Cats Are Witches In Disguise

Among superstitions, i of the oldest and most enduring is that crossing paths with a black cat will bring on bad luck. The dark-colored felines take as well been folded into modern Halloween symbols, giving them the (unearned) reputation of being spooky.

But how and where did the association between blackness cats and bad luck brainstorm? Here's what is known well-nigh the connection between Halloween and black cats, including the lasting impact of this superstition that remains today.

Origins of Blackness Cat Superstitions

The connections between humans and cats can be traced back to some of the world'south primeval civilizations, almost notably, ancient Egypt, where cats were considered divine symbols. Cats also made an appearance in Greek mythology, specifically Hecate, goddess of magic, sorcery, the moon and witchcraft, was described as having a cat as both a pet and a familiar (a supernatural beast that assists a witch, co-ordinate to European folklore).

Written records link black cats to the occult as far back every bit the 13th century when an official church building document called "Vox in Rama" was issued by Pope Gregory IX on June thirteen, 1233. "In it, black cats were declared an incarnation of Satan," says Layla Morgan Wilde, writer of Blackness Cats Tell: True Tales And Inspiring Images. "The decree marked the beginning of the inquisition and church-sanctioned heretic and/or witch hunts. Initially information technology was designed to squash the growing cult of Luciferians in Federal republic of germany, but quickly spread across Europe."

Cats and Witches Seen as Threats to Early on Christian Church

A Halloween postcard from the early 1900s featuring a witch, a black cat and spirits.

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In addition to their early clan with Satan, cats too became inextricably linked to witches in medieval Europe. According to Cerridwen Fallingstar, Wiccan priestess and author of Broth from the Cauldron: A Wisdom Journey through Everyday Magic, witches were the pre-Christian pagan practitioners of Europe.

Although the early Christian church in Europe coexisted with witches, equally the church building gained power, she says that they saw witches as their directly competition in gaining the hearts and minds of the people. That's when the church began hunting, persecuting, torturing and killing witches in vast numbers, she explains.

"Witches honored the natural globe, having deep respect for plants and animals," says Fallingstar. "Amore between homo and brute therefore began to be seen as 'diabolical', or devilish, and the sometime lady with her cats became seen as doubtable."

Merely it wasn't only the connectedness they fabricated between witches, cats, and the devil that the early Christians feared: they also saw them both every bit threats. "Cats, like the women accused of witchcraft, tend to exhibit a healthy disrespect of say-so," she notes. "They don't fawn, like dogs, upon even the unworthy. In the church building, neither contained women, nor independent animals, were to exist tolerated."

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At some signal, the pairing of witches with cats narrowed to black cats, although Fallingstar says that it's non entirely articulate why that happened. "The human relationship between witches and blackness cats in item is probably imaginary, but it is possible that black cats make better mousers, since they cannot be seen at dark and therefore accept a hunting advantage," she explains. "Witches practise tend towards the practical."

Eventually, the fearfulness surrounding black cats and their clan with witchcraft made its mode across the Atlantic, courtesy of Puritan colonists, says Daniel Compora, associate professor of English language and literature at The University of Toledo. "The idea that witches could turn into their familiar likely evolved from those accused of witchcraft having cats every bit pets," he explains.

READ More than: Before America Had Witch Trials, Europe Had Werewolf Trials

Cats Blamed for Spreading the Plague

During the Middle Ages, it wasn't uncommon for cats to exist killed, given their association with evil, Compora says. Some people even went as far as blaming cats for spreading the Bubonic plague, and used that as another reason to get rid of them. However, their ill-conceived plan backfired.

"In a particularly bizarre piece of irony, the killing of the cats helped fuel the spread of the plague," Compora explains. "With the reduced number of cats to control the rodent population, the illness spread chop-chop."

Origins of Blackness True cat Crossing Your Path Superstition

Black cat crossing a man's path. — Black cat crossing a mans path.

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Given the conventionalities in medieval Europe that the devil and witches were capable of taking the form of blackness cats, it makes sense that the superstition surrounding crossing their paths developed, says Phoebe Millerwhite, a folklorist and artist. "Therefore, a black cat crossing your path might very well exist on a mission from a witch," she notes. "Just as easily, it could be the devil in disguise—and no one wants to cross paths with the devil. This explains why a black cat crossing your path is considered a bad omen."

This notion continued into the Renaissance, says Fallingstar, when a black true cat crossing your path might take indicated that a witch had sent her familiar to do you impairment. "Many fearful peasants of the day might take hurried to the nearest church and paid for a priest to bless them and rid them of any expletive that might have been laid past the cat," she says. "As this was a source of income for the church, such fears would take probable been encouraged."

But the idea that black cats are bad luck isn't universal, according to Compora. In fact, some cultures believe that blackness cats bring good luck.

"Their resemblance to the cat-goddess Bastet led them to be honored in ancient Arab republic of egypt," he explains. "In other countries, such every bit Scotland and Japan, they have been known to represent prosperity. Apparently, whether a blackness cat is viewed equally a benevolent fauna or an evil supernatural force is entirely based on whichever lore one is likely to encompass."