Wellington Black
black cats and napoleon?
I heard that black cats are lucky in England and unlucky in France, as Napoleon and Wellington both saw one before the battle of Waterloo in which the french lost and the english one. Therefore they bring luck to the English and badluck to the French. Does anyone know any more about this?
The legend to which you refer does exist, but it has little basis in fact.
Long before Waterloo, Napoleon suffered from aelurophobia, phobic fear of cats. Moreover, the history of myths and legends regarding black cats in England and France, indeed in Europe predates Waterloo by centuries.
For example, in the Middle Ages, black cats were thought to be the devil. On Easter and Shrove Tuesday during the Middle Ages, black cats were routinely hunted down and burned. Cats accused of being witches’ familiars were generally burned alive. It was also believed that if a cat were to jump over a dead body, the corpse would become a vampire. In order to reverse this process, the cat had to be killed.
During the rise of the Christian religion in Europe, the church decided that witchcraft was evil. And since the church attributed cats to witches, cats were thereby deemed evil by proxy. Also, since felines are primarily nocturnal and are unbelievable stalkers – allowing them to sneak around during the night – made humans extremely paranoid. So, being associated with the darkness of night, unfortunately didn’t help their image since the color “black” has always been associated with evil – due to our ancestor’s misinterpreted fear of the night.
In all Europe, barring most of Ireland and the UK, a black cat crossing the way is considered ominous. In other European countries there are several superstitions related to black cats. For example, according to an ancient Italian folklore, if a black cat lay on a patient’s bed, he may not live long.
Although black cats have not always fared well in English and Irish culture, there are positive superstitions. For example, well before Wellington fought Napoleon, the wives of fishermen on the Yorkshire coast believed that their menfolk would return safely if a black cat were kept in the house. Indeed, black cats were once treated like royalty in the homes of English sailors, who believed that keeping them happy would ensure fair weather when they went to sea. A black cat in the audience on opening night was thought to portend a successful play. “Whenever the cat of the house is black, the lasses of lovers will have no lack” is a common English proverb.
And in France? In the south of France, black cats are referred to as “matagots” or “magician cats,” and according to local superstition, they bring good luck to owners who feed them well and treat them with respect. Also in France, it is believed that if you find one white hair on a black cat, Lady Luck will smile upon you.
There are many myths, legends and superstitions relating to black cats. They neither began with nor were significantly popularized by the outcome of the battle of Waterloo or the experiences that Napoleon or Wellington had before that battle.
WELLINGTON BLACK NO RAUL GIL
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