BLACK CATS for GOOD LUCK

Black cats were renowned for their superior detection of evil forces from Classical Antiquity through the Medieval era. To the ancient Romans, black cats alerted households to danger. And in ancient Egypt, they repelled evil, often associated with the deity Bastet.

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One account from Eastern Gaul describes a woman who ignored a black cat's presence by a forest path. Townsfolk found her days later, possessed and raging in tongues. In 1327, a black cat was seen pacing outside a village just before a suspected warlock was apprehended. 

This specific color of cat marks dangerous territories to lead humans from peril, so they linger in places where people are apt to injure themselves, or where an individual might fall under a curse, dark spell, or possession.

 

Among their duties to ward off evil, black cats naturally linger around people who practice arcane arts. This made the breed useful in leading some towns to witches living amongst them. This resulted in witches being eradicated, often by burning or drowning, with the black cats rewarded for these holy deeds.

 

In some regions, witch communities valued black cats. Witches would spread rumors in towns that black cats were evil omens who brought misfortune. This caused the public to evade these cats and thus fail to discover the spellcasters. Witches could practice with relative safety, free to test spells on the population.

 

Consider asking community members, or research your local folklore, to see if black cats are described as protectors or deliverers of evil. The latter should question who started such stories, and for what motives. If people are taught to avoid the black cat, there may be areas some do not want people to find. What is in those areas? It may be worthwhile to find out. And if one is living in a region where the black cat is sought to protect against evil, then what evils are lurking nearby?