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Felines and Female Divinities: The Association of Cats with Goddesses, Ancient and Contemporary
Abstract
From Neolithic sites in Anatolia, to Sumer, Crete, Egypt, Greece and India,
cats, great and small, have been associated with female figures and divinities. Their power, intelligent self-awareness, and mysterious shape-shifting characteristics have exerted a profound influence on humankind. But, why divine females, in particular, should have become so closely associated with felines is a question that has not been given sufficient attention. It appears that the concept of virginity holds the key: only powerful, autonomous goddesses, free of male control, were linked with felines. The characteristics of these divine females echo those of cats: independence, strength, selfreliance, elegance, and a willingness to allow themselves to be tamed strictly on their own terms. This ancient respect for felines and their especial link with women, not only is a reminder that “spirit” pervades the entire natural world, that there is a seamless link between human and non-human, but that these ancient goddesses can inspire all women to re-claim that proud assertiveness and courage epitomized by these regal creatures.
Tyger, Tyger, burning bright
In the forests of the night,
What immortal hand or eye
Dare frame thy fearful symmetry?
(William Blake)
cats, great and small, have been associated with female figures and divinities. Their power, intelligent self-awareness, and mysterious shape-shifting characteristics have exerted a profound influence on humankind. But, why divine females, in particular, should have become so closely associated with felines is a question that has not been given sufficient attention. It appears that the concept of virginity holds the key: only powerful, autonomous goddesses, free of male control, were linked with felines. The characteristics of these divine females echo those of cats: independence, strength, selfreliance, elegance, and a willingness to allow themselves to be tamed strictly on their own terms. This ancient respect for felines and their especial link with women, not only is a reminder that “spirit” pervades the entire natural world, that there is a seamless link between human and non-human, but that these ancient goddesses can inspire all women to re-claim that proud assertiveness and courage epitomized by these regal creatures.
Tyger, Tyger, burning bright
In the forests of the night,
What immortal hand or eye
Dare frame thy fearful symmetry?
(William Blake)
