Superstitious people sometimes considered cats to be dangerous, especially for babies. It was believed that a cat could steal a baby's breath, and cause its death. A common superstition was that if a cat got into a baby's bed, it would lie on the baby and suffocate it. It is possible that these two beliefs were linked. Cats and their association with magic and the occult- particularly black cats often feature in superstitions for curing illnesses. Some of the beliefs included :
- Styes could be cured by stroking the affected eye with the end of a cat's tail.
- A small amount of cat's blood, usually from the ear or tail, would cure erysipelas (an acute skin infection that produced shaking, fever, headaches, and vomiting), ringworm, and shingles.
- A person raving with fever could be calmed and cured by simply casting or passing a cat over him or her.
- In an extremely unpleasant ritual for a relatively minor ailment, a cure for a swollen knee was to kill a cat, split it lengthwise and, while it was still warm, bind it around the affected knee.
No comments:
Post a Comment