Cats in Mythology Around the World
Egypt gets the headlines, but nearly every mythology has a cat in it somewhere — pulling chariots, guarding thresholds, or shapeshifting at the edge of the story.
Norse: Freya's chariot
The goddess Freya rode a chariot drawn by two large cats, gifted by Thor. Cats in Norse households were treated well partly for her sake.
Celtic: the Cat Sìth
A large black cat with a white chest that could steal souls from the dead before burial — hence wakes with games and distraction to keep it away.
Chinese: Li Shou
A cat deity said to have been offered control of the world and to have handed it to humans instead, preferring naps — which explains a great deal.
Islamic tradition: Muezza
The Prophet Muhammad's beloved cat; a well-known tradition holds he cut his sleeve rather than disturb her sleep.
In the game
BAST: Nine Lives takes this history literally: you play the black cat of the temple, racing three Heralds to the anchor-shrines while the serpent Apep — the same chaos-serpent the great cat kills in the Book of the Dead — strains at his chains beneath the sand.
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