Black cats: Dark myths, bad luck and the truth behind it all

On every Friday the 13th, children and believers in the metaphysical are thinking about things that bring them bad luck – broken mirrors, walking under a ladder, stepping on a crack and black cats crossing their paths.

The stigma surrounding black cats goes back centuries, all the way to Greek mythology.

In stories, a servant named Galinthias turns into a black cat before joining Hecate – goddess of death. Black cats became known as an omen of death.

By the Middle Ages, black cats became associated with black magic. Pope Gregory XI even published the “Vox in Rama” document in 1233 to deal with the topic of devil worship. In it, he claimed that black cats were the incarnation of Satan. Throughout the next century, black cats were slaughtered and their population dwindled.

Skip ahead to the witch-hunt era. Black cats were seen as being such evil companions and witches’ “familiars” that they were burned in baskets alongside their owner.

http://www.reviewjournal.com/life/pets/black-cats-dark-myths-bad-luck-and-truth-behind-it-all