One can do a lot worse than quote Dr Desmond Morris who I have already briefly quoted in the infographic. Here is the full text:
Religious bigots have often employed the cunning device of converting other people’s heroes into villains, to suit their own purposes. In this way, the ancient horned God that protected earlier cultures was first transformed into the evil Devil of Christianity. And the revered, sacred feline of ancient Egypt became the wicked, sorcerer’s cat of mediaeval Europe. Anything considered holy by a previous religious faith must automatically be damned by a new religion. In this way began the darkest chapter in the cat’s long association with mankind. For centuries it was persecuted and the cruelties heaped upon it were given the full backing of the Church.
That, for me, sums up the unfortunate transformation in the fortunes of the domestic cat from ancient Egypt until the Enlightenment in Europe.
And expanding on the infographic:
Question: What was the cultural process which turned the revered, sacred feline of ancient Egypt into the sorcerer’s cat of Medieval Europe?
The transformation of the feline from the sacred and revered animal of ancient Egypt to the sorcerer’s cat of medieval Europe was a result of complex cultural, religious, and societal changes over time. Here’s an outline of the key processes involved:
1. Sacred Felines in Ancient Egypt
- Religious and Social Reverence: Cats were highly valued in ancient Egyptian society for their practical role in controlling vermin and their symbolic associations with divine qualities. They were linked to gods such as Bastet, the goddess of home, fertility, and protection, often depicted as a lioness or domestic cat.
- Cultural Importance: Killing a cat, even accidentally, was punishable by death. Cats were often mummified, and their images appeared in art and religious texts.
- Export of Cats: Through trade and interactions with other cultures, domestic cats spread from Egypt to Greece, Rome, and beyond.
2. The Decline of the Cat’s Sacred Status
- Shift in Religious Paradigms: As the Roman Empire adopted Christianity and moved away from polytheistic traditions, the spiritual significance of cats diminished. Christianity viewed Egyptian religious symbols, including cats, with suspicion or as relics of paganism.
- Christian Reinterpretation of Symbols: Early Christian doctrine frequently associated animals, including cats, with moral qualities or spiritual allegories. However, over time, these associations became less favorable, especially as cats were linked with independence and nocturnal habits, which clashed with Christian ideals of submissiveness and order.
3. Emergence of Superstitions in Medieval Europe
- Rise of Witchcraft Beliefs: In medieval Europe, cats, particularly black ones, became associated with witches and sorcery. This shift was fueled by:
- Cats’ Behavior: Their nocturnal habits, reflective eyes, and enigmatic behavior made them seem otherworldly and mysterious.
- Folklore and Pagan Beliefs: Cats were sometimes believed to be familiars (supernatural creatures assisting witches) or witches themselves in disguise. Black cats, in particular, became symbols of bad luck or demonic activity.
- Perceived Threats to Religious Authority: Cats were linked to pagan traditions, and their independent nature made them symbols of defiance in a culture increasingly controlled by the Church.
- Papal Decrees and Persecutions: In the 13th century, Pope Gregory IX issued the Vox in Rama, a papal bull that explicitly linked black cats with Satanic rituals, accelerating their association with heresy and witchcraft.
4. Societal Factors Reinforcing the Negative Image
- Plague and Scapegoating: During the Black Death in the 14th century, cats were sometimes blamed for spreading the disease, leading to their persecution. Ironically, the reduction in cat populations may have worsened the plague by allowing rat populations (actual carriers of the disease) to flourish.
- Art and Literature: Medieval art often depicted cats in sinister contexts, further embedding their negative associations in the cultural imagination.
5. Cultural Continuity and Transformation
- The sacred status of cats in ancient Egypt contrasted sharply with their demonization in medieval Europe, a transformation shaped by:
- The spread of Christianity and its rejection of pagan symbols.
- Misinterpretations and fears of cats’ natural behaviors.
- Societal anxieties about witches, women, and heresy.
Legacy
By the Renaissance and Enlightenment periods, cats began to shed some of these negative associations, and their practical value as pest controllers revived their popularity. However, the superstition surrounding black cats and their link to witchcraft persists in some cultures to this day.
More: Medieval times and Egypt
