Souls, Black Cats, and the Devil

In the Middle Ages, the cat came to be predominantly endowed with the power of the devil.

Some women, it was said, had the power to put their souls into black cats.

These were witches, dedicated not any more to the light powers but to the dark powers, to the devil.

The Catholic dissociation from the instincts, sexuality and generally speaking from the feminine natural element, probably has much to do with this development of the cat as a destructive, instinctual feminine symbol.

In fact, the black cat may be seen as the shadow side of the Virgin Mary, a projected unconscious desire for revenge against the Church.

So we see, very schematically, how the polarity of the cat archetype was established.

The cat is closely linked with consciousness and all creative processes. The sexual orgies of Bastet were believed to increase vegetable, animal and human fertility.

On the other hand, the black cat’s orgies, practiced on moonless nights, were virtually sterility rites. Intercourse with the devil, who often took the form of a cat, bore no fruit, produced hail, rain and storms, destruction of crops, death of animals and sterility or impotence in humans.

The white cat was a healer and a nurse.

She destroyed poison, counteracted irritation and strengthened people’s powers of recuperation.

Her tail was widely used to cure blindness and, generally speaking, the cat’s power appeared to be located in the tail which is also believed to be an organ of balance.

On the other hand, the black witch cat poisoned people’s minds, infected their bodies with disease and inflicted them with blindness.

The devil used the tail of his incarnation to bewitch people and bind them to his will.

In folklore and fairy tales, the white cat is the liberator of the oppressed, and helper of impoverished or underprivileged young men.

It uses its cunning and resourcefulness to overthrow the powers of darkness and brings wealth, power and honor.

The black cat is often an omen of misfortune, bringing poverty and frustration. It oppresses and tortures.

It is a traitor and a thief.

The solar cat, the light of the world, is to be seen at the foot of Christ, while the demonic cat sits at the foot of Judas.

On the positive side, the cat is associated, like the serpent, with immortality. It curls up in a circle and is said to possess nine lives.

On the negative side, it suggests the “vicious circle.”

Because of its unblinking eyes, and due to the fact that it sees in the dark, the cat is also a seer.

It possesses foresight and insight.

On the negative side, the cat’s eyes suggest the power of fascination.

They can paralyze their victims.

Because of its independence and freedom, the cat has been linked to the Virgin, but also, as we have seen, to the witch.

The cat is a healer and a servant to men; it protects their houses and crops from rodents and snakes, and has also been seen as a curser, a bewitcher and a vampire.

The Cat: A Tale of Feminine Redemption

Marie Louise von Franz

Pages 55-57