The Divine Felines of the Ancient Egyptians
The Ancient Egyptians revered the cat as a superior animal because they believed cats shared the same divine spiritual characteristics as the divine soul ie: the gods/goddesses.
Pharaohs believed their cats were divinely connected to their bloodlines and they had the ability to reincarnate with their Royal human family hence the saying "Cats have 9 lives". While the Egyptians didn't explicitly coin the modern phrase, they heavily linked cats to the number nine. Interestingly, the Smithsonian Institute even had a "Divine Felines" exhibition in 2017.
The link of the cat to the number 9 is also present in Celtic mythology. Legends told of the Cat Sìth, a fairy creature that took the form of a black cat. It was said the Druid Priestesses could transform into a cat and back again exactly eight times. However, if she chose to transform a ninth time, the spell would permanently lock, and she would remain a cat for the rest of her days.
In Egyptian theology, the sun god Atum created eight other major deities from himself, forming a divine group of nine gods known as the Ennead.
The number 9 is the number of immortality because it mathematically possesses a unique property where it always returns to itself, symbolizing eternity. It is the ultimate single digit in our decimal system, representing the final boundary before a cycle ends and a new one begins. In mathematics, 9 is known as the "incorruptible" number. When you multiply 9 by any other number, the digits of the resulting answer always add up to 9.
In Spanish-speaking regions like Spain and Latin America, cats are said to have seven lives. In Turkish, Arabic, and Middle Eastern legends, cats are only granted six lives. While the number has changed in some cultures it is still very apparent that the cat is connected to reincarnation.
Because the Ancient Egyptians viewed cats as a divine animal, harming one was a severe crime. Killing a cat—even by accident—could result in the death penalty. When a family cat died, its owners would shave off their own eyebrows as a sign of deep mourning.
No cats have ever been found in the tomb of a Pharaoh. Rather, the Pharaohs, who had a deep respect and love for their pet cats would bury them with full funeral rights and they would be positioned near the tombs of their masters. When a Royal cat died, it received its own customized, multi-tiered funeral process. The cat was taken to specialized embalmers who treated the body with the same expensive resins, oils, and fine linens—they used on Royal ie: divine humans.
Craftsmen were hired to carve individual stone, wood, or bronze coffins specifically sized for the cat. These were often shaped like a sitting cat or a miniature human sarcophagus. The exterior of the cat's coffin was inscribed with its own unique prayers, naming the cat individually. Instead of being laid directly next to the Pharaoh's in his sarcophagus, these cats were placed in adjoining side chambers, nearby royal family plots. However in the Pharaoh's tombs murals of the Pharaoh's cats, wearing collars and sitting beside their masters chair also adorned the walls of their tomb.
Crown Prince Thutmose, the eldest son of Pharaoh Amenhotep III had his cat Ta-Mui buried in a beautifully inscribed custom-made limestone sarcophagus that featured prayers from the Book of the Dead. The opening inscription proclaims: "I myself am placed among the Imperishable Ones that are in the sky, for I am Ta-Miu, the Triumphant."
Egyptian Mau:
37 Views