Dawson

Susan Dawson

Professor Crawford

HUM281CS

21 August 2011

The Goddess as Cat: From Deity to Demon

Dogs are loyal. For the ancient Greeks and Romans, dogs were the most beloved of

all the animals of the day (Engels 70). Cat associations tend to be negative. Cats, it is said,

are aloof and independent. It is considered back luck if a black cat crosses ones path.

Women who live alone with their cats are crazy cat ladies. Cats in association with

witches quite literally, went down in flames.

Why did that happen? There are many animal associations with goddesses, but it is

the manifestation of the goddess as cat, culminating in Ancient Egypt, which forged the

lasting link between the feminine and the feline. This link, following the goddess path,

turned from positive to negative and gave cats a bad image.

The cat in Catal Huyuk

The first association with the cat and the goddess is in Catal Huyuk. The statue of

the mother goddess with the leopard is the introduction to the dual association of the cat

and mother goddess as life giver and life taker (Gadon 25). This statue is also the first

image of the Lady of the Animals. She is important to note here as she reappears later in

the image of the goddesses Artemis or Diana at Ephesus. In these associations, the goddess

is representative of her role as fertility goddess and goddess of the hunt.

The cat in Ancient Egypt

It is in Ancient Egypt where the cat flourished. This was the time when popular

religious belief was that the gods manifested themselves through animals. The animal was

not worshipped per se, but it was viewed as a divine incarnation of their gods. It was

during this time that the lion-headed Sekhmet and the catheaded Bastet were paired

together. The two, as one, represented and came to be thought of as dual aspects of both

goddesses.

Fig. 1. Bronze figure of the cat-headed goddess Bastet. About 664-30BC. The British

Museum, London. British Museum. Web. 30 Oct. 2010.

Sekhmet, was deemed fierce and dangerous, while Bastet was regarded as gentle and

protective (Malek 95).

The reasons behind the sacredness of the cat in Egypt at this time were several.

Firstly, the cat is an incredibly fertile animal. A mother cat is able to reproduce as early as

five months of age and on average has four kittens in a litter. This alone was reason enough

for reverence by any ancient people. Maintenance of high birth rates was of great

importance to early societies. Bastets greatest role was as goddess of motherhood and
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fertility (Engels 30). Mother cats also were willing to sacrifice themselves to save their

kittens from harm. Another reason the cat was so revered was as hunter and protector.

Cats are hunters instinctually. As such, they protected the grain of these agrarian societies

and its people from disease by keeping the rodent population at bay. As a killer of snakes

and scorpions, the Egyptian cat embodied divine forces and protected them from evil, as

well as supported fertility (Engels23).

Additionally, the cats eyes with their reflective nature and their own waxing and

waning pupil, made them associate of the sun-god Ra as well as moon goddesses. This is a

very important association for the male cat. As such, every night Ra, in the form of a cat,

would journey to the underworld and fight the snake-demon Apophis to ensure his return

as the sun god (von Franz 55). Combined, the cat covered both the god and goddess

spectrum of reverence. Lastly, as a domesticated animal, the cat as an incarnation of a god

or goddess could live within the home of any Egyptian family (Engels 25).

Because of the cats accessibility to all society and its importance to and for women

in particular, this period in Egypt was an unparalleled moment for the cat in history and

mythology. The cats popularity surpassed every other animal during this time, and

secured its place in the personal religion of the populace (Malek 73).

The festivals at Bubastis, honoring Bastet, were famous. The annual celebration

involved days of music, dancing and general revelry throughout the country. Even

Herodotus remarked that, more wine was consumed at these festivals than all the rest of

the year combined. Women carried the sacred rattle, the sistrum that is often depicted

with images of Bastet (Remler). The sistrum, or sacred rattle, was a musical instrument

and was also associated with other fertility goddesses, Hathor and Isis. Symbolically, the
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sistrum was connected to the notion of regeneration, fertility and the moon and carried on

it an image of the cat.

Fig. 2. Bronze rattle(sistrum). 1st-2nd centuries AD. The British Museum, London. British

Museum. Web. 30 Oct. 2010.

In addition, Bastet was known as goddess of music and dance. She was welcomed into

Egyptian homes also as goddess of the hearth and pleasure and protector of pregnant

women. As such, Bastet was an extremely positive archetypal figure and her only

connection to any sort of dark side was with the moon, which at this time was not negative.

She did not show any signs of devilishness (von Franz 58).

As part of the celebrations of the day, abundant sacrifices would have been made in

Bastets honor. Here, the cat as sacrifice does not negate its sacredness. In fact, it is quite

the opposite. It was seen as an honor and a blessing to the goddess and the one giving the

offering. It was believed that the victims spirit enhanced the goddesss power and became

part of their spiritual force (Engels 37). Another indication of the cats popularity as well as

its sacredness, are the thousands of cat mummies and statuettes that were discovered. The

statuettes would have been used like sacrifices, as tokens of appreciation for past and

future requests and were found around temples. The multitudes of cat mummies reiterate
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its value and importance in Egyptian life. Preparation for the afterlife extended to the

temple and the family cat. One did not want to be found out as the killer of a sacred cat, as

it was punishable by death. As it was, the passing of the household cat warranted the

shaving of the eyebrows of the family. Clearly, the cat was held sacred to the Egyptians.

Sadly, this elevated state for the cat could not last. It did however, morph into other

cultures and continue in a positive fashion, for a time.

The cat outside of Egypt

Though the names of the goddesses changed, some of their associations did not. The

Greeks identified their most popular goddess, Artemis with Bastet. Artemis was also a

fertility goddess and goddess of the hunt. These two aspects perpetuated the link between

she and the cat. As noted earlier, Artemis was linked with Diana as Lady of the Animals.

Diana of Rome was also a fertility goddess and both she and Artemis was said to have been

able to change into a cat and take refuge in the moon. The statue of Artemis/Diana at

Ephesus is known as one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. She is depicted as a

many breasted, mother goddess figure. She is covered in many of her animal associates,

including the cat. This is an important link for the perception of the cat. As an associate of

the goddesses, the cat remained a protected and revered member of pagan religions, but

later, when Diana became identified with the witches of Europe, both the women and the

cats would suffer the wrath of the new religion (Engels 77).

The sacred sistrum would link Bastet to Isis, and Isis would link the cat to the color

black. Some myths say Bastet is the daughter of Isis and Osiris. Isis represents the link to

the underworld and the dark of night, not as an evil association, but one filled with the
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moon and natural progression of the cycle of life. The black cat is sacred to her (von Franz

55).

It is worth noting other fertility goddess and their cat associations, as they all

contribute to the rejection of the cat as a positive symbol. Initially positive, these

goddesses were also subjected to reversal of the pagan understanding of them and were

deemed negative. Cybele, another Roman goddess of fertility, and noted Lady of the

Animals, is pulled by a pair of lions. The Norse fertility goddess Freyja is pulled in her

chariot by a pair of cats. In association with Freyja, the cat is again seen linked to the

underworld and death. Like Isis, Freyja was known for escorting the dead to the

underworld. She was a popular and positive fertility goddess that was subject to Christian

manipulations and her actions were used as demonstrations of the evils of paganism

(Polome). Hecate, though not a major goddess, was associated with cats via her link to

Artemis. This made her an associate goddess of the moon and fertility. However, Hecate

was also the goddess of magic and witchcraft. As a triple goddess, she was representative

of women of three different ages. Though her followers believed she could bring both good

and bad fortune, her magic was not believed to be evil. Later, Christian tradition would

focus on the negative and would dub her queen of the witches (Hecate).

The cat and cleanliness

When one watches a cat, it is clear that its own cleanliness is of great importance.

Cats spend a goodly amount of time on this ritual. This was an important habit of both the

Hebrew and Muslim people. The old saying cleanliness is next to godliness is attributed

to ancient Hebrew writings (Martin). The cat also found favor in the Muslim world because

it is said the prophet Muhammad cut off the sleeve of his robe rather than waking his cat
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that was sleeping upon it. Legend continues that the stripes down the cats forehead were

made by the strokes of Muhammads fingers. The favorable regard these peoples had for

cats did not go unnoticed by the early Christians and added to their wariness of the cat

(Engels 150).

The cat in the Middle Ages

The mythology of an old woman, the witch, riding on her broom with a black cat as

her sidekick is rooted in the Middle Ages. This image is from a very real time known as the

witch craze. This craze did not happen overnight, of course. The transformation of the

goddess into the witch took several hundred years, thousands and thousands of lives of

both women and cats and yet this imagery lingers today. Europe arrived at this time in its

history through a perfect storm of social, intellectual and religious tensions that combined

to create the perfect scapegoat in the form of an elderly, single woman and made for one of

the worst horrors of history (Witchcraft, European).

As Christianity spread throughout Europe, the goddess and pagan religions faded

away. Overtime, there were very few left and of those, they were mostly only practiced by

peasants and those far from the cities. The days of the sacred cat and goddesses were

replaced by patriarchy and monotheism. As differing pagan religions merged and their

practices of worship and magic were more and more misunderstood, the women

worshippers of these beliefs were transformed from a simple and somewhat accepted

sorceress to witch. The German, Hilda, merged with Diana and the Canon Episcopi was the

first document to condemn them. It was believed that these women ride out at night on

beasts with Diana and a horde of women (Witchcraft, European). As the black cat was

an associate of the goddesses Artemis, Diana, Hecate and Isis, it too was transformed into
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the witchs familiar, an evil spirit, even the Devil incarnate (Engels 157). When Augustine

likened worshipping multiple gods, as demonic, pagan beliefs automatically became demon

worship. As such, it was deemed a religious crime of heresy, punishable by burning and

thus extended to witches (Witchcraft, European). In association with these women, cats,

as representation of the Devil, could never suffer enough and were placed in wicker

baskets, suspended over fires, and slowly roasted alive (Engels 159).

Between the Inquisition, the Malleus maleficarum (The Hammer of Witches) and

Martin Luthers declaration that all witches should be burned as heretics in association

with Satan, these women did not stand a chance. Granted, there were known male witches,

but the majority, 80 percent of the victims, were women. It is estimated that upwards of

200,000 women were killed in this most atrocious of ways and thousands more were

threatened and tortured for their beliefs.

Called one of the longest and strangest delusions in history, the witch craze and its

associated cat massacres polarized the image of the once sacred black cat and the goddess

to the devil incarnate and the witch (Russell 8). During this time, there was a popular

notion that keeping clean was frowned upon. Probably owing to the fact it was important

to the Muslim and Jewish communities was enough to cast doubt upon the practice (Engels

158). As such, the broom also became a symbol for witchcraft (Engels 158). Therefore, it

became enough that women, living alone, with only a cat for company and a broom to clean

with became such a focus of hatred and fear.

A rhyme from the 1880s perfectly illustrates the point and perpetuates the lore. A

wicked old crone, Who lived all alone, In a hut beside the reeds, With a high crowned hat,

And a black tom-cat, Whose looks were as bad as her deeds (Kirk 78).
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In relation to women, it is not difficult to see the misogyny underlying the

association of the witch and their persecution from a religion dominated by males. The

archetypal feminine of early patriarchal Christianity developed quite the symbol of the

virginal and mother aspects in Jesus mother, Mary. The shadow, hag, or crone aspect had

to find its own outlet. Within Christianity, at that time, she was found in the projection

onto the witch as the embodiment of the evil hag. The goddess religions inherently

incorporated these light and dark sides without placing a moral code on their goddess.

Bastet, Artemis, Diana, Hecate and the rest had dual forces of nature within them. They

were life givers and takers, goddesses of fertility and the hunt, the sun and the moon. With

Christianity came the moral division between good and evil (Russell 9). As the feline

representative of both the goddess and the witch, the black cat became seen as the shadow

side of the Virgin Mary and as a destructive feminine symbol (von Franz 56).

It is fascinating to see how all these symbols merged and created the image that

lingers and is so prevalent today. The fact that the cats image is mostly negative probably

comes from its more recent and definitely more evil association with witches than its

ancient and lovely goddess associations.

The cat in conclusion

As it was four thousand years ago, so is the cat today. What we ascribe to the feline

is just that, what we assign it. The cat is still a very fertile animal. It is still a great mother

to her kittens and a hunter to its prey. The cat is still a life-giver and life-taker. As Joseph

Campbell notes, it is our experience of it (whatever it is) that gives it its meaning. For the

cat, the time when the goddesses were worshipped and the cats activities were deemed

sacred, it was revered. When it was associated with witches and Satan, it was demonized.
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Today, the cat, like the goddess, is having a bit of its own resurgence. Women, proud of

their independence, can live without fear of persecution for the love of their cat. Love them

or hate them, cats are survivors and will continue on in spite of what anyone projects onto

them.

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Works Cited

Christ, Carol P. Encyclopedia of Religion; Lady of the Animals. Ed. Lindsay Jones. 2nd ed. 8

Vol. Detroit: Macmillan Reference USA, 2005. Print.

Engels, Donald. Classical Cats: The Rise and Fall of the Sacred Cat. New York: Routledge,

1999. Print.

Gadon, Elinor W. The Once and Future Goddess: A Symbol for Our Time. New York: Harper

One, 1989. Print.

Hecate. U*X*L Encyclopedia of World Mythology. Vol. 3. Detroit: UXL, 2009. 486-488.

Gale World History In Context. Web. 27 Nov. 2010.

Kirk, Mildred. The Everlasting Cat. Woodstock: The Overlook Press, 1977. Print.

Malek, Jaromir. The Cat in Ancient Egypt. 1993. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania

Press, 1997. Print.

Martin, Gary. The Phrase Finder. 1997. Web. 3 July 2011. <http://www.phrases.org.uk>

Polome, Edgar C., and Elizabeth Ashman Rowe. Freyja. Encyclopedia of Religion. Ed.

Lindsay Jones. 2nd ed. Vol. 5. Detroit: Macmillan Reference USA, 2005. 3218-3219.

Gale World History In Context. Web. 23 Oct. 2010.

Remler, Pat. Bastet. Egyptian Mythology A to Z, Revised Edition. Mythology A to Z. New

York: Facts On File, Inc., 2006. Ancient and Medieval History Online. Facts on File,

Inc. Web. 11 September 2010. http://www.fofweb.com.

Russell, Jeffrey Burton, and Sabina Magliocco. Witchcraft: Concepts of Witchcraft.

Encyclopedia of Religion. Ed. Lindsay Jones. 2nd ed. Vol. 14 Detroit: Macmillan

Reference USA, 2005. 9768-9776. Gale World History In Context. Web. 26 Nov. 2010.

Von Franz, Marie-Louise. The Cat: A Tale of Feminine Redemption. Toronto: Inner City
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Books, 1999. Web.

Witchcraft, European. The Middle Ages: An Encyclopedia for Students. Ed. William Chester

Jordan. Vol. 4. New York: Charles Scribners Sons, 1996. 186-188. Gale World History

in Context. Web. 3 Dec. 2010.