The cat is like a sacred animal. Tailed Goddess: Cats in Ancient Egypt
Perhaps no animal has evoked such contradictory feelings in people as the cat - it was either elevated to the rank of a deity, or hated as a fiend of hell. If someone created an album illustrating the relationship between people and cats throughout the history of civilization, we could use it to make a truly dizzying journey from prehistoric times to the present through different eras, countries and continents.
But, of course, cats reached the apogee of worship and glory in Ancient Egypt. It was there that they were ranked among the gods and were considered the personification of the two main heavenly bodies - the Moon and the Sun.
Cat goddess Bast - a symbol of joy, love and fertility
Perhaps the most famous “cat character” in Egypt is the cat goddess named Bast, or Bastet (the second pronunciation option), many of us have seen her at least in pictures in school textbooks. Bastet was the patron of beauty, love and fertility. The heyday of her cult occurred between the Middle and New Kingdoms, and the city of Bubastis became the center of worship. And the Bubasteion temple dedicated to her was erected in Saqqara, not far from Memphis, the capital of the Ancient Kingdom.
The sacred cats of Egypt took a direct part in the annual celebrations; it is not surprising that during this period they were specially bred, feeding them with fish caught in the Nile and bread soaked in milk. Mere mortals could bring their gifts to the tailed ones only when they were put on display. The doors of the temple, in which there were baskets with cats, were opened to everyone in the second month after the Nile flooded. It was at this time that the bubastides took place - festivals dedicated to Bast as the patroness of the harvest.
Sun cat
What did cats do to deserve such honor and fame? After all, Bast, no more nor less, was considered the daughter of Ra himself - the sun god, had the power to give rise to the dawn of each new day and, together with her sister Sekhmet, played the role of all seeing eye. The basis of this worship, it turns out, is... the cat's hunting gift. More precisely, the ability of cats to successfully fight snakes. After all, it was the serpent Apophis, according to Egyptian mythology, who was the personification of horror and darkness, and the cat, the sacred animal of Ancient Egypt, defeating him, thereby freeing the Sun from the freezing cold of the night, giving him the opportunity to illuminate the world.
According to legend, the struggle between darkness and light was repeated from night to night. Light-bringing Ra sailed on a boat across the sky for 12 hours, illuminating the earth, and closer to dusk, when the tired god fell asleep, the boat crossed the border of the kingdom of the dead to spend the next 12 hours in the afterlife. At the decisive hour on the way of the boat with the motionless Ra, Apophis rose from the twilight, but each time the serpent met the rebuff of the brave sacred cat- Atuma. Addressing the souls of the dead, the tailed defender of the Light promised to drive away the spirits of evil into the underworld and beheaded the snake, giving the solar boat the opportunity to continue its journey.
By the way, mythical cats, conquerors of darkness, are even in the illustrations of the “Book of the Dead”: the pictures depict a cat who is preparing to fight back the terrible Apep. It also describes the battle under the sacred sycamore tree between the serpent and the god Ra, who took the guise of a red cat.
The image of a mustachioed snake fighter is also found on the iconic senet sticks. There is evidence of the cat’s direct relationship to the cult of the daylight on the stones of the New Kingdom. There is only one conclusion: the Egyptians were sure that solely thanks to the vigilance and courage of cats, our world could enjoy the life-giving light of the Sun every day.
Cat moon
It is interesting that at the same time the cult of Bast was also associated with the night luminary, since it was believed that it was the Moon that was responsible for fertilization and the patron of expectant mothers and children. Plutarch mentions the connection between the cat-goddess and the lunar disk in his work “On Isis and Osiris.” The Egyptians were sure that a cat was capable of conceiving 7 times in her life and giving birth to 28 kittens. And that’s exactly how many days the lunar calendar has.
It is noteworthy that the personification of the Moon, Greek goddess Artemis, running away from the monstrous serpent Python, also turned into a cat and hid from her pursuer... in Egypt!
Sacred cats of Egypt - an object of worship
The blind veneration of cats by the Egyptians itself became the talk of the town. So, all members of the family in which a pet died had to shave their eyebrows as a sign of grief and mourning. Another fact confirming the reverence of the Egyptians for the tailed creatures is known thanks to Ptolemy. The historian described how, in the 6th century BC, the warriors of the ruler of Persia, Cambyses II, resorted to cunning, besieging the border city of Pelusium. The soldiers advancing in the first line carried cats in front of them, and their opponents had no choice but to surrender, so as not to harm the objects of their worship.
Killing a cat was completely punishable by the death of the culprit, and even the pharaoh could not argue with this law. So, according to legend, in 47 BC, one of the Roman soldiers killed a cat in Alexandria, for which local residents carried out lynching on him. Ptolemy XII Auletes, the father of the famous Cleopatra, could not defend the cat killer.
In fact, this is an event, even if it is not historical fact, has a very symbolic meaning. Indeed, at this time, Caesar and his army were already approaching the banks of the Nile, and very soon, as a result of a victorious war, he subjugated Egypt to the power of Rome. As one of the many provinces of the empire, ancient state lost its power, and with it the Egyptian deities, including the cat goddess Bast, faded into history.
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We are so used to our furry for a pet who will always come up and comfort us if we feel sad, who will purr loudly, curled up in a ball on our laps and burying his wet, cold nose in our hand. Of course, a cat is the most gentle and at the same time freedom-loving and rebellious pet.
For example, it’s not easy to put your cat in your purse and drag it all day around the city and to boutiques for animals, not to mention small dogs. And there is no reason to carry them, because they are hunters and love to lie down in the shade, watch for birds, and then, when they see their owner, beg for “Kitekat”.
They are so playful that they have already unraveled all of grandma’s balls around the apartment and conquered Everest several times by climbing onto the curtains. Perhaps cats cause a lot of trouble: damaged furniture, hair all over the house - but how can you blame this fluffy, because a cat is a sacred animal.
However, everyone knows about this, even the smallest children, although people often do not take this fact into account. Let's just restore justice and find out why this animal with pink pads on its paws received this high title.
The meaning of cats in the culture of ancient Egyptians
It all started in Egypt. There are many legends that explain holiness in elementary economic factor: they say that the stoats did not know how to catch mice, and the grain harvest was spoiled due to rodents, and then she comes, Mademoiselle Cat, who copes with pests at once, saves the Egyptians from hunger, which means she instantly rises to the skies, that is, to the pharaoh and queen.
But this is not the only reason why the cat became a Cat and acquired immunity. The priests, who were revered in Egypt no less than the dynasty of the pharaoh, saw in the cat a karmic mission: ridding the home and family in which the animal lives from adversity and stagnant bad energy.
It was also believed that a cat is the embodiment of a deceased person, usually the owner.
Why else were these animals revered, considering them sacred creatures?
- We admired the gracefulness of these animals, their ability to appear and disappear almost unnoticed and silently;
- Fertility and the ability to care for offspring also became an invaluable asset;
- Cleanliness and independent character distinguished cats from other animals.
For all these merits, cats were given special honor: they were fed the best food, looked after them, never offended them. After the death of a pet, rich Egyptians embalmed its body and buried it in cemeteries designed specifically for cats. Rats and mice were embalmed along with them so that they would accompany them in the afterlife.
Energy potential of the animal
Egypt died down, and mystical meaning and the influence of cats is still one of the mysterious pages in the study of animal psychology. Speaking of reincarnation, indeed, a cat is capable of absorbing a certain matrix and energy of a deceased person, thereby cleansing the house. But, in addition, the animal is capable of resembling living owners, which is also explained by the energy, the flows of which the pet captures.
Often a cat is able to see the spirit of a deceased person, when people do not have such abilities. There are many known cases when a cat froze in the doorway, looked into the room and meowed loudly, looking somewhere in the air. And in all cases, this was in those houses where a person had recently died.
- In the East, the role of cats is significant: in China they are considered a kind of symbol of motherhood, and also a guardian of culture. Until now, the inhabitants of this country believe in the animal’s ability to scare away evil spirits. The Chinese believe that if you walk around a sown field with a cat in your arms, the harvest will certainly be abundant;
- In Japan almost complete absence rats and mice are associated specifically with magical influence, which is exerted not only by living cats, but also by their figurines and images;
- It is noteworthy that in ancient times the Japanese awarded a person who became famous in any field with the title Master Cat. This once again emphasizes the respect for the glorious furry pet. In modern Japan, Cat Day is celebrated annually, which is a national holiday. This happens on February 22, because three deuces in a row in Japanese(22.02) sound like a cat's meow;
- In America they believe that a stray black cat that you adopt will bring happiness into your home. They are considered harbingers of good luck, despite all the prejudices associated with black cats.
- In Slavic culture, the cat is still considered the guardian of the family hearth. In addition, weather changes are often predicted by the behavior of cats. For example, if you notice that an animal is thoroughly washing its ears, then you can wait for rain. If your cat is rushing around the house, jumping and scratching objects, you should wait. strong wind. When a cat is in a playful mood, rolling around on the ground is a sure sign that a rainstorm is about to begin.
And evil spirits are afraid of cats. That is why when moving to new house is the first to cross the threshold furry pet, who, with his throne-like procession through the new apartments, drives out evil spirits and bad energy. There is also plenty of mysticism in stories where ghosts literally attacked the animal, trying to kill it. That is, a cat is a lightning rod for strong evil spirits - evil spirits focus on the pet and do not touch the person. Although scary cases is definitely a rarity. IN ordinary life the furry guy just cleans our house and scares bad aliens from a parallel world.
There are cases when a cat died instead of its owner, taking over in some way the fate of fate. This was also practiced in Egypt, only there for the pharaoh, of course. died who agreed to die and accepted a special ritual.
Warnings from cats are also not uncommon, when more sensitive animals can predict cataclysms or natural disasters. By the way, they not only save their owners from natural disasters, but also from people. For example, there was a case when a cat scratched thieves who threatened the female owner of the animal. The seasoned pet tore the intruders' clothes to shreds and for a long time chased the criminals along the road away from his home.
Of course, these are not all unique stories, let alone that we are still at the subconscious level afraid of black cats and clutching at the button. In general, the Egyptians are a wise people, and it is certainly not for nothing that they awarded the harmless furry animal the status of a sacred animal. And the cases described above only confirm this, although, of course, this is not all about cats.
In any case, a cat will want to protect and stand up for its owner only when it loves its breadwinner, so the cat needs to be groomed and cherished and, of course, respected and adored. Then the pink pads will hide their claws and reciprocate your feelings.
I have read several versions explaining why the cat earned the title of sacred animal in Egypt. The Egyptians were the first to domesticate the cat and were able to appreciate it. The cult of the cat in this country has reached its full apogee and there are many reasons for this, both religious and economic.
Reasons for the cult of cats in ancient Egypt
1. Scientists have suggested that the cat’s extreme fertility played a significant role in the formation of the cult. The ancient Egyptians depicted the revered goddess of motherhood and fertility, Bast (Bastet), as a woman with cat head. Sometimes the supreme god of the Sun, Ra, appeared in the form of a cat who entered into battle with a serpent. Even a cat’s ability to change its pupil was considered the highest gift; the same ability was described in myths by the god Ra.
2. Cats helped the Egyptians protect their crops from damage caused by rodents. Cat-catchers helped avoid the plague, and their hostility to snakes was also associated with the divine principle: according to legend, God Ra went down into the dungeon every night to destroy the snake Apophis.
3. Egyptian priests have always been considered the best specialists in the magical arts and interpretations in the world. From their point of view, a cat living in a family contributed to the well-being of this family and performed the function of karmic unloading of the family. The Egyptians saw the cat as the embodiment of the soul of a deceased relative, so a kitten that strayed by chance was revered and surrounded by care and attention.
4. The Egyptians believed that cats could smell and protect against evil spirits their home, it was assumed that even vampires were capable of falling from the soft paws of a cat.
The cat is a sacred animal
The Egyptians revered cats, fed and looked after them, mummified them after death and observed mourning, long time they were prohibited from being taken out of the country. Killing a cat was considered a terrible act and was punishable death penalty. Even during a natural disaster, the cat was the first to be rescued from the house. One day, the Egyptians destroyed the Greek quarter, destroying and dispersing its inhabitants, only because one of the Greeks drowned the kittens.
After the cult was banned Bast cats have ceased to be an object of worship, but even now in Egypt they try not to offend them; obviously, the genetic memory of their ancestors makes itself felt.
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Anyone who has a cat need not be afraid of loneliness. /Daniel Defoe/
A person is as cultured as he can understand a cat. /Bernard Show/
Only cats know how to get food without labor, a home without a castle, and love without worry. /U.L. George/
The veneration of animals can be seen in all the major religions of the ancient world. Sacred animals were revered in Ancient Egypt, Greece, and Rome. But there was a unique attitude towards cats in Egypt. Here they were valued and deified. Why did cats become sacred animals?
On the one hand, this was due to the economy of the country, which “specialized” in growing grain crops and cats were the best choice for protecting huge barns from all kinds of rodents.
Egypt 1550-1425 BC
But, watching the cats, people paid attention to her cleanliness and touching care for her offspring, and cats are also distinguished by their playfulness and ability to cuddle up to humans. All these qualities corresponded to the goddess of fertility, motherhood and fun - Bast. Therefore, this goddess was personified with a cat. BAST - was considered in Ancient Egypt the goddess of fertility and the patroness of love. She served as a symbol of the Sun and Moon, provided protection to the souls of the dead who fell into afterworld, and was also responsible for the fertility of animals and people. People prayed to her for a cure for many diseases. She had the head of a cat and mysterious cat eyes.
Goddess Bast
Egyptian priests believed, and this belief has survived to this day, that cats are capable of taking on human karma.
To ensure the integrity of such an amazing animal Ancient world there was only one way - to declare it sacred.
Egypt 664-380 BC
The priests of Ancient Egypt declared cats sacred, and since then mere mortals had no right to touch cats, and only the pharaoh could own them. Thus, the cat became an object of religious cult for the Egyptians. This was reflected in the fact that these animals were immortalized in sculptures and paintings, and they were honored as a deity. Harm caused to a cat was punishable by severe punishment, and killing an animal was punishable by death. For a dead cat, the owner was supposed to mourn for several days and shave his eyebrows as a sign of great sadness.
Cat mummy. France. Louvre.
The body of the deceased animal was mummified and, after a complex, solemn funeral ceremony, was subject to burial in a special cat cemetery. This is confirmed by archaeological data: in 1890, during excavations ancient city Bubas-Tisa, near the temple of the goddess Bast, scientists discovered more than 300 well-preserved cat mummies.In Ancient Egypt, cats enjoyed almost the same honor and respect as the pharaoh (ruler of the state).
There is also a known case when generals used cats in battles with the Egyptians. Knowing how the inhabitants of Egypt revered sacred animals, the Persian king Cambyssus ordered live cats to be tied to the shields of his soldiers. It was cruel to animals, but the population of Egypt surrendered without a fight so as not to harm the cats.
Egypt 3rd century BC
It was forbidden to take these animals outside of Egypt, but according to legends, the Greeks stole several pairs of cats. Soon the animals multiplied and became very popular in Greece. They have successfully replaced semi-wild weasels and ferrets, which were previously used to control rodent pests.
Villager appreciated the benefits that cats brought and tried to tame them. Gradually, cats got used to living next to humans and at the same time maintaining the independence characteristic of these animals.
Egypt 3rd century BC
From Ancient Greece cats found their way to other European countries, where they also began to enjoy well-deserved respect, since they turned out to be not only excellent hunters, but also devoted friends person. In addition, the Greeks greatly appreciated beauty in everything, and the cat is a beautiful and graceful animal.
Italian fresco in PompeI 70 AD
Ancient scientists and philosophers wrote about cats in scientific treatises. For example, the famous Roman historian Pliny the Elder first described the anatomical and physiological characteristics cats in his book Natural History.In Europe, the cat was initially considered the guardian of the hearth and personified freedom and independence. Although Europeans, unlike the ancient Egyptians, did not consider the cat a sacred animal, they treated it with great respect. Then the cat began to be perceived differently, because obscurantists associated it with the devil and witchcraft and exterminated it in the most cruel ways, supposedly destroying their satanic power. Black cats were considered accomplices of Satan; rumor ascribed to them the qualities of creatures dangerous to people. This happened with the encouragement of church ministers. After some time, rats - carriers - spread across Europe. terrible disease, the bubonic plague, which killed more than half the population of European countries.
Plague in Europe
After such circumstances, the cat regained popularity. Even the church changed its attitude towards these animals, which also contributed to the return of universal affection for cats.
But even in times of religious fanaticism, there were enlightened people who retained the ability to think rationally. Some monasteries continued to breed cats to catch rodents, which continued to harm people's food supplies. Perhaps thanks to this, cats were not completely exterminated when their numbers in Europe were greatly reduced.
The cat can be called a truly mystical animal, since many signs are associated with it that exist to this day, and the interpretation of these signs is often the opposite in different countries.
Cats gradually populated the countries of Asia when the active development of trade between Europe and Asia began.
There is a version about quite the original way, how the first cat came to the East: it was exchanged for a piece of silk fabric.
Ancient China. Processing silkworm cocoons
The attitude towards this animal in the East was quite peculiar. On the one hand, cats continued to protect the harvest of silkworm cocoons from mice and rats, and the silk trade is an important part of the economies of Japan and China. But besides this, cats performed another function - they served as a kind of talismans that invariably brought peace, prosperity and family happiness. This is how the East appreciated the charm of these animals. Even today, many people are convinced that the mystical qualities of a living talisman increase with age: the older the cat, the more happiness it brings to its owners.
Every Chinese had to have a small ceramic figurine of a cat, which not only decorated the house, but also drove away evil spirits from its inhabitants. The presence of these animals was believed to promote meditation.
Ancient Egypt was one of the first great civilizations on earth, dating back to the dawn of human history. And the ideas of the ancient Egyptians about the world around them differed significantly from the ideas modern people. The ancient Egyptian pantheon consisted of huge amount gods, who were most often depicted with human body and the head of the animal. Therefore, the Egyptians treated animals with great respect; the worship of animals was elevated to a cult.
1. Harem of the sacred bull
The Egyptians revered the bull as part of the ancient cult of animals. They considered him a deity who had descended to earth. Of all the bulls, one was chosen based on special signs, which later served as a sacred bull named Apis. It had to be black with special white markings.
This bull lived in Memphis, in a special “sacred stable” at the temple. He was provided with such care that many people could not even dream of dreaming of, fed and revered as a god, they even kept a harem of cows for him. On Apis's birthday, celebrations were held and bulls were sacrificed to him. When Apis died, he was buried with honors and the search for a new sacred bull began.
2. Pet - hyena
Before settling on dogs and cats, humanity experimented with domesticating some rather strange animals. 5,000 years ago, the Egyptians kept hyenas as pets. Drawings left on the tombs of the pharaohs show that they were used for hunting.
However, the Egyptians did not have much love for them; they were often kept and fattened only for food. And yet, giggling hyenas did not take root as pets among the Egyptians, especially since there were many cats and dogs hanging around nearby, which turned out to be more suitable.
3. Cause of death - hippopotamus
Pharaoh Menes lived approximately 3000 BC, and left a major mark on Egyptian history. He managed to unite the warring kingdoms of Egypt, which he subsequently ruled for about 60 years. According to the ancient Egyptian historian Manetho, Menes died from wounds received while hunting a hippopotamus. However, no further mention of this tragedy has survived. The only confirmation can be a drawing on a stone depicting a king asking for life from a hippopotamus.
4. Sacred mongooses
The Egyptians adored mongooses and considered them one of the most sacred animals. They were amazed at the courage of these small furry animals, who bravely fought with huge cobras. The Egyptians erected bronze statues of mongooses, wore amulets with their images and kept them as beloved pets.
Some Egyptians were even buried with the mummified remains of their beloved mongooses. Mongooses even entered Egyptian mythology. According to one story, the sun god Ra turned into a mongoose to fight evil.
5. Killing a cat was punishable by death.
In Egypt, a cat was considered a sacred animal, and killing one, even involuntarily, was punishable by death. No exceptions were allowed. Once even the king of Egypt himself tried to save a Roman who accidentally killed a cat, but he failed. Even under the threat of war with Rome, the Egyptians lynched him and left his corpse in the street. One of the legends tells how cats became the reason that the Egyptians lost the war.
In 525 BC The Persian king Cambyses, before the attack, ordered his soldiers to catch cats and attach them to their shields. The Egyptians, seeing the frightened cats, surrendered without a fight, because... could not hurt their sacred animals.
6. Mourning for a cat
For the Egyptians, the death of a cat was a tragedy no less than the loss of a family member. On this occasion, mourning was declared in the family, during which everyone had to shave their eyebrows.
Dead body cats were embalmed, scented and buried, with mice, rats and milk placed in her grave for her later afterlife. The cat burials were huge. In one of them, about 80,000 embalmed cats were found.
7. Hunting with cheetahs
On big cats, such as lions, were allowed to hunt. At the same time, the cheetah, by Egyptian standards, was considered small, quite safe cat, which could be kept even at home. Ordinary residents, of course, did not have cheetahs in their houses, but the kings, in particular Ramses II, had many tamed cheetahs, and even lions, in his palace, and he was not the only one. Paintings on ancient tombs often depict Egyptian kings hunting with tamed cheetahs.
8. City of the Sacred Crocodile
The Egyptian city of Crocodilopolis was a religious center of the cult, dedicated to god Sobek, depicted as a man with the head of a crocodile. In this city the Egyptians kept a sacred crocodile. People came from all over to look at him. The crocodile was hung with gold and jewels and was served by a group of priests.
People brought food as gifts, and the priests, opening the mouth of the crocodile, forced him to eat it. They even poured wine into his open mouth. When a crocodile died, its body was wrapped in thin cloth, mummified and buried with great honor. After this, another crocodile was chosen as the sacred animal.
9. The birth of scarab beetles
The Egyptians believed that scarab beetles were magically born in excrement. The Egyptians believed that scarab beetles had magical power. And all of them, from rich to poor, wore these beetles as amulets. The Egyptians saw scarabs rolling excrement into balls and hiding them in holes. But they did not see how the females subsequently laid their eggs in them, and therefore they believed that scarabs miraculously emerged from excrement and endowed them with magical powers.
10. War over the love of hippopotamuses
The cause of one of Egypt's biggest wars was the love of Pharaoh Seqenenra Tao II for hippopotamuses. He kept a whole pool of hippopotamuses in his palace. Egypt then consisted of several kingdoms. One day, Pharaoh Apopi, the ruler of a stronger kingdom, ordered Seqenenre Tao II to get rid of the hippos because they made a lot of noise and disturbed his sleep.
This, of course, was a mocking reason, since Apopi lived 750 km from the hippopotamuses. Seqenenra, for a long time having endured tyranny from Apophi, this time he could not stand it and declared war on him. And although he himself died, his son and other pharaohs continued the war. And it ended with the unification of Egypt.
From: listverse.com
The most incredible discoveries are also associated with Ancient Egypt. So, it recently became known that.
