Why is the cat a sacred being in ancient Greek culture?

Anyone who knows African culture should know that cats are a sacred existence in ancient Greek culture, but few people know that the prototype of the cat in ancient Greek mythology is the serval cat. To be precise, the serval is an African lynx, the ancestor of modern domestic cats. The ancient Egyptians have always believed that cats can communicate directly with God, and there are even relevant records in the murals of the Pharaoh's tombs in Egypt.

It is recorded above that cats were god-like existences in ancient Egypt. Among the oldest Egyptian myths, there is a lion-headed female war goddess named Best. After the evolution of the times, she became a modern goddess. Eventually, at the height of ancient Egyptian rule, he gradually transformed into a god representing the moon. How high is the status of cats in Egypt? According to cultural relics from before 2100, Best appeared as a wild cat at that time, and later gradually transformed into the image of a magical cat. Originally, there was no decoration on the top of Best's head. After a period of time, a crown appeared on its statue.

It can be said that the Egyptians believed in the cat god from birth to death. For example, newlyweds would make a cat amulet made of blue or green glazed pottery. Wearing several kitten amulets around her neck represents the number of children she hopes to have. These families also make some bronze cats and place them as decorations in their homes or temples. After a person died, the Egyptians would make a kitten carved from ivory as a burial object. Legend has it that cats will protect the souls of the dead and reach the underworld safely, and they are the patron saint of the dead. In addition, Bast can be seen in many scenes. Bast is one of the most important gods in Egypt.

The reason why cats had such a high status in ancient Egypt stems from their ability to hunt dangerous species such as scorpions, poisonous snakes, and rats. In ancient times, food was common people's destiny, those who destroyed food were pests, and those who protected food fields were beneficial animals. It is obvious that the serval cat helped the ancient Egyptian people drive away snakes, insects, rats, ants and other extremely harmful creatures. Therefore, the people regarded the serval cat as a god and built a large number of statues, stone tablets and pictures, which became a pivotal figure in the history of ancient Egypt. one of the creatures.

With the development of economic, cultural and political globalization, Serval cat culture has gradually spread to all parts of the world. The serval cat has leopard-like patterns on its body and has the aura of a king. Therefore, it is loved by many rich people and celebrities. For a period of time, it even became the royal pet of the British royal family and was the object of comparison among many powerful people.

This has also increased its value. The initial price reached 60,000 US dollars, equivalent to 400,000 yuan. At the same time, serval cats are still pets that can only be kept by leaders of large tribes in South Africa and West Africa. Due to the difficulty of catching and the small number, truly purebred serval cats can be sold for hundreds of thousands of dollars today.

The King of Brunei Sultan Haji is one of the lovers of serval cats. He even built a 4,000-square-meter zoo specifically for serval cats. Now the price of serval cats has basically remained at around 300,000 yuan. It is not easy to raise a serval cat. As the ancestor of cats, serval cats must eat pure meat, unlike cats and dogs that can be fed by eating dog food and cat food. A lot of meat is needed to feed them, otherwise hungry serval cats will attack humans.