His visage combines the majesty of the eagle with a lion s head. The Sumerian deity who ruled the South Wind, Imdugud, was the messenger of Enki, the water God, and carried the spring rains on its back to the arid lands of its worshippers. In Bali, Barong is a protective spirit who appears as either a lion or tiger. The Cat as Legend From an object of worship to household companion, the cat has always been a source of myths and superstition, often contradictory, but almost universal in across cultures and times. It was also believed that the tail of a black cat could cure a stye.
Black cats seem to be the object of most of the cat superstitions.
Italians in the 1500s were certain that if a black cat appeared on a sickbed, the occupant would die. At funerals, they avoided the 'dark ones' to prevent another family member from perishing. Throughout Europe the cat s connection to the divine powers was believed to be so strong that to harm a cat would bring evil to the perpetrator. If that person was a farmer, evil would befall his crops and cattle. Not all cat myths are negative in nature.