Cats and Wildcats in Mythology
Sep-29-2009
Cats have long been affiliated with the occult. We see them as bad omens, like a black cat crossing one’s path, but they are also considered lucky. Turns out the cat was domesticated long before man’s best friend. Cats also show up on almost every continent. The following is a list of cats and wild cats throughout mythology.
Cats and Wildcats in Mythology
- In Greek legend, Galenthias transforms into a cat to become a priestess of Hecate, the goddess of darkness.
- Ancient Rome considered the cat a symbol of liberty, and the goddess of Liberty usually had a cat at her feet.
- In Egypt, the goddess Bast (Bastet) was depicted with the head of a cat.
- In Celtic tales, the hero often fought Monster Cats.
- In Scandinavian myth, cats pulled the chariot of Freyja.
- The wildcat was a hunter god in some Amerindian myths, and was considered the younger brother of Coyote.
- The wildcat is the totem of one Australian Aboriginee tribe.
- The Hindu goddess of birth, Shosti, rides astride a cat.
- In Buddhism, the cat is said to be under a curse, as he and the snake did not weep at the death of Buddha.
Jaguars and Leopards in Mythology
- The jaguar was the Master of Animals in Central American mythology. It was the chief figure in Mayan rites, and sacrifices were made to the Jaguar God.
- The Aztec warrior god Tezcatlipoca is depicted as a jaguar.
- In Egypt, the leopard was an attribute of Osiris.
- In Greek myth, Dionysus rode leopards and used them to pull his chariot.
- In Africa, the leopard is a cult and totem animal, and an attribute of the storm god.
- In Hinduism, Shiva is sometimes pictured wearing a leopard skin, supposedly sent to him by jealous rivals who hoped it would destroy him.
Lions in Mythology
- Cybele, mother goddess of Phrygia, drives a chariot drawn by lions. Cybele also changed the lovers Hippomenes and Atalanta into lions.
- Heracles (Hercules) strangled the Nemean Lion as one of his labours.
- The Roman goddess Juno drives a chariot pulled by lions.
- In Tibet, the lioness was an attribute of Tara.
- In Hinduism, the fourth avatar of Vishnu is a lion and represents Durga.
- Buddhism calls the lion the Defender of the Law, and Buddha, the “Lion of the Shakya,” is sometimes seated on a lion throne.
- The Chinese immortal Chiu-shou was a lion that took human form and fought in their wars.
- Mari-Jata, founder of the Mali empire, was called “the Lion of Mali.”
- Sekhmet, the lion-headed goddess of Egyptian myth, guarded against disease and disaster.
- In Sumeria, the lion was the representative of Nergal, the god of war.
Tigers in Mythology
- In China, the tiger is Lord of the Land Animals.
- Chang Tao-ling, the first Pope of popular Taoism, rides a tiger.
- The Chinese god of wealth and gamblers, and the goddess of the wind, both ride tigers
- The tiger represents Orion (the constellation) in Chinese legend.
- In Japan, the tiger was said to live a thousand years, and was adopted as an emblem of the warrior class.
- In Malaysia, Sumatra, and Java, there are myths of “were-tigers,” considered friendly except in Malaysian myths.
- The Batek tribe of Malaysia names Raja Yah as the mystical king of tigers.
- In India, Durga rides a tiger, and Siva is often shown wearing a tiger skin.
- In Thailand, if several people were suspected of committing the same serious crime, they were all thrown into a pit with a tiger. The one killed by the tiger was guilty.
Adding to the hindu mythology bit, i went on a holiday to the southern part of India two years ago, and a lot of the goddesses (yes, plural) were depicted as riding tigers, or lions or holding cleaved lion heads in their hands…
Thank you for the comment Andi!
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