Black Cats Bad Luck? The Origins of This Superstition

Image of a black cat previously owned by this post's writer.

 

You may have heard previously that black cats are considered bad luck or that having a black cat cross your path will harbor uncertain doom.  This is a culturally constructed idea common among European and North American populations.  It is also an idea that has existed for centuries, which is the topic of this blog post.  The origins of the black cat as symbol of bad luck will be explored, as well as the differing views of black cats in other cultures.

 

Black cats were branded minions of Satan (the epitome of all evil with Christian faiths) in 1233.  Pope Gregory IX declared it such, sparking a quick change in opinion of these creatures who had been previously viewed benignly up to that point.  His declaration not only affected black cats, however.  It also marked a shift in views of men but particularly women throughout Europe.  His decree also coincided with a long series of witch trials throughout the region.  These were used as mechanisms of social control to keep individuals, again, particularly women, in line with the dominant cultural norms of the period and area.  Women who did not follow those norms, be it by their own choice or due to circumstances beyond their control, were largely targeted, branded witches, and punished harshly.

 

Witch trials followed specific processes, beginning with the accusation of an individual as a witch.  Accusers were responsible for providing evidence to support their claim, which is where black cats come in.  Because of long standing cultural beliefs of the color black being associated with evil and death and Pope Gregory IX’s previous decree black cats found within the vicinity of accused witches was often enough evidence to support the accusation and condemn the “witch”.  Over time, this idea morphed into something new.  Black cats began to be labeled as either witch’s familiars (companions) who did their bidding for them or were the animal manifestations of witches themselves.  These ideas really took hold to catastrophic proportions at the beginning of the Bubonic plague wherein cats, particularly black cats, were viewed as being responsible for the spread of the plague.  People killed cats en masse, inadvertently prolonging the Bubonic plague’s spread as it was not cats but rodents that spread the disease.  The mass extermination of cats, natural predators to rodents, caused the opposite effect that Europeans desired.  This belief also led to killing of black cats as it was believed that doing, followed by the consumption of their corpse, could heal various diseases and ailments (note, it does not!)

 

The idea that black cats are bad luck was brought to the Americas via religiously devout and highly superstitious European populations, who practiced a variety of superstitious folk magic customs.  They did this for the same reasons their European counterparts did: to control the unknown and uncontrollable.  The purpose of any superstition is to allow people to regain control of uncontrollable situations wherein they formulate an understanding of the situation based on their beliefs.  From there they identify applicable and appropriate solutions.  This creates the origins of the superstition and the corresponding superstitious/supernatural solution.

 

Today, the notion of black cats as bad luck continues, but it is not a cultural universal.  There are several cultures that believe that black cats can be harbingers of good luck.  For example, in Japan it is believed that a black cat that crosses one’s path brings good luck, but in Germany the direction that the cat comes from when it walks in your path demonstrates either good or bad luck.  In Wales and Scotland, a black cat in one’s home can bring wealth and prosperity.  Ultimately, there is no evidence to support any of these cultural beliefs as they are all linked back to superstitions, and cats are just cats-good or bad, lucky or unlucky, depending on how one views these animals.

 

Works Cited

Blue Cross. "Black cat superstition ." 9 September 2020. Blue Cross UK. Electronic. 17 June 2022.

Carnegie Institute. "Superstitions and Black Cats." 2020. Carnegie Museum of Natural History. Electronic. 17 June 2022.

Fatik Baran Mandal, Superstitions: A Culturally Transmitted Human Behavior, International Journal of Psychology and Behavioral Sciences, Vol. 8 No. 4, 2018, pp. 65-69.

Oliver, Harry. Black Cats & Four Leaf Clovers: The Origins of Old Wives' Tales and Superstitions in Our Everyday Lives. United States: Penguin Publishing Group, 2010. Print.

Yuko, Elizabeth. "Why Black Cats Are Associated With Halloween and Bad Luck." 13 October 2021. History.com. Electronic. 17 June 2022.

Aztec Death Whistle

Figure 1: Aztec Death Whistle (Source: Rodriquez, 2010)

 

The Aztec civilization is well known due to extensive archaeological study and ethnohistorical records as recorded by the Spanish conquistadors who conquered them.  While the Aztecs maintained one of the last empires in Central America and practiced a fairly egalitarian society they are often best known for their extensive sacrificial rituals, which were closely tied to their religion.  Today’s blog post addresses a more recent discovery concerning an additional dimension of their sacrificial rituals, specifically the discovery and interpretation of what is now referred to as the Aztec death whistle (Figure 1).

 

The Aztec death whistle was initially discovered in 1999 at the site of Tlatelolco in modern day Mexico City, which is built upon the ruins of the Aztec capital of Tenochtitlan.  This artifact was found between the hands of a sacrificial victim who was sacrificed to the Aztec wind god, Ehecatl.  The artifact is described as a small clay flute carved into the shape of a human skull with holes in the back and front, specifically through the nose of the skull. 

 

Initially, scholars dismissed this item as a toy and did not examine it further.  It was not until 15 years later through accident that the artifact received new attention.  Roberto Velasquez decided to blow into the back hole of the flute (as the front holes were too small to produce sound) and discovered that this produced the most eerie of sounds, which have been described as being reminiscent of human screams or extreme howling winds. 

 

This has led Velazquez and others to hypothesize as to the exact purpose of this flute, which was subsequently named the Aztec Death Whistle.  Due to its initial associations (with a sacrificial victim) there exist two prevailing hypotheses, both related to each other.  Unsurprisingly, both hypotheses are related to Aztec sacrifices, which took place to satiate the Aztec gods’ need for blood to continue to survive and provide a hospital environment for humans to exist in.  One hypothesis is that Aztecs used the Death Whistle to signal the beginning of their Flowery Wars, which were battles waged for the specific purpose of collecting sacrificial victims (and that individuals voluntarily participated in as a death in battle or by sacrifice meant automatic entry into an afterlife of paradise).  The other hypothesis puts forward the idea that sacrificial victims played the flute before being sacrificed.

 

At the present time it is unclear what the specific purpose of the Aztec Death Whistle was, and thus far this is the only such whistle/flute discovered.  The current hypotheses may not be accurate as skull motifs were common throughout Aztec art.  It will be interesting to see if additional discoveries of more whistles are made and how they may clarify the specific meaning and purpose of this artifact.

 

References

Ahn, I.-S., Bae, S.-G., & Bae, M.-J. (2021). A Study on the Similarity between the Strange Whistle and Screams of Human. International Journal of Engineering Trends and Technology, 147-151.

Velazquez, R. (2010). Death Whistle. The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America.

Westmaas, R. (2019, August 1). The Aztec Death Whistle Makes One of the Scariest Sounds You'll Ever Hear. Retrieved from Discovery: https://www.discovery.com/nature/Aztec-Death-Whistle

 

Spotlight on Students: Halloween Themed American Phrases

This post highlights the work required of my SA 202: Introduction to Anthropology students.  Students were given the opportunity to explore an American phrase of their choice, researching its history and meanings over time. Several students were given the opportunity to have their exemplary work featured on the blog, and the students whose chosen phrase related to the American holiday of Halloween and provided permission to publish their work are featured here.   Please show your appreciation for their work through the comments.

Trick or Treat

By: Marcquasia Abraham

The phrase I chose was “trick or treat.” I decided to go with this phrase to inform more people about the actual meaning and why others say it. I always had a fascination with Halloween and why the theme seemed so darkened when I was younger. Growing up Pentecostal I was never allowed to even think about Halloween because it supposedly represents evil in my faith. Every October 31st we had to put a sign in front of our house that said, “No trick or treating.” I always wondered why. We also went to church at 8 pm to watch a movie about how Halloween is evil, and if you celebrate it only bad things shall come to you for the rest of the year. I never really understood the importance of the “trick or treat” saying until I did my research. To me saying trick or treat was basically a “sugar-coated threat.” It means give me what I ask for or there will be consequences, whether that means harming you or your property. 

            Where did it really originate from though? Although trick or treating is well-known to be an American tradition, its origins come from medieval Europe. It was originally known as a ritual that was performed by Christians that was celebrated either before or on November 1 every year. According to the passage: “Common features of these traditions are - asking for food, dressing in disguise and a connection to the spirits of the deceased. The US 'trick or treat' tradition is an archetypal example of this. The US 'trick or treat' tradition is an archetypal example of this. The language of these traditions is heavily influenced by the naming of days in the Christian calendar. The central date of the rituals that herald the beginning of winter is the 1st of November, called All Saints Day or All Hallows Day. The following day is All Souls Day and the 31st of October is All Hallows Eve - shortened to Hallowe'en (that is, the evening before All Hallows Day)” (2019, October 03). Although this was not just a tradition in America many other countries participate but word it very differently. For example, in Scotland they use the term guising. This is similar to “trick or treat” but the only difference is the kids had to entertain the adults through telling riddles before receiving treats (September 12, 2022).  As generations pass we now expect candy without the extra fun.

Generally, trick or treat sounds the same as it did centuries ago, but the only issue is the crime rate has risen and many kids will not take no for an answer. The meaning has changed tremendously today and made the whole culture seem very evil and misleading. It is often taught to scare kids these days and many people fear the holiday more than appreciate it.

 

References

(2019, October 03). How trick-or-treating became a Halloween tradition. Retrieved September 28, 2022, from https://www.history.com/news/halloween-trick-or-treating-origins

 

Ethnocentrism Retrieved (September 12, 2022), from https://faculty.chass.ncsu.edu/slatta/hi216/ethno.htm 

 

 

Devil's Advocate

By: Gina Wilson

 

The phase I chose to research is “Devil’s Advocate”. I chose this phrase because others have used it to describe me, although I have not heard it being used in quite some time. Before conducting any research, I thought that a devil’s advocate was someone who was going against what another person is saying. I always took it as an insult as I heard it being used in an unkind way, though it originally was not used in this manner. 

The phrase originates from the 18th-century medieval Latin expression ‘advocatus diaboli,’ and it was a job title, the official title being Promoter of the Faith. The role of a Devil’s Advocate was to come up with a list of arguments against the person who is nominated for beautification, to be locally recognized as a saint, or for canonization, which comes after beautification and is the supreme glorification by the Church of a servant of God. This list is to see if the person is right to be raised to the honor of the altar. The official position of Devil’s Advocate has since been abolished from the Church, though they still use a similar practice in some cases of beautification. 

 Today, a devil’s advocate is known for taking an opposing side in a debate, sometimes just to set up an argument. The act of being a devil’s advocate has not changed much since then. I think that people avoid arguments today because it can come off as disrespectful, but if you do not try to see the opposing side of your stance then you come off as egocentric.

 

 

Martin, Gary. “'The Devil's Advocate' - the Meaning and Origin of This Phrase.” Phrasefinder, https://phrases.org.uk/meanings/devils-advocate.htmlLinks to an external site..

Martin, Rachel. “Who Is the 'Devil's Advocate'?” NPR, NPR, 3 Mar. 2013, https://www.npr.org/2013/03/03/173350724/who-is-the-devils-advocateLinks to an external site..

Burtsell, R.L. “Devil's Advocate.” Catholic Answers, Catholic Answers, 21 Feb. 2019, https://www.catholic.com/encyclopedia/devils-advocateLinks to an external site..

Koshal. “Difference between Canonization and Beatification.” Compare the Difference Between Similar Terms, Differencebetween.com, 28 Apr. 2015, https://www.differencebetween.com/difference-between-canonization-and-vs-beatification/#:~:text=A%20person%20who%20goes%20through,differences%20between%20Canonization%20and%20Beatification