| cat or a dog than to any human being." -- Henry David Thoreau The Egyptians worshipped the cat perhaps more than almost any other culture. An inscription on the royal tombs at Thebes reads: the Gods, and the judge of words, and the president of the sovereign chiefs and the governor of the holy Circle, thou art indeed...the Great Cat." The cat was thought to be sacred to the goddess Isis, thus when Isis and her husband, the sun god Osiris, had a daughter the cat-goddess Bast emerged. Originally Bast was lion-headed, like the goddesses Tefnut of Heliopolis and Sekhmet of Memphis with whom she is often confused. Although it was in her later cat-headed form that Bast became so immensely popular, she never ceased to be worshipped as a lion-headed deity. Bast personified the life-giving warmth of the sun, which encouraged the growth of vegetation. Because of this as well as being associated with Isis (as Mother Nature) Bast was often worshipped as a fertility goddess. Tefnut, the lion-headed goddess of the Old Kingdom who was known as the "Ethiopian Cat" personified the cruel, searing heat of the equatorial sun, perhaps because the cat is seen as cruel in many cultures. No one can doubt the cat's ferocity, and the Egyptians coveted that as well. Thus Sekhmet, "the Great Cat", which was twin sister to Bast, "the Little Cat", was a very ferocious and warlike goddess that emitted flames against the enemies of the gods, for her aspect was the fierce destructive heat of the desert sun. When people wanted a fierce goddess to protect them they called on Sekhmet; and when in need of gentler and more personal help, they turned to Bast. A text referring to the solar goddess runs: "Kindly is she as Bast, terrible is she as Sekhmet." The Egyptian Trinity was known by the composite name of Sekhmet-Bast- Ra. For further information on Bast, other Egyptian feline deities, and ancient Egyptian views on cats, please visit: The Domain of Bast (link provided by Quil). The close relationship between cats and witches was widespread throughout the British Isles and Europe between the middle of the 16th and the end of the 17th centuries. In Scotland, cats were commonly regarded as witches in disguise or as the Devil himself. Scottish witches were accused of riding cats on their way to the sabbat and of being able to take on the shape of a cat. Many witches were believed to have an extra nipple, which they used exclusively to suckle their cat- familiar. The still common saying, that a cat has nine lives, first appeared in 1584, in a book called Beware of the Cat, where nine was the number of times that a witch could take the feline shape. In 1588, a horseman was passing by the Chateau de Joux in France and saw several cats in a tree. He approached and discharged a carbine which he was carrying, and a ring with several keys attached to it fell from the tree. The horseman took them to the village, and when he asked for dinner at the inn neither the hostess nor the keys to the cellar could be found. The horseman showed the keys to the host, who recognized them as his wife's. Meanwhile she came from the kitchen, wounded in the right hip. Her husband grabbed her and she confessed that she had just come from the Sabbat, where she had lost her keys after being shot in the hip from a carbine. The Inquisitors also tell that in their time villagers saw three large cats near Strasbourg, which afterward resumed the shape of women. A Scandanavian story from the 1800s tells of a fisherman who became very poor because he was sick. A cat, whom the fisherman had fed every day when the man had visited his owner, transformed himself into the shape of a man so he could give the old man two gold coins. This was the cat's way of thanking the man for being kind to him. The Scottish Highlands have tales of elfin or fairy cats, known as the Cait Sith. These are said to be black cats, as big as a large dog, with arched backs, erect hair, and white spots on their chests. However, the Gauls of the Highlands believed that the Cait Sith was a witch transformed into a cat, not a fairy. In Welsh tales, the enchanted sow Henwen had originally been a human; Henwen portrays an aspect of the goddess Cerridwen. Henwen, big with young, was tended by her keeper, a young man whose name was Coll. Because there was a prophecy that Henwen's offspring would would harm Britain, King Arthur set out to destroy her. He chased the sow down to Land's End in Cornwall, but she swam out to sea with Coll hanging on to her bristles. At each place the sow landed, she gave birth to three grains of wheat, one of barley, one of rye, three bees, a pig, a wolf cub, and an eagle. At last, Henwen landed with Coll at Arvon. There, under a black stone, she gave birth to a kitten. Coll immediately threw the kitten into the Menai Straits, where the sons of Paluc (from the Isle of Man) rescued it. It grew up to be the ferocious Paluc Cat, one of the Three Plagues of Anglesey, the Great Cat who could eat nine score warriors at one time. Sir James Fraser links the Paluc Cat with the monster Chapalu of French Arthurian legend. On the Isle of Man, the cats are said to have their own king. By day, this king appears to be an ordinary cat, but at night he has terrible powers. If anyone mistreats him or his subject cats, the king will seek the person out at night and take a horrible revenge. A strange runic wheel-cross is built into the wall of a parish church on the Isle of Man. This wheel-cross, about four feet in diameter, is divided into four quarters. Three of the quarters contain images of cats, one lean, one normal, one fat, and in the fourth quarter a mouse. On the upper arm of this cross are two cats, supporting a human face between them. According to Plutarch, a human face between two cats symbolized that the phases of the moon were affected by wisdom and understanding. Similar to the symbolism of the Manx runic wheel-cross, yet unrelated, the Romans believed that the cat's body was affected by the moon phases, with the body growing thinner or fatter along with the moon. Plutarch wrote, "The eyes of a cat will wax and wane with the phases of the moon." W.B. Yeats wrote about this in his poem The Cat & the Moon. In Asia there are stories about cats taking the shape of humans so that they can deceive their victims. In this area of the world, it is also thought that the cat gains the power of speech at an advanced age. The Chinese saw the cat as a shape-shifter, a nocturnal animal they classified as yin and associated with the powers of evil. In sixth century China there was a belief in cat-specters. When these cat-specters served a human, they could be sent to kill someone and then draw the dead person's possessions to the cat-specter's sender. There are Japanese paintings that show a pair of running cats. These designs are based on the story of two star-crossed lovers who were forbidden to see each other. In order to be together, they magically transformed into cats and ran away. An early Chinese legend tells of a cat owned by an emperor. After it had rained for three days, the cat went outside to bathe in a pool of water. Instantly, the cat was transformed into a dragon and flew away, never to return. Although the Japanese treated their cats with respect, they had tales of vampire cats who, like the fox and the tanuki, were capable of shape-shifting, tricking, and bewildering humans. Ancient legends from Japan include tales of a bogeyman, a human whose name was Neko-Baké. This man was a sorcerer and a cannibal. In order to enter houses at night, Neko-Baké would take the shape of a cat. He was said to steal disobedient children and eat them. The Cat of Nabéshima, translated by Algernon Bertram Freeman-Mitford, a tale from old Japan: There is a tradition in the Nabéshima family that, many years ago, the Prince of Hizen was bewitched and cursed by a cat that had been kept by one of his retainers. This prince had in his house a lady of rare beauty, called O Toyo: amongst all his ladies she was the favourite, and there was none who could rival her charms and accomplishments. One day the Prince went out into the garden with O Toyo, and remained enjoying the fragrance of the flowers until sunset, when they returned to the palace, never noticing that they were being followed by a large cat. Having parted with her lord, O Toyo retired to her own room and went to bed. At midnight she awoke with a start, and became aware of a huge cat that crouched watching her; and when she cried out, the beast sprang on her, and, fixing its cruel teeth in her delicate throat, throttled her to death. What a piteous end for so fair a dame, the darling of her prince's heart, to die suddenly, bitten to death by a cat! Then the cat, having scratched out a grave under the verandah, buried the corpse of O Toyo, and assuming her form, began to bewitch the Prince. But my lord the Prince knew nothing of all this, and little thought that the beautiful creature who caressed and fondled him was an impish and foul beast that had slain his mistress and assumed her shape in order to drain out his life's blood. Day by day, as time went on, the Prince's strength dwindled away; the colour of his face was changed, and became pale and livid; and he was as a man suffering from a deadly sickness. Seeing this, his councillors and his wife became greatly alarmed; so they summoned the physicians, who prescribed various remedies for him; but the more medicine he took, the more serious did his illness appear, and no treatment was of any avail. But most of all did he suffer in the night-time, when his sleep would be troubled and disturbed by hideous dreams. In consequence of this, his councillors nightly appointed a hundred of his retainers to sit up and watch over him; but, strange to say, towards ten o'clock on the very first night that the watch was set, the guard were seized with a sudden and unaccountable drowsiness, which they could not resist, until one by one every man had fallen asleep. Then the false O Toyo came in and harassed the Prince until morning. The following night the same thing occurred, and the Prince was subjected to the imp's tyranny, while his guards slept helplessly around him. Night after night this was repeated, until at last three of the Prince's councillors determined themselves to sit up on guard, and see whether they could overcome this mysterious drowsiness; but they fared no better than the others, and by ten o'clock were fast asleep. The next day the three councillors held a solemn conclave, and their chief, one Isahaya Buzen, said— "This is a marvellous thing, that a guard of a hundred men should thus be overcome by sleep. Of a surety, the spell that is upon my lord and upon his guard must be the work of witchcraft. Now, as all our efforts are of no avail, let us seek out Ruiten, the chief priest of the temple called Miyô In, and beseech him to put up prayers for the recovery of my lord." And the other councillors approving what Isahaya Buzen had said, they went to the priest Ruiten and engaged him to recite litanies that the Prince might be restored to health. So it came to pass that Ruiten, the chief priest of Miyô In, offered up prayers nightly for the Prince. One night, at the ninth hour (midnight), when he had finished his religious exercises and was preparing to lie down to sleep, he fancied that he heard a noise outside in the garden, as if some one were washing himself at the well. Deeming this passing strange, he looked down from the window; and there in the moonlight he saw a handsome young soldier, some twenty-four years of age, washing himself, who, when he had finished cleaning himself and had put on his clothes, stood before the figure of Buddha and prayed fervently for the recovery of my lord the Prince. Ruiten looked on with admiration; and the young man, when he had made an end of his prayer, was going away; but the priest stopped him, calling out to him— "Sir, I pray you to tarry a little: I have something to say to you." "At your reverence's service. What may you please to want?" "Pray be so good as to step up here, and have a little talk." "By your reverence's leave;" and with this he went upstairs. Then Ruiten said— "Sir, I cannot conceal my admiration that you, being so young a man, should have so loyal a spirit. I am Ruiten, the chief priest of this temple, who am engaged in praying for the recovery of my lord. Pray what is your name?" "My name, sir, is Itô Sôda, and I am serving in the infantry of Nabéshima. Since my lord has been sick, my one desire has been to assist in nursing him; but, being only a simple soldier, I am not of sufficient rank to come into his presence, so I have no resource but to pray to the gods of the country and to Buddha that my lord may regain his health." When Ruiten heard this, he shed tears in admiration of the fidelity of Itô Sôda, and said— "Your purpose is, indeed, a good one; but what a strange sickness this is that my lord is afflicted with! Every night he suffers from horrible dreams; and the retainers who sit up with him are all seized with a mysterious sleep, so that not one can keep awake. It is very wonderful." "Yes," replied Sôda, after a moment's reflection, "this certainly must be witchcraft. If I could but obtain leave to sit up one night with the Prince, I would fain see whether I could not resist this drowsiness and detect the goblin." At last the priest said, "I am in relations of friendship with Isahaya Buzen, the chief councillor of the Prince. I will speak to him of you and of your loyalty, and will intercede with him that you may attain your wish." "Indeed, sir, I am most thankful. I am not prompted by any vain thought of self-advancement, should I succeed: all I wish for is the recovery of my lord. I commend myself to your kind favour." "Well, then, to-morrow night I will take you with me to the councillor's house." "Thank you, sir, and farewell." And so they parted. On the following evening Itô Sôda returned to the temple Miyô In, and having found Ruiten, accompanied him to the house of Isahaya Buzen: then the priest, leaving Sôda outside, went in to converse with the councillor, and inquire after the Prince's health. "And pray, sir, how is my lord? Is he in any better condition since I have been offering up prayers for him? " "Indeed, no; his illness is very severe. We are certain that he must be the victim of some foul sorcery; but as there are no means of keeping a guard awake after ten o'clock, we cannot catch a sight of the goblin, so we are in the greatest trouble." "I feel deeply for you: it must be most distressing. However, I have something to tell you. I think that I have found a man who will detect the goblin; and I have brought him with me." "Indeed! who is the man?" "Well, he is one of my lord's foot-soldiers, named Itô Sôda, a faithful fellow, and I trust that you will grant his request to be permitted to sit up with my lord." "Certainly, it is wonderful to find so much loyalty and zeal in a common soldier," replied Isahaya Buzen, after a moment's reflection; "still it is impossible to allow a man of such low rank to perform the office of watching over my lord." "It is true that he is but a common soldier," urged the priest; "but why not raise his rank in consideration of his fidelity, and then let him mount guard?" "It would be time enough to promote him after my lord's recovery. But come, let me see this Itô Sôda, that I may know what manner of man he is: if he pleases me, I will consult with the other councillors, and perhaps we may grant his request." "I will bring him in forthwith," replied Ruiten, who thereupon went out to fetch the young man. When he returned, the priest presented Itô Sôda to the councillor, who looked at him attentively, and, being pleased with his comely and gentle appearance, said— "So I hear that you are anxious to be permitted to mount guard in my lord's room at night. Well, I must consult with the other councillors, and we will see what can be done for you." When the young soldier heard this he was greatly elated, and took his leave, after warmly thanking Buiten, who had helped him to gain his object. The next day the councillors held a meeting, and sent for Itô Sôda, and told him that he might keep watch with the other retainers that very night. So he went his way in high spirits, and at nightfall, having made all his preparations, took his place among the hundred gentlemen who were on duty in the prince's bed- room. Now the Prince slept in the centre of the room, and the hundred guards around him sat keeping themselves awake with entertaining conversation and pleasant conceits. But, as ten o'clock approached, they began to doze off as they sat; and in spite of all their endeavours to keep one another awake, by degrees they all fell asleep. Itô Sôda all this while felt an irresistible desire to sleep creeping over him, and, though he tried by all sorts of ways to rouse himself, he saw that there was no help for it, but by resorting to an extreme measure, for which he had already made his preparations. Drawing out a piece of oil paper which he had brought with him, and spreading it over the mats, he sat down upon it; then he took the small knife which he carried in the sheath of his dirk, and stuck it into his own thigh. For awhile the pain of the wound kept him awake; but as the slumber by which he was assailed was the work of sorcery, little by little he became drowsy again. Then he twisted the knife round and round in his thigh, so that the pain becoming very violent, he was proof against the feeling of sleepiness, and kept a faithful watch. Now the oil paper which he had spread under his legs was in order to prevent the blood, which might spurt from his wound, from defiling the mats. So Itô Sôda remained awake, but the rest of the guard slept; and as he watched, suddenly the sliding-doors of the Prince's room were drawn open, and he saw a figure coming in stealthily, and, as it drew nearer, the form was that of a marvellously beautiful woman some twenty-three years of age. Cautiously she looked around her; and when she saw that all the guard were asleep, she smiled an ominous smile, and was going up to the Prince's bedside, when she perceived that in one corner of the room there was a man yet awake. This seemed to startle her, but she went up to Sôda and said— "I am not used to seeing you here. Who are you?" "My name is Itô Sôda, and this is the first night that I have been on guard." "A troublesome office, truly! Why, here are all the rest of the guard asleep. How is it that you alone are awake? You are a trusty watchman." "There is nothing to boast about. I'm asleep myself, fast and sound." "What is that wound on your knee? It is all red with blood." "Oh! I felt very sleepy; so I stuck my knife into my thigh, and the pain of it has kept me awake." "What wondrous loyalty!" said the lady. "Is it not the duty of a retainer to lay down his life for his master? Is such a scratch as this worth thinking about? " Then the lady went up to the sleeping prince and said, "How fares it with my lord to-night?" But the Prince, worn out with sickness, made no reply. But Sôda was watching her eagerly, and guessed that it was O Toyo, and made up his mind that if she attempted to harass the Prince he would kill her on the spot. The goblin, however, which in the form of O Toyo had been tormenting the Prince every night, and had come again that night for no other purpose, was defeated by the watchfulness of Itô Sôda; for whenever she drew near to the sick man, thinking to put her spells upon him, she would turn and look behind her, and there she saw Itô Sôda glaring at her; so she had no help for it but to go away again, and leave the Prince undisturbed. At last the day broke, and the other officers, when they awoke and opened their eyes, saw that Itô Sôda had kept awake by stabbing himself in the thigh; and they were greatly ashamed, and went home crestfallen. That morning Itô Sôda went to the house of Isahaya Buzen, and told him all that had occurred the previous night. The councillors were all loud in their praises of Itô Sôda's behaviour, and ordered him to keep watch again that night. At the same hour, the false O Toyo came and looked all round the room, and all the guard were asleep, excepting Itô Sôda, who was wide awake; and so, being again frustrated, she returned to her own apartments. Now as since Sôda had been on guard the Prince had passed quiet nights, his sickness began to get better, and there was great joy in the palace, and Sôda was promoted and rewarded with an estate. In the meanwhile O Toyo, seeing that her nightly visits bore no fruits, kept away; and from that time forth the night-guard were no longer subject to fits of drowsiness. This coincidence struck Sôda as very strange, so he went to Isahaya Buzen and told him that of a certainty this O Toyo was no other than a goblin. Isahaya Buzen reflected for a while, and said— "Well, then, how shall we kill the foul thing?" "I will go to the creature's room, as if nothing were the matter, and try to kill her; but in case she should try to escape, I will beg you to order eight men to stop outside and lie in wait for her." Having agreed upon this plan, Sôda went at nightfall to O Toyo's apartment, pretending to have been sent with a message from the Prince. When she saw him arrive, she said— "What message have you brought me from my lord?" "Oh! nothing in particular. Be so look as to look at this letter;" and as he spoke, he drew near to her, and suddenly drawing his dirk cut at her; but the goblin, springing back, seized a halberd, and glaring fiercely at Sôda, said— "How dare you behave like this to one of your lord's ladies? I will have you dismissed;" and she tried to strike Sôda with the halberd. But Sôda fought desperately with his dirk; and the goblin, seeing that she was no match for him, threw away the halberd, and from a beautiful woman became suddenly transformed into a cat, which, springing up the sides of the room, jumped on to the roof. Isahaya Buzen and his eight men who were watching outside shot at the cat, but missed it, and the beast made good its escape. So the cat fled to the mountains, and did much mischief among the surrounding people, until at last the Prince of Hizen ordered a great hunt, and the beast was killed. But the Prince recovered from his sickness; and Itô Sôda was richly rewarded. Another story from old Japan as found on a scroll, Yamato Kwai-I ki: Some strange happenings plagued the house of a samurai in 1708 C.E. Glowing balls of light, which no one could catch, bounced through the rooms, once even illuminating a tree in the courtyard. The servants began to be attacked by spirits while they slept. One young woman was particularly singled out; her spinning wheel turned by itself and her pillow revolved around like a top when she lay down. The samurai called upon sorceresses, Shinto priests, and Buddhist priests to rid his house of the demon spirits, but nothing worked. Finally, one night when the spirits were especially active, the samurai went into the courtyard and happened to look up at the roof. A strange and sinister sight met his eyes. A very old cat was walking on its hind legs on the roof. Around its head was wrapped a towel belonging to the young woman servant. The samurai motioned to one of his guards, who shot the cat with an arrow. The hauntings in the house stopped immediately and never returned. This demon-cat was huge and had a nekomata (a supernatural cat's split tail). |
