Photo by Miguel Á. Padriñán by Nomi Berger
Do you fret about black cats crossing your path and bringing misfortune your way whenever the page of a calendar turns to that fabled Friday the 13th?
Did you know that history has provided humans with 13 paws-itive reasons to refute this age-old superstition?
Skeptical? Curious? Read on, then, for reassurance …
The Ancient Egyptian goddess Bastet, who resembled a cat, was the goddess of love, joy, music, dance, protection, and last but not least, cats. And because cats were particularly popular in ancient Egypt, they were considered to be her sacred animal.
Freyja, the most renowned of the Norse goddesses, was the goddess of love, fertility, battle and death. She rode in a chariot that was drawn by cats, and farmers would leave offerings out for the cats to guarantee them a bountiful harvest.
The Ancrene Wisse, written in the 13th century, was a guide for devout recluses whose lives were dedicated to devotional reading, meditation and prayer. The anchoresses usually lived in enclosures attached to churches, and while they were permitted minimal to no contact with people, they were permitted to have cats.
A Chinese proverb states that having a cat assures its owner of having good luck. A more practical proverb states that “Black cat or white cat: If it can catch mice, it’s a good cat.”
The prophet Muhammad had a favorite tabby called Muezza and, according to Hadith (a report of the prophet’s sayings and deeds), he prohibited the persecution and killing of cats.
In India, a cat is believed to be magical and the bearer of good luck. One belief states that if you kill a cat, you must offer a cat in gold to a priest.
In Yorkshire, England, keeping a black cat in your house not only brings you good luck, it ensures that your favorite fisherman will return safely from the sea.
It’s considered good luck on your wedding day if you see either a sneezing cat or a black cat.
An Italian superstition, on the other hand, believes that a sneezing cat is a good omen for everyone who hears it.
The Scots believe that finding a strange black cat on your porch brings you prosperity.
An American superstition believes that dreaming of a white cat means good luck.
Another American superstition believes that if you see a one-eyed cat, you should spit on your thumb and stamp it into the palm of your hand. If you then make a wish, that wish will come true.
In France, there’s a saying that dogs may be wonderful prose, but only the cat is poetry.
Do you fret about black cats crossing your path and bringing misfortune your way whenever the page of a calendar turns to that fabled Friday the 13th?
Did you know that history has provided humans with 13 paws-itive reasons to refute this age-old superstition?
Skeptical? Curious? Read on, then, for reassurance …
The Ancient Egyptian goddess Bastet, who resembled a cat, was the goddess of love, joy, music, dance, protection, and last but not least, cats. And because cats were particularly popular in ancient Egypt, they were considered to be her sacred animal.
Freyja, the most renowned of the Norse goddesses, was the goddess of love, fertility, battle and death. She rode in a chariot that was drawn by cats, and farmers would leave offerings out for the cats to guarantee them a bountiful harvest.
The Ancrene Wisse, written in the 13th century, was a guide for devout recluses whose lives were dedicated to devotional reading, meditation and prayer. The anchoresses usually lived in enclosures attached to churches, and while they were permitted minimal to no contact with people, they were permitted to have cats.
A Chinese proverb states that having a cat assures its owner of having good luck. A more practical proverb states that “Black cat or white cat: If it can catch mice, it’s a good cat.”
The prophet Muhammad had a favorite tabby called Muezza and, according to Hadith (a report of the prophet’s sayings and deeds), he prohibited the persecution and killing of cats.
In India, a cat is believed to be magical and the bearer of good luck. One belief states that if you kill a cat, you must offer a cat in gold to a priest.
In Yorkshire, England, keeping a black cat in your house not only brings you good luck, it ensures that your favorite fisherman will return safely from the sea.
It’s considered good luck on your wedding day if you see either a sneezing cat or a black cat.
An Italian superstition, on the other hand, believes that a sneezing cat is a good omen for everyone who hears it.
The Scots believe that finding a strange black cat on your porch brings you prosperity.
An American superstition believes that dreaming of a white cat means good luck.
Another American superstition believes that if you see a one-eyed cat, you should spit on your thumb and stamp it into the palm of your hand. If you then make a wish, that wish will come true.
In France, there’s a saying that dogs may be wonderful prose, but only the cat is poetry.
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