On this Slavic Saturday I can officially announce that the first draft of Book 1 in my Slavic fantasy series has been completed. I’m super excited to share more about that soon, but right now, I want to focus on an animal that plays a role both in modern society and Slavic folklore—the cat. While I wasn’t initially planning this topic for this Saturday, my wife and I adopted a cat this past week, so I thought it would be a fun and appropriate topic.
(June 2021 Updated) Note: If you enjoy Slavic mythology, check out A Dagger in the Winds, the first book in my Slavic fantasy series called The Frostmarked Chronicles. You can also join my monthly newsletter for updates and free novellas (such as the prequel, The Rider in the Night) set in the world of the series.
*As always just a quick disclaimer. Slavic mythology is broad and not written in many if any primary sources, so there’s a variety of interpretations. The interpretations I’m using here are from the sources I’ve found to be reliable (especially Slavorum for this article) and as well as some creative freedom for my book series.
Whether it be in the house or out of it, cats believe themselves to be independent and in charge. That’s no different in Slavic folklore.
To the early Slavs, cats were powerful animals in the fight against evil spirits. They were believed to be attached to Weles, the god of the lowlands, underworld, and cattle. That attachment added to their independent spirit and power against the spirits, and it was a major reason cats were admired by the early Slavs.
Though cats were powerful, they likely drove the spirits away not for the sake of their owners but because they wanted to protect their house. Cats were seen to care little for their masters, but they did care about their house, and when their family tried to take them from it, there are many stories of the cat finding its way back to its original home.
The sayings of a cat having nine lives were also prevalent in Slavic societies. This especially makes sense because they could appear and disappear quickly with their independence, and when one thought their cat dead, they would have a knack of reappearing, very much alive. The owners missed the cat. But the feeling wasn’t mutual. There was one exception to the rule, though. Cats did love small children, and they would protect them as much as they could with their cleverness.
Because of the people’s love for cats, there was a harsh punishment for killing one. Any person who harmed a cat would have seven years of bad luck, likely due to it and the other cats not keeping the evil spirits from the person who did them harm.
So, if you’re adopting a cat or have a cat during this period when so many of us are trapped inside, remember to thank them for the hard work they do protecting your house. Whether they care about you or not, our furry little friends will always be signals of independence and grace (sometimes), and life would be much less fun without them.
That’s all for this week’s Slavic Saturday. Be sure to keep a lookout for more posts next week, and if you haven’t seen the full series of posts, be sure to check them out.
Your kitty looks like your sweater. I almost missed her. We have three cats. a black tabby named Moonlight, an orange Persian tiger named Taupe and a black and white cat named Lightning. They are all 11 years old now. I look forward to readying your new series!!