Bastet, Egyptian cat goddess of the Second Dynasty Contrary to modern superstitions, the black cat was originally seen as a symbol of luck and prosperity dating back to 2890 BC in Egypt. In that time, the cat goddess Bastet was worshipped by Egyptians; she was believed to bless those who hosted black cats in their homes. […]
Did you know that on 18thConnect, you can not only search the local database, but also the NINES (Networked Infrastructure for Nineteenth-Century Electronic Scholarship) and MESA (Medieval Electronic Scholarly Alliance) databases as well? This week’s image, courtesy of the MESA database, comes from the French historical collection Chroniques de France by Saint-Denis in the 13th century. Entitled “Detail of a miniature of […]
This month, we will be collecting objects focused around Halloween and the traditions that surround it. Today’s post focuses on the black cat and how it came to be the Halloween symbol we know today. For further research and exploration, here are some saved searches on Halloween poetry, Halloween-centered literary criticism, and the late 19th […]