The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-04-05
THE CAT IN FOLK-LORE.
Appearance of Pussy in Popular
Tradition and story From the
PhnrOahs to the Present Time.

Appearance of Pussy in Popular
Tradition and story From the
PhnrOahs to the Present Time.
From the New York Post
The cat show at Madison Square Gar
den. which closes tonight, may serve to
call attention to the subject of cat lore
This lore is simply immense. Perhaps no
animal is so much noticed by all classes
of people. and around no other animal
not excepting the dog or the horse, have
so many curious facts and fancies CEN
tered.
Historic records show that, contrary to
the popular impression, the introduction
of domestcated cats took place at a
comparatively late period-long after the
dog and the horse were admitted 10 the
social circle. The ancient Hindus had no
cats around the house, and the absence
of any mention of the cat in the Bible
seems to prove that the Hebrews Of the
Old Testament times lived and died igno-
rant OF cats. They were troubled with
mice, however which are designated in
the Bible as "unclean,' and not to be
eaten The Assyrians and Babylonians
never knew what they lost in having no
| cats. The Greeks were equally ignorant
| of the animal that news. Their cat was
some species of wild cat, and the By
| zantine writers of later days are said
| to have been the first to give pussy its
name in Greek. The Latins in the ear
,lier days had no cats. Later they prob
| ably drew on Egypt for supply, but
there does not seem to have been an
oVer-abundance.
There are representations of many kinds
/ of animals on the oldest Egyptian monu-
! ments-but no real cats. The first appear
ance of pussy is curious. 1t Is on the monu-
| ments Of the middle Egyptian empire.
/ Here she is shown in the character OF a
| retriever seated in the boat of a hunter of
wild fowl. The cat is a natural hunter,
| and in the days of the mummies she was
| easily broken for the Held. The picture
seems to indicate that the old Egyptian
cat did not have that deep aversion to
water which is generally exhibited by the
modern animal. Next we find pussy raised
to a position Of great Importance. From
| the humble character of a retriever and
| companion of the hunter. she leaps to q
| place among the Egyptian gods and god
| desses. NJ. Lenormant believes that this
| took place at a comparatively late period
| of Egyptian civilization. She Is now held
| sacred to Isis, or the moon, and the en-
| blem of the goddess Pasht, the Egyptian
| Diana AS such, she was regarded with
| great reverence throughout old Egypt.
! Bubastis was the city of cats. Hither dead
| carried to be embalmed and inferred with
| appropriate ceremony. When a cat died
in a house, the family were put into deep
| mourning; the members shaved their eye
| brovs nraved and tasted several dayys
/ OF course 1t was high crime and a sin
to harm cat in Egypt, and the historian
| Dodorus relates that a Roman soldier who
| had killed a cat barely escaped with his
life from the hands Of the Infatuated peo-
| pie.
| Curiously in old Egypt the worship of
cats and of rats was conducted side by
| side. The rats and f1eld-mice were sacred
| in some cities and towns, the rat being
| held sacred to Ra, the sun god. These To-
cal rites must have caused trouble; for,
| suppose a cat killed rat which was sa-
| cred to the people of certain town. The
! people of that town might retaliate by
! killing the cat, sacred in a ghborlng
| town, and then there would be a fued.
But as Mr.. Lang shrewdly remarks ''in a
| nv w
Cling and oppressed" In Astrological
! dispute with mice, the cat will get the
best of the argument every time
Turning now to the Indo-E European peo-
pies, the cat holds prominent place in
] their mythologies, but not more so than
| many other animals or birds. The char
| lot of the goddess F'reyja (whence our
Friday was drawn by a team of cats,
| letic maidens riding on cats. This old
| Aryan myth connecting the cat with
est, is at the bottom of whole crowd of
| superstitions relating to the weather In
| the medieval and modern folklore the
cat has great reputation for being
| weather-wise.
So long as the cat was associated with
| gods and goddesses she had a good name
| other animals) was largely due to the
| belief that their bodies were tenanted by
| the souls of men, and even by gods them
| selves. The latter, so 1t was held, did fire.
| quently assume their forms for some spec
ial or other purpose. Just when or how the
| cat became associated with evil spirits it
| is not easy to determine According to
| Mr. Henderson, the connection between
| cats and witches dates back to the classic
story of Galauthis being turned into a
| cat and becoming through the compassion
| of Hecate her priestess. AT any rate this
| connection was still further strengthened
| by the early Christian doctrine of evil
| spirits of which the devil was the king
| and master The witches were his agents.
| and they could assume the form of any
animal they wished in order TO work their
| wicked designs.
| For one reason or another the cat was
| the constant companion of witches. No
| picture of witch would be complete with
| according to the popular superstition the
| form most commonly assumed by the IA
| miliar spirits of witches was the cat The
| Rev S. Baring-Gould in his Book of
| Werewolves' gathers a number of sto-
| ries of the transformation of witches into
| wolves and cats. He cites the account of
a great gathering of witches and warlocks
| under the shape of cats in Vernon about
| the year 1866 Four or five men were at
tackled in a lone place by a number of
| succeeded in Staying one cat and wounding
many others. Next day" so runs the
| account "a number of wounded women
We're found in the town, and they gave
| the judge an accurate account of all the
| circumstances connected with their
| wounding."
Mr. Lecky in his able summary Of the
| witchcraft movement in Europe refers
| to the very curious ana definite evidence
/ on which witches were convicted. He
! says: IF the witch was wounded in the
\ form of an animal, she retained that
/ of cases were alleged before the tribunal. 3"
| In number of these witch stories the