Cats in mythology and jewellery
Cats in mythology and jewellery
According to belief, prowling the night with glowing eyes, showing extraordinary physical flexibility and agility, cats accompanied old women who practiced magic as witches. Both witches and cats had the power to control or predict the weather. When a cat washed its face, rain was supposed to follow; if it walked away from the fire, a storm was brewing. Caution and even discomfort was the typical reaction to cats, hence the common Irish greeting, “God bless all here except the cat.”
On the Isle of Man, all cats were believed unlucky, while in Ireland only black ones were to be avoided—unless their blood was needed for healing rituals. In Scotland black cats were believed to be shape-shifting witches, a belief that may explain some common American Halloween decorations. The contemporary fear of black cats, like their association with witches and Halloween, may be Celtic in origin, although some have traced the connection to the Greek goddess of witchcraft, Hecate, who was also associated with cats.
More »