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Théophile Steinlen's advertisement for
the tour of the Chat Noir cabaret
Historically, black cats were
symbolically associated with witchcraft and evil. In Hebrew and Babylonian
folklore, cats are compared to
serpents coiled on a hearth. Black cats, because of their ability to remain unseen in
dark places or at night, were considered especially desirable partners for
witches in European traditions. Some witches purportedly had the ability
to shape-shift into a cat nine times, hence the archaic belief that cats have
"nine lives". Black cats were sometimes used in magical rituals, sometimes as
participants, other times as sacrifices. In witch trials, ownership of a cat was
often taken as "evidence" of Satanic association and witchcraft. Cats, believed
to be evil in their own right, were often punished or burned alive along with
humans during these trials (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_cat).
Both historically and today, some
religious and spiritual groups engage in ritualistic sacrifice of cats, though
studies have mainly found that such reports belong squarely in the province of
urban legend. Many modern witches keep black cats as pets, and view them as
sacred (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_cat).
In the African American hoodoo
tradition, black cats are considered to be good luck in matters of sports and
gambling, particularly with card games and playing the lottery. The
black cat mojo bag is
filled with a number of luck-bringing roots and herbs, including John the
Conqueror root, and adorned with a small black cat charm on the outside and
carried on the person for good luck. Fortunately, the antiquated
associations of black cats with bad luck or evil that once flourished in North
American popular culture are no longer widely held..
The Black
Cat Bone
Probably the most disturbing practice
involving the black cat is that of the Black Cat Bone Spell. Although it is
European in origin, it is commonly associated with hoodoo and Voodoo.
Supposedly, every black cat has one special bone in its body that will either
grant the owner invisibility or can be used to bring back a lost lover (http://www.luckymojo.com/blackcat.html).
There are several ways in which the
special black cat bone can be procured. Here is a version from the
Book of Saint
Cyprian, the patron saint of the occult:
"Cook the body of a black cat in boiling water with white seeds and wood from
the willow until the meat is loosened from the bones. Strain the bones in a
linen cloth and, in front of the mirror, place the bones, one by one in your
mouth, until you find that you have the magic to make you become invisible. Keep
the bone with the magic property and, if you want to go somewhere without being
seen, place the bone in your mouth."
According to accounts by Nora Zeale Hurston and
Harry Middleton Hyatt, both of whom studied hoodoo extensively, this is how the
bone is procured (as cited by Cat Yronwode http://www.luckymojo.com/blackcat.html)
"To secure this bone, they said, a black cat must
be thrown alive into a cauldron of boiling water at midnight. The animal dies in
agony, and the heartless practitioner boils the carcass until the meat falls off
the bones. Some say that the special bone will be the top one left when the
water boils away, others say it can only be found by placing each bone in turn
beneath the tongue while an assistant stands by to notify the practitioner that
he has become invisible, and still others swear that if all the bones are thrown
into a stream that runs north (uncommon in most of North America), the desired
bone will be one that floats on the water and heads south." (http://www.luckymojo.com/blackcat.html)
Once the bone is obtained, it is carried in a
mojo bag and dressed
with Van Van oil to bring back a lost lover.
The "Love
Potion" and Chat Noir" images are in the
public domain because their copyrights have expired.
This applies to the United States, Canada, the European Union and
those countries with a copyright term of life of the author plus 70 years.

A
black cat near Roman ruins in Tarragona
Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify
this
photo under the terms of
the
GNU Free Documentation License,
Version 1.2 or any later version published by the
Free Software Foundation;
with no Invariant Sections, no Front-Cover Texts, and no Back-Cover Texts. A
copy of the license is included in the section entitled "GNU
Free Documentation License".
Bombay Black Cat

Photo
of a Bombay cat taken in the west midlands in a town called Redditch
The
term Bombay cat is used to refer to two different breeds of cat: the
British Bombay and the American Bombay.
The
British Bombay cat is the name given to black cats of the Asian group. It is a
cat of Burmese type with a black coat, toes, nose, and copper to greenish eyes.
The American breed called Bombay was
created in 1958 in Louisville, Kentucky, when Nikki Horner of Shawnee Cattery
deliberately bred an American Shorthair with a Burmese for the purpose of
creating a domesticated cat that resembled a wild panther (also known as baby
panther). The offspring of this breeding did indeed resemble the black leopard
of India. The name came from the Indian city of Bombay (now Mumbai). Horner
called her creation the "patent leather kid with the new penny eyes."
Characteristics
The Bombay is a muscular yet agile
cat with a black coat. The heads of Bombay cats are rounded and wide with a
short tapered muzzle. The eyes, which are of golden or copper color, are rounded
and set wide, and their ears are broad, slightly rounded and medium sized and,
like the eyes, set wide. The Bombay has a coat that is short, satiny and tight
to the body. Bombay cats do not require grooming.
Permission
is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify
this
photo under the terms of
the
GNU Free Documentation License,
Version 1.2 or any later version published by the
Free Software Foundation;
with no Invariant Sections, no Front-Cover Texts, and no Back-Cover Texts. A
copy of the license is included in the section entitled "GNU
Free Documentation License".
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Black Cat Ju Ju Dolls

Black Cat Ju Ju Dolls are
commonly sought for their good luck (in gambling in
particular) and protection
properties. The term "ju ju" refers to an object, in this
case a doll, that has been blessed and functions to keep
evil and negativity away. Sometimes Ju Ju dolls are referred
to as guardians because they are used to protect the home
from negativity.
To purchase a Black Cat Ju Ju
Doll, please visit
Planet Voodoo. |
Black Cat
Superstitions
-
In Scotland, a strange black cat
on your porch is a sign of upcoming prosperity.
-
In Ireland, when a black cat
crosses your path in the moonlight, it means there is going to be an epidemic
illness.
-
In Italy hundreds of years ago, it
was believed that if a black cat lay on the bed of a sick person, that person
would die.
-
Many years ago in England,
fishermen's wives kept black cats in their homes while their husbands went
away to sea in their fishing boats. They believed that the black cats would
prevent danger from occurring to their husbands while they were away.
Superstitions centering around the black cat are some of the most widely known
and popular superstitions.
-
In places which saw few witch
hunts, black cats retained their status as good luck, and are still considered
as such in Britain and Ireland.
-
In Romanian and Indian culture,
especially in the historical region of Moldavia in Romania and everywhere in
India, one of the strongest superstitions still feared by many people is that
black cats crossing their path represents bad luck, despite the fact that
these regions were never affected by witch hunts or anti-paganism. An
identical superstition survives also in Central Europe, such as the Czech
Republic.
-
Every black cat has one special
bone in its body that will either grant the owner invisibility or can be used
to bring back a lost lover (hoodoo).
-
It is said that a black cat
crossing your path is bad luck, but letting one in your house is good luck.
-
In other folklore, if a cat jumps
over a dead body, the corpse will become a vampire. To stop this, the cat has
to be killed.
-
During the 17th century, a cat boiled in oil was
believed to be excellent for dressing wounds. Illnesses could be transferred to
felines, which were then driven from homes. Diseases could also be created
with cats. In order to cause the plague, a powder made from the body of a cat
stuffed with fruit, herbs, and grain is hurled down from mountaintops (Russell,
1972).
-
As a fertility charm, "a cat buried in a field will
ensure a bountiful crop" (Guiley
,1989, p. 53).
-
To destroy crops, some accused witches were said to have
filled the skin of a cat with assorted vegetable matter, put it in a spring
for a period of three days, and then to dry and grind the mixture. "On a windy
day they go up a mountain and scatter the powder across the land as a
sacrifice to the Devil, who in return for their offering will destroy the
crops" (Kieckhefer , 1989,
pp.195-196).
-
In India it is thought that a
reincarnated soul may be "liberated" by throwing a black cat into a fire.
-
In Bengali folklore women could
change their soul into a black cat and that any harm brought to the cat would
be suffered by the women.
-
The Celts thought black cats were
reincarnated beings able to divine the future.
-
German folklore believed that if a
black cat jumped on the bed of a sick person it meant death was near.
-
In Finland it was thought that
black cats were thought to carry the souls of the dead to the other world.
-
In China it is thought the
presence of a black cat foretold of poverty.
-
During the catholic inquisition
when millions were killed, innocent people were tied to a stake and set aflame
with often a black cat was thrown into the fire with them.
References
Guiley, R. E.
The Encyclopedia of Witches and Witchcraft. New
York: Facts on File, Inc.
http://www.paralumun.com/catblack.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_cat#_note-2
The Curse of the Black Cat

The infamous black cat curse in
action. Photo from http://www.reversethecurse.com/curse_history.htm.
It was the 1969 season, and looked
like it would at long last be the year of the Cubs. Fate took a strange twist on
September 9, 1969, however, when during an incredible series at Shea Stadium a
black cat ran onto the field and circled around Ron Santo. Suffice it to say
that the Cubs ended up losing that year. Read more about the black cat curse and
the curse of the Billy Goat
here.
The Yule Cat
The oldest written sources on the
Yule Cat are from the Nineteenth Century. These refer to the
fact that those who do not get a new item of clothing for
Yule are destined to become offerings for the Yule Cat. It
may sound strange that the deprived ones will also become
the sacrifices, but this tradition is based on the fact that
every effort was made to finish all work with the Autumn
wool before Yule. The reward for those who took part in the
work was a new piece of clothing. Those who were lazy
received nothing. Thus the Yule Cat was used as an incentive
to get people to work harder.
A woman describes a scene from her
youth in the last century thus: "We were lazy doing this
chore. Then we were reminded of the Yule Cat. We thought
that was some terrible beast and the last thing we wanted
was to be one of his offers".
One of Iceland's most beloved poets
in this century, Jóhannes úr Kötlum, wrote a lay about the
Yule Cat. It follows in the translation of Vignir Jónsson,
who says: "You'll have to forgive me but I didn't make it
rhyme - I'm not much of a poet."
(source:
http://www.simnet.is/gardarj/yule11.htm)
You all know the Yule Cat
And that Cat was huge indeed.
People didn't know where he came from
Or where he went.
He opened his glaring eyes wide,
The two of them glowing bright.
It took a really brave man
To look straight into them.
His whiskers, sharp as bristles,
His back arched up high.
And the claws of his hairy paws
Were a terrible sight.
He gave a wave of his strong tail,
He jumped and he clawed and he hissed.
Sometimes up in the valley,
Sometimes down by the shore.
He roamed at large, hungry and evil
In the freezing Yule snow.
In every home
People shuddered at his name.
If one heard a pitiful "meow"
Something evil would happen soon.
Everybody knew he hunted men
But didn't care for mice.
He picked on the very poor
That no new garments got
For Yule - who toiled
And lived in dire need.
From them he took in one fell swoop
Their whole Yule dinner
Always eating it himself
If he possibly could.
Hence it was that the women
At their spinning wheels sat
Spinning a colorful thread
For a frock or a little sock.
Because you mustn't let the Cat
Get hold of the little children.
They had to get something new to wear
From the grownups each year.
And when the lights came on, on Yule
Eve
And the Cat peered in,
The little children stood rosy and proud
All dressed up in their new clothes.
Some had gotten an apron
And some had gotten shoes
Or something that was needed
- That was all it took.
For all who got something new to
wear
Stayed out of that pussy-cat's grasp
He then gave an awful hiss
But went on his way.
Whether he still exists I do not
know.
But his visit would be in vain
If next time everybody
Got something new to wear.
Now you might be thinking of helping
Where help is needed most.
Perhaps you'll find some children
That have nothing at all.
Perhaps searching for those
That live in a lightless world
Will give you a happy day
And a Merry, Merry Yule.
Kitty
Deities
Cats
played a large role in ancient Egyptian society. Beginning as a wild, untamed species, cats were
useful for keeping down vermin populations in the Egyptians' crops and harvests;
through exposure to humans, the cat population became domesticated over time and
learned to coexist with the human population. The people inhabiting the area
which would later become unified and known as Upper and Lower Egypt had a
religion centering around the worship of animals, of which the cat became
one.The earliest evidence of cats as deities comes from a 3100 BCE crystal cup
decorated with an image of the lion-headed goddess Mafdet
The Egyptians viewed their
gods not as simple spirits but as intelligences that could be personified in a
body. A revered animal in Egyptian society and religion, the cat was afforded
the same mummification after death as humans were. For example, mummified cats
were given in offering to Bast. In 1888, an Egyptian farmer accidentally
uncovered a large tomb containing approximately eighty thousand mummified cats
and kittens. This discovery outside the town of Beni Hasan dated back to
1000-2000 BC.

Mummified Egyptian Cat
The above
image has been (or is hereby) released into the
public domain by its author,
Greudin at the
French
Wikipedia project. This applies worldwide.
The Greek historian Herodotus wrote
that in the event of a fire men would guard the fire to make certain that no
cats ran into the flame. Herodotus also wrote that when a cat died, the
household would go into mourning as if for a human relative, and would often
shave their eyebrows to signify their loss.
Such was the strength of feeling
towards cats that killing one, even accidentally, incurred the death penalty.
Another Greek historian, Diodorus Siculus, describes an interesting example of
swift justice imposed upon the killer of a cat: about 60 BCE, he witnessed the
chariot of a Roman soldier accidentally run over an Egyptian cat. An outraged
mob gathered and, despite pleas from pharaoh Ptolemy XII, killed the soldier.
Below is a description of some of
the Egyptian cat deities.
Mafdet, Goddess of
Justice and Execution
Picture of wall painting from the tomb of Sennedjem. Anubis attending the mummy
of the deceased.
Mafdet (also spelled Maftet), was
the Egyptian feline goddess of
justice and execution, depicted as a woman with the head of a cheetah. Her name means she who runs swiftly. She is present
in the
Egyptian pantheon as
early as the
First Dynasty. Mafdet was
associated with the protection of the king's chambers and other sacred places,
and with protection against
venomous animals, which
were seen as transgressors against
Ma'at.
Since venomous animals such as
scorpions and
snakes are killed by
felines, Mafdet was seen
as a feline goddess, although it is uncertain whether alternately, she also was
meant to be a
cat, a
mongoose, or a
leopard. In reflection of
the manner in which these animals kill snakes and she was given titles such as,
slayer of serpents.
In
art,
Mafdet was shown as a feline, a woman with a feline head, or a feline with the
head of a woman, sometimes with
braided hair which ended
in the tails of scorpions. At times she was shown with a headdress of snakes.
She also was depicted as a feline running up the side of an executioner's
staff. It was said that
Mafdet ripped out the hearts of wrong-doers, delivering them to the
pharaoh's feet, in a
similar manner as domestic cats who present people with rodents or birds that
they have killed or maimed.
During the
New Kingdom, Mafdet was
seen as ruling over the judgment hall in
Duat where the enemies of the pharaoh were
decapitated with Mafdet's claw.
She is depicted in the Pyramid Texts, which are hieroglyphs of spells and rites
written on the walls of Old Kingdom tombs.
Her cult was eventually replaced by that of
Bast, another
cat-goddess, a lioness warrior who was seen as the pharaoh's protector, but her
cheetah imagery continued in association with the pharaohs including personal
items and the bed upon which their mummies were placed.
Bast , Perfumed
Protector and Goddess of Fertility and Motherhood
 
A bronze statue of the cat goddess
Bastet
Bast was the
Egyptian cat goddess that replaced the cult of Mafdet. Originally depicted as a
lion, she eventually transformed into a gentle deity of protection, fertility,
motherhood, and the benevolent aspects of the sun. A significant religious
movement, the chief center of worship for the cult of Bast was in
Bubastis. Bubastis became a marketplace for merchants of all sorts;
artisans came forth with thousands of bronze sculptures and amulets depicting
cats to worshippers of Bast. These amulets commonly featured an image of a cat
and its kittens and were often used by women trying to have children, praying to
Bast that they be granted the same number of children as kittens depicted on the
amulet. The cult of Bast was officially banned by imperial decree in 390 AD.
Egypt has since experienced a decline in the respect once held for cats and
although they are still kept as pets and tolerated elsewhere because they catch
pests, the cat has lost all religious significance in modern Egypt.
Find Bast at Planet Voodoo's
Virtual Voodoo Temple.
Maahes
     
Maahes
(also spelled Mihos, Miysis, Mios, Maihes, and
Mahes) was an ancient
Egyptian
lion-headed
god of
war,
whose name means "he who is true beside her". He was seen as a lion prince, the
son of the goddess
Bast in
Lower Egypt and of
Sekhmet in
Upper Egypt and shared
their natures. His father varied according to the current chief male deity of
the time and region. He was a deity associated with war and
weather, and was
considered the protector of
matrilineality and of the
high priests of
Ammon, as well as that of
knives,
lotuses, and
devouring captives. His
cult was centred in
Taremu and
Per-Bast.
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