The Mystery of a Cat’s Nine Lives
Ever wondered where the saying ‘a cat always has nine lives’ comes from? Well, to find the roots of this age old saying you have to do some serious delving into the murky past…
In Greek mythology, nine represents the trinity of all trinities. It is a mystic number throughout tradition and folklore. Atum-Ra, the Greek god of the sun is said to have given life to nine gods. These gods were collectively named Ennead – or Nine.
Atum-Ra then took the form of a cat and manifested its soul in each of the nine gods. When these gods were attacked by an evil power they survived because the incarnation of the sun god had instilled in them many lives. The ancient Greeks began to worship cats and believed that cats too had nine lives like the gods.
In AD962, it is said that Baldwin III, Count of Ypres, threw some cats from the top of his tower. To his amazement they survived without a bruise nine times and luckily for the cats, Baldwin decided to leave them well alone!
To this day the resilience of the cat fascinates and inspires people and the myth of the cat and its nine lives endures.
Some things I've noticed