and moon and teacher of magick and witchcraft, shapeshifts into Lucifer’s beloved pet cat to gain entrance into his chamber and seduce him. The reputation of the cat took a more serious downward turn, however, after Pope Gregory IX (1227-1241 CE) issued his papal bull known as Vox in Rama in 1233 CE denouncing cats as evil and in league with Satan, cats - and especially black cats - were demonized to the point where they were regularly killed all across Europe. [5] White cats, bearing the colour of ghosts, are conversely held to be unlucky in the United Kingdom, while tortoiseshell cats are lucky. In Japan, the flapping of the hand is a "come here" gesture, so the cat is beckoning customers. Matters of the Lion-headed goddess, who drives off the rats ( Neko (., Muhammed cut the sleeve from his robe and left Meuzza to sleep [ 18 and... Luck when given as a gift from Thor, and she became pregnant with Heracles cats, known ancient! 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