Full Description
Curious Cats and Fantastical Felines gives an intriguing insight into the historical relationship between cats and humans by exploring the folklore, myths and legends that relate to cats from around the globe.
For thousands of years, cats and humankind have been inextricably intertwined. From the Ancient Egyptian Goddess Bastet to the cat demon Yokai of Japan, people have been fascinated, enthralled and horrified in equal measure by everything feline-related.
Throughout history, cats have been revered and reviled and everything in between. Worshipped as divine, blamed for plague and pestilence, or labelled as the demonic companions of witches - whether fair or foul, no other animal has attracted such consistent attention, a fact strongly illustrated by the vast number of myths, legends, sayings, superstitions and tales that exist regarding these enigmatic creatures.
Today, mankind is no less under the feline thrall, with cat memes, videos and celebrity cat accounts numbering amongst the highest-ranking entertainment across the internet. Unknown to many, this cultural fascination has a deep and rich history that spans continents and millennia. Discover the roots of this age-old captivation with our feline counterparts and why they have been loved - or otherwise - by so many.
Contents
Introduction
Part One: Sayings, Superstitions and Strange Beliefs
Fateful Felines: Good and Bad Fortune:
Unlucky for Some: Black Cats
The Curse of the May Kitten.
Puss in Boots: Constantino and his Cat
Throwing a Black Cat: The Treasure of the Carbunclo
Japan's Inviting Cat: Maneki Neko
Matters of Life and Death:
The Nine Lives of a Cat
Take Your Breath Away
From Titanic to Lusitania: Cats and Shipwrecks
Rain, Rain, Go Away: Predicting the Weather
Cats at Sea
Why Cats Always Wash After Eating
Letting the Cat out of the Bag and other Popular Sayings
Letting the Cat out of the Bag
The Witch and Her Cat
Cat Saints and Feline Deities:
Bastet and the Sun God: Cats in Ancient Egypt
Cat Gods and Goddesses:
Tezcatlipoca
Narasimha
Boxout: A Chariot Pulled by Cats: The Goddess Freya
Ceridwen and other Goddesses
The Cat on the Ark and other Legends
Patrons of Cats: St Jerome and other Cat Saints
How the Tabby got its Markings
Palita and Lomasa
Part Two: Cats of Fairytale, Lore and Legend
Ferocious Felines:
Feline Fashion Police: The Yule Cat
Be Careful Where You Look: The Skoffin
Beware the Wampus Cat
Vampire Cats
The Fairy Cat: Cat Sith
King Arthur's Killer: The Cath Palug
Ghost of the Capitol: Demon Cat
Japan's Supernatural Cats:
Nekomata
The Kasha
Bakeneko
The Tale of the Manx Cat
The Mystery of the Cabbit
The Old Woman and the Cat
Cats in Folk and Fairy Tale:
The Many Tales of Cats
Why Dog Chases Cat
Bayun the Cat
Kisa the Cat
How the Pussy Willow got its Name
Grinning Like a Cheshire Cat
Conclusion: Celebrating Cats: Past, Present and Future
The Hermitage Cats
Acknowledgements
Selected Further Reading
Index
