- Sep 27, 2023
- 6 min read
Updated: Jan 10
Feline Divinity
Written by Misa
Virtual Photography by Misa
The cat. These enigmatic animals have been living alongside humans for thousands of years. This beloved animal that is often aloof has won over many of our hearts within those thousands of years and ended up ruling our homes. It was discovered in 2004, on the island of Cyprus that the first coexistence of humans and cats in a 9,000-year-old archaeological site (Nova, Cat Tales, 2020). That cat was of the subspecies of Felis Silvestris.
When civilization was in its early days about 10,000 years ago, the cat came into our lives at the time of the discovery of farming in the Fertile Crescent. How? It was because of rodents, the cat’s favorite prey. The rodents would eat the harvested grains, then the cat would come to hunt. Easy pickings for the cats.
Then cats were rewarded with edible human scraps, which formed a partnership between cats and humans. Fast forward to about 4,000 years ago, the relationship between cats and humans would change.
In the country of Egypt, humans would begin to worship the cat. The pantheon of the Ancient Egyptian gods is made up of gods that are hybrids of humans and animals; animal heads with human bodies.
This included the local fauna of the region: lions, crocodiles, jackals, and even cats.
The cat goddess, Bastet was one of those in the Egyptian pantheon of gods. She also shares the role of the lioness goddess, Sekhmet.
Whether or not the two are one in the same remains to be seen. However, there were other cat deities such as Mafdet, and Mut at times was depicted as a cat, or will a cat. At any rate, Bastet had developed a cult following around 500-600 BC.
Her role (and the cats) was crucial because Bastet was the daughter of Ra, Egypt’s most prominent god. Like Athena being the daughter of Zeus in Greece, Bastet held great importance in the Egyptian religion and culture. These cat deities seemed to represent “justice, fertility, love, and power”. Sekhmet and Bastet were also known to be the protector of the pharaoh.
If one ever takes notice of the ancient Egyptian artwork of cats, one will notice that they tend to be depicted as killing snakes. The snake usually tends to be Apophis, or Apep; known as the “Soul Devourer” in Assassin’s Creed: Origins.
Since cats can and will kill snakes in real life, the depiction in the paintings makes a lot of sense. In a religious sense, however, it is just that more impactful. Cats, being seen as benevolent creatures, thus earned their status in the Egyptian pantheon and Egyptian society. To further explain this, to the Egyptians, a cat killing a snake “meant that the sun god Ra was killing the evil snake Apophis". Although the cat acted on instinct, the Egyptians saw it as the gods protecting them and their homes.
When playing Assassin’s Creed: Origins, there is a city that players may stumble upon called, Ogdamos. The city looks like most cities within the game, but something is missing in the city. When exploring, the players may notice that there is a lack of human bodies or just humans in general. Instead, the players are greeted by the sight of cats. Cats all over the place. It is known as a “refuge for various cats”. Whether or not this place existed remains to be seen. However, this is a nice homage to the significance of the cat within Ancient Egyptian society. They had their little city. It is a nice place for the player to go to and to get plenty of photo opportunities with the cats; and to pet them, of course.
However, there was a downside to this godship. It is no secret that the Egyptians would sacrifice animals that were linked to particular gods to attract their attention in the afterlife. The cat was no exception, unfortunately. It is theorized that catteries were scattered throughout Egypt at the time. Since “the demand was so high, they bred hundreds and thousands of them”. But due to this high demand of cats for sacrifice was so great, something else came out of it: Orange Tabby cats.
Did you ever wonder how and when the orange tabby came about? You can thank the Egyptians for that. Due to the intensive breeding of cats, this genetic mutation came about. Orange tabbies, or Ginger kitties seem ordinary to us now, but to the Egyptians, they were holy.
The ginger kitty was “favored because it brought out the idea of the sun god, Ra”, and is in the many paintings of cats around Egypt. Even the Vikings would come to favor these cats centuries later.
Eventually, the cat (orange tabbies included) would conquer the world via catteries and trade similar to how the Vikings would conquer the world. Religious meanings aside, there was another reason why the Vikings favored cats, and it is the most obvious: pest control.
Like many traders, the Egyptians and even the earlier citizens of ancient civilizations favored cats because they controlled the rat and mouse populations. This was the same for the Vikings when it came to not just their farms but their ships as well.
The Egyptians and the Vikings shared a mutual love for cats. Even with centuries between the two cultures, the love for cats and divine status was equal. The Vikings also associated cats with their pantheon of gods. However, the cats were companions to the Vanir goddess, Freya/Freyja.
It is said that her chariot is pulled by her cats, Bygul and Trjeul. Due to their connection with the goddess, cats were highly praised and sought after. So much so that it is believed that cats were given as wedding gifts to newlyweds. This was to gain Freya’s favor for the couple to have children and a happy marriage (seeing as Freya was the goddess of fertility and the like).
The love for cats is shown in Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla in a few ways. The first way is (Potential spoilers for those who have not played the game) when the player— as Eivor— visits Asgard there are some golden statues of cats around, an ode to their symbolism to Freya.
The second is one of the many mysteries in Grantebridgescire, England called The Doom Book of Cats. This is a side quest that you can find in the early part of your England adventures. A farmer is dealing with a mass outbreak of rodents on his farm and his neighbor— who happens to be a cat lady— has cats locked away in her home. After talking with her with your leveled-up charisma, you can convince her to release her cats into the fields. Once that is done, the farmer is happy and relieved to have some pest control.
Thirdly, while settling into Ravensthrope in England, the player adopts a white cat into the settlement. This cat, Nali, then becomes an honorary member of your crew. It’s not likely that you’ll have rodents on your ship, but the luck of Freya doesn’t hurt.
Lastly, in the Siege of Paris DLC, there is an achievement called Pat the Cats. This requires the player to pet every single cat in the Evreux city of France. It was a must for all players to get.
To conclude, cats were more than just a house pets to the Egyptians. They were both pest control and divine protectors of the home. Cats were special to Egyptian society and the people. This sort of status in our relationship with cats has made us think a certain way about our feline friends. It might have, perhaps, given them a bit of an ego boost. Or maybe, it is just in their nature to be as they are: aloof and independent. Perhaps even both? Regardless, cats have made their mark in human history.
From godly worship to house pets; the cat is here to stay. So, next time you decide to play Origins and Valhalla, make sure when you see a cat, or if you have a cat of your own, pet them.
And for fun here is some of our teams cats ❤️
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References:
“Cat Tales.” YouTube, PBS, 29 Nov. 2022, Cat Tales | Full Documentary | NOVA | PBS
“Cats in Ancient Egypt.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 19 Sept. 2023,
Wiki, Contributors to Assassin’s Creed. “Ogdamos.” Assassin’s Creed Wiki, Fandom, Inc.,
https://assassinscreed.fandom.com/wiki/Ogdamos#:~:text=Ogdamos%20was%20a%20small%20abandoned,of%20refuge%20for%20various%20cats.