- A black cat seen from
behind foretells a bad omen.
- A black cat
crossing one's path by moonlight means death in an epidemic. - Irish
superstition
- Fishermen's
wives
kept a black
cat at home to prevent disaster at sea.
- It is
considered bad luck to pass a black cat after 9 pm
- In North
America,
it's bad luck if a black cat crosses your path and good luck if a white
cat crosses your path. In Britain and Ireland, it's the opposite.
- If a black
cat walks towards you, it brings good fortune, but if it walks away, it
takes the good luck with it.
- If a funeral
procession encountered
a black cat, they believed another member of the family would soon die.
- Black cats
carried demons.
- Black cats
have special powers and abilities.
- A bride will
have a happy married life if a black cat sneezes near her on her
wedding day.
- Back in
ancient days, the Druids thought black cats were human beings.
These humans in cat form were being punished for evil deeds.
- Some believed
that black cats could fly on a broom stick.
- Some believe
black cats are witches in disguise.
- Others believe
black cats are witches' familiars (beings that aid witches in
performing their craft).
- Fisherman's
wives kept black cats while their husbands went away to sea. They
believed that the black cats would prevent danger from occurring to
their husbands.
- It
was largely in the Middle Ages that the black cat became affiliated
with evil. Because cats are nocturnal and roam at night, they were
believed
to be supernatural servants of witches, or even witches themselves.
Partly
because of the cat's sleek movements and eyes that 'glow' at night,
they
became the embodiment of darkness, mystery, and evil, possessing
frightening
powers. If a black cat walked into the room of an ill person, and the
person
later died, it was blamed on the cat's supernatural powers. If a black
cat crossed a person's path without harming them, this indicated that
the
person was then protected by the devil. Often times, a cat would find
shelter
with older women who were living in solitude. The cat became a source
of
comfort and companionship, and the old woman would curse anyone who
mistreated
it. If one of these tormentors became ill, the witch and her familiar
were
blamed.
This
list extracted from the larger article: Folklore,
Superstitions, and Proverbs |
