Black Cats and Magic   michael streich

The black cat as a Halloween symbol can be traced back to the earliest periods of human existence in the Mediterranean and ancient Near East cultures. Cats, however, were not always associated with evil and in some early European cultures black cats were a sign of good luck. American Halloween symbols, however, are more closely identified with the pagan origins of harvest festivals and the coming of winter in the British Isles. Anthropology professor Anthony Aveni, for example, writes that, “The Irish…brought over the habit of celebrating Halloween with huge bonfires to scare away evil spirits…in the form of…black cats…”

 

Cats Associated with European Festivals and Rituals

 

The restoration of colonial American structures frequently reveals the bones of cats in between the original house walls. This practice was common in many European communities and is mentioned by several historians and anthropologists. Entombing cats protected against evil.

 

According to historian Robert Darnton, cats “have a ritual value” and were thought to have occult power. During the Middle Ages, cats were associated with the devil. Historian Jeffrey Burton Russell recounts a story during the Cathar persecution in southern Europe in which members of the sect were allegedly involved in “obscene rites” which prominently featured a black cat.

 

It was commonly believed during the European witch craze that witches could transform themselves into cats and that at their sabbats, they would engage in sexual relations with Satan, who was himself portrayed as either a black dog or a black cat.

 

The Burning of Cats and the Association with the Harvest

 

Both Darnton and anthropologist James Frazer provide dozens of examples of cat burnings, usually associated with carnivalesque rituals, although the burning of cats also coincided with harvest times and the warding off of evil. When the bubonic plague struck London in the 14^th Century, for example, the inhabitants burned cats in great bonfires, believing that the cats had caused the terrible disease.

 

In some European communities, the pagan “corn spirit” was manifested as a cat, prompting farmers to ritualistically torture, kill, and even roast cats at the end of the harvest. Frazer comments that, “The cat, which represented the devil, could never suffer enough.”

 

Cats as the Conduits of Magic and Mystery

 

One reason cats were associated with witchcraft was that witches, transformed as cats, could affect harmful magic, including the casting of spells. Thus, cats were often maimed to prevent their ability to function. Cat blood, when mixed with other liquids, was believed to have healing power. Professor Darnton writes that, “You could make yourself invisible, at least in Brittany, by eating the brain of a newly killed cat, provided it was still hot.”

 

Superstitions that survive in contemporary society include the prohibition to never let a black cat cross one’s path. To do so invites back luck. Halloween, as celebrated in 21^st Century America, depicts the black cat with the witch, reinforcing the notion of magic and evil. Additionally, cats have, for centuries, been identified with mystery. In the Middle Ages, cats were thought to have smothered babies or caused nightmares by reclining on the stomachs of sleeping people.

 

Cats are also associated with the ability to see or sense spirits. In the ancient world, cats, as in Egypt, were closely identified with deities. The Roman goddess Diana was believed to have taken on the form of an animal, including a cat. Thus, the rich history of magic, folklore, and paganism has, over the centuries, left the cat a legacy of mystery, often equated with evil. And that is how Halloween treats the black cat today.

 

Sources:

 

Anthony Aveni, The Book of the Year: A Brief History of Our Seasonal Holidays (Oxcford University Press, 2003)

Robert Darnton, The Great Cat Massacre and Other Episodes in French Cultural History (Allen Lane/Penguin Books, 1984)

James George Frazer, The Golden Bough: A Study in Magic and Religion (The Macmillan Company, 1966)

Christina Hole, editor, The Encyclopedia of Superstitions (Barnes and Noble Books, 1966)

Jeffrey Burton Russell, A History of Witchcraft: Sorcerers, Heretics, and Pagans (Thames and Hudson, 1980)