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Yet not all cultures saw darkness in the color black. In ancient Egypt, cats of every shade were considered sacred, but black cats held special significance. The goddess Bastet — the protector of women, fertility, and home — was often depicted with the head of a black cat. Families who owned them were believed to be under Bastet’s protection. In that world, to harm a cat, especially a black one, was an offense worthy of death. Egyptians believed that if a black cat chose to approach you, it was a sign of divine favor.
In parts of the United Kingdom, especially Scotland, a black cat appearing at your doorstep is seen as a sign of wealth to come. In England, brides once received black kittens as wedding gifts to bless their marriages. But move just a few miles away into old English folklore, and the belief flips: there, a black cat crossing your path from left to right might mean bad luck, while the same cat moving the other way brings good fortune.
The contradictions themselves are fascinating — proof that the symbolism of black cats reveals more about human psychology than about the animals themselves. We project onto them whatever we most believe in — fear, hope, or magic.
Still, even the most rational among us can’t fully dismiss the feeling that lingers when a black cat stops, locks eyes with you, and stays. Something about that gaze feels older than logic. In folklore, eyes are the windows to the soul, and black cats, with their golden, moonlike irises, seem to see more than they should. That’s part of what keeps the myth alive — that quiet exchange of curiosity between species, when time seems to pause.
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