The History Of Black Cats

since the beginning of human history cats and people have had a remarkable relationship cats hold different meaning and symbolism throughout many cultures and eras some societies even incorporated cats into their religious practices the egyptian warrior deity bastet was a goddess who resembled a woman with a cat's head she symbolized female sexuality fertility and motherhood ancient egyptian households that included pet cats were blessed with good fortune by bastet and these pets were truly regarded as members of the family often mummified and eventually buried alongside their loving owners once they passed on black cats in particular have had their own unique ties to human folklore good luck bad luck evil omen a witch's familiar a sailor's friend depending on who you ask a black cat can signify a great deal this is the haunting history of black cats [Music] egypt wasn't the only society in which black cats make an appearance in greek mythology it is said that hera changed one of her servants galinthius into a black cat in order to punish her in this new form galinthius began serving under a new mistress hecate hecate was the goddess of witchcraft and death and is perhaps one of the earliest instances in human history of black cats being associated with witchcraft in modern western culture particularly the united states black cats are often seen as a sign of bad luck but they are also embraced as a part of halloween celebrations the black cat often goes hand-in-hand with jack-o-lanterns and ghosts as familiar symbols of halloween but how did black cats become a mysterious symbol of the occult to find answers we have to go way back before north america was colonized and take a look at europe during the middle ages after the demise of the roman empire europe along with other nearby regions of the world settled into the medieval period with a newfound devotion to monotheistic religions such as islam judaism and christianity christianity in particular became a large part of the lives of europeans under the hardships of feudalism but as religious devotion became more and more prominent in this arduous world the late middle ages saw the view of witchcraft switch from benevolent practice to an anti-religion germanic and norman societies saw black cats as unlucky and even a sign of impending doom it wasn't long before black cats became associated with the devil and witchcraft as fears of the supernatural intensified across europe some folk tales warned that black cats were used by witches to carry out evil deeds and even to communicate with satan some believe that witches could shapeshift into the form of a black cat in order to hide their identities up to nine times which is where the idea of a cat's nine lives originates a story from the mid-1500s in lincolnshire england tells of a father and son encountering a black cat while out hunting for witches they pelted the cat with rocks before it managed to take refuge inside a house belonging to an old woman the next day the old woman was seen limping and covered in bruises this tale reinforced the belief that black cats were actually shape-shifting witches the stigmatization of black cats led to people going out of their way to kill them in large numbers some researchers believe that the resulting decline in the cat population led to a rise in the rodent population which accelerated the spread of the deadly bubonic plague the superstition and lore surrounding black cats was carried over by pilgrims as they colonized north america and it was especially prominent during the era of the salem witch trials while these beliefs have mostly faded with time the negative connotations surrounding black cats are in some cases still lingering according to a 2019 study black cats spend on average two to six days longer waiting in shelters to be adopted than other cats halloween can be a dangerous time for black cats as they can be used in pranks or adopted by people who use them as a halloween trinket with no intention of giving them a permanent home some black cats are even tortured and killed in animal sacrifices that take place more frequently around this time because of this shelters will often pause black cat adoptions during the month of october despite these beliefs not all of the west share the same ideas when it came to black cats for example in irish folklore a fairy called the cat she was said to take the form of a black cat this very spirit wasn't outright evil in fact it might bless your household or protect a farm's harvest of crops as long as you kept it happy and offered up a saucer of milk but catshi was not one to be trifled with and it could take away good fortune just as easily as it gave it in one story a man tried to poison cat she to prove that it was just a superstition all of his neighbors put out a dish of milk for catchy and he never did but on this particular night he would put out a dish laced with poison at nightfall he heard a knock at the door he opened it to find a black cat with a white chest dying at his doorstep he went to town to find the owner but became sidetracked at the bar after a few drinks he relayed what happened to the other patrons the patrons along with another cat who lived in the pub listened to his story when he finished the cat stood up and spoke in a human voice well that makes me the king of the cats before anyone had a chance to react he attacked the man running him out of town in parts of scotland akatshi was also known to take the souls of the recently deceased before the gods so activities like games and coffin guarding were employed to keep black cats distracted and at bay before burials catnip was sprinkled throughout the home to keep them inside before funerals other countries also welcome black cats as a bringer of good luck in japan cats of all kinds can be considered a symbol of wealth and luck but a black cat specifically offered protection from evil spirits and women who kept black cats were said to have better luck finding suitors in southern france a black cat or matego brought good luck if it was well fed and treated affectionately black cats were distinctly significant to sailors and considered a necessary good luck charm for a successful voyage at sea not only did they catch and kill mice and protect important cargo they also provided a lot of affection and companionship for sailors black cats deserve to be celebrated for their beautiful appearance and unique relationship with mankind with an understanding of our shared history we can dispel fear and superstition and further erode the stigma attached to black cats after all these miniature panthers have been a great ally and companion to human beings for thousands of years [Music] you

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Keywords: The History of Black Cats, VXWf, VkMT, black cat, black cat history, black cats, black cats haunting, black magic, buzzfeed, buzzfeed unsolved network, buzzfeedunsolvednetwork, cats in religion, cats witchcraft, conspiracy theory, dark magic, dark magic history, egyptian cats, galinthias, galinthis, greek cats, greek mythology, haunting history, magic, supernatural powers, wizardry, wizards

Id: ntRSa1Mcn5U

Length: 7min 55sec (475 seconds)

Published: Fri Mar 12 2021