So Spooky
Happy Final Spooky Animal Week!
I am going to go a little off script and instead of focusing on one species, I want to cover animals that are considered bad omens across the globe. Let’s dive right into the spooky!
Black Cats
We have all seen the void that is a photo of a black cat. Around the middle ages in Europe, black cats became really suspicious to the ye olde folk. With their inky fur, nocturnal habits, and glowing eyes, obviously these were the companions of the devil. Obviously. Here are the main omens of the black cat
If one crosses your path and you AREN’T harmed, then you are protected by the devil.
If one enters a sick person’s room and that person dies….the cat did it.
When one lives with an older woman…witch
And, black cats can become witches.
Photo Credit: CSA Images
Owls
I was unaware that owls were seen as bad omens till I was talking to my friend Iggy. I always associated them with wisdom and Tootsie Roll Pops, however they have a long history of not so nice things.
In ancient Greece and Rome, owls were omens of death, bad luck, and…you got it, being witches.
In Namibia, an owl hooting foretells illness or death. (Thanks Iggy)
In Appalachia owls are feared the most on October 31st aka Samhain night aka Halloween. This is because the vail between us and the spirit world is thinnest, and owls will hunt those spirits. Which is not too good for those spirits.
Several cultures around the world think that owls steal babies or their hooting mean the baby is doomed to have an unhappy life.
Credit: Medieval bat from Psalter, England
Bats
Bats obviously are one of the most common symbols of Halloween. They have ties to vampires, witches, the devil, you name something bad and there will probably be a bat somewhere. Here’s the top common superstitions about bats
WITCHES! because of course….also vampires and the devil
Obviously they are omens of bad luck, death, and on-occasion rabies
For some reason there’s a really common belief that bats really like to fly into women’s hair.
Bats are also symbols of death, rebirth, and in some instances facing your fear (looking at you Batman).
Illustration from Pierre Belon’s 1555 ornithology book
Scavengers
Hyenas are considered ill omens and death. Mostly they are shunned for being “both genders” (they aren’t) and being grave robbers.
Fossa in Madagascar are reviled as grave robbers who eat people’s ancestors, steal chickens (ok, guilty on that count), and are bad luck. There is also a belief that they can become invisible and steal babies.
Jackals and Coyotes are tricksters, bad omens, and as per usual….death
Crows and Ravens are bad omens, harbingers of death and illness, and a bird you just don’t want to see.
Illustration: Sidney Paget
Other Notable Spooks
Aye-Ayes are such feared signs of imminent bad luck and death they were to be killed on sight… so yeah. Luckily for the aye-aye they are now protected
Black dogs, think of the Grim from Harry Potter. There are also black dogs that roam cemeteries called the church grim, or even ties to hellhounds. Black dogs have such a bad reputation they have a statistically lower rate of adoption compared to every other color dog. It even has its own term, Black Dog Syndrome. So….when adopting, look at those sweet puppies.
Peacocks are spooky, but just for theatre people. Wearing peacock feathers on a costume is equivalent to saying “Good Luck” or the Scottish play in a theatre.
Surprisingly…from Home Depot
I didn’t want to go to far into some of these animals since I will be covering them in the future….also because I can only say bad omen, illness, death, and witched so many times. Well that’s it for now. I hope you enjoyed this special edition for the season. See you next week!!!
Have a Happy Halloween
