Hating Medieval Cats #3: Dominic’s Cat November 11, 2015
Author: Beach Combing | in : Medieval , trackback
Looking at medieval cat hating Beach came across this reference, from Etienne of Bourbon (again ran into the story in that wonderful book of Barillari, Protostoria della Strega, the translation though is not hers). We are no longer with the cat in a sabat. But this has to be one of the best demon descriptions of the middle ages. Enjoy!
Thinking of the horror of demons, of which I wrote before, I heard something from brother Romeo, a learned and religious man, who was once provincial prior of the preaching brothers [i.e. Dominicans] in Provence that can be found in the New Legendary of Saint Dominic. While the aforementioned priest was preaching at Fanjeaux [near Carcasonne, Cathar country] against heretics, and while he was in the church to pray, nine women came to him and threw themselves at his feet saying. ‘Servant of God, up until now we have believed those men against you preached [i.e. Cathars], who we called ‘Good men’ and as they still try and tempt us we would ask you to intercede with God so that he may show us in which faith what we should believe and by what we will be saved.’ Dominic prayed for some time and said to them: ‘Have no fear: God will show you who until now you have served.’ Then, in the middle of the women came a great and unbearably horrible cat, the size of a huge dog with great and flaming eyes, and with a great and long and bloody tongue that came down to its belly button [love this]. Its tail was short and was erect showing to all its posterior from which came a horrid stink. After having run backwards and forwards for an hour around the women, with a jump it ran up the rope of the bell tower, leaving its shit behind it. The women convinced by Dominc then converted entirely to the Catholic faith, and some of them became nuns at Prouille.
Item de horrore demonum, de quo supra, audiui a fratre Romeio, uiro perito et religioso, qui aliquando fuit prior prouincialis Fratrum Predicatorum in prouincia Prouincie, et in legenda noua beati Dominici legitur, quod, cum dictus sanctus predicasset apud Fanumiouis contra hereticos, cum esset in ecclesia orans, accesserunt ad eum nouem matrone, procidentes ad pedes eius et diœntes: ‘Serue Dei, illos homines contra quos predicas usque modo credidimus et uocauimis bonos homines’; et cum adhuc uacillemus, rogamus te ut Deum roges, ut ostendat nobis in qua fide saluemur, cui adhereamus.’ Tunc, cum aliquandiu apud se orasset, ait eis: ‘State intrepide; ostendet uobis Dominus cui domino actenus seruiuistis. Et hiis dictis, catus teterrimus in medio earum prosiliit, habens quantitatem unius magni canis, et oculos grosses et flamantes, et linguam latam et longam et sanguinolentam et protractam usque ad umbilicum, caudam curtam sursum protensam, [et] posteriorem turpitudinem, quocumque se uerteret, ostendebat ; de quibus fetor intolerabilis exhalabat. Cum autem per horam aliquam circa illas matronas huc illuc se uertisset, ad campanule cordam prosiliens ascendit, post se feda uestigia derelinquens. Ille autem, a sancto confortate, ad fidem catholicam perfecte sunt conuerse, et quedam earum apud Prulianum’ sororum habitum assumpserunt.
Beach should just end by noting that demons come in all shapes and sizes in the Middle Ages: Beach knows of dogs, caterpillars, worms, lizards, frogs, mice… So that a cat should become a demon is hardly surprising. Perhaps there is even a surprising lack of medieval cat demons? Maybe in the end dogs were scarier and lizards more disgusting… drbeachcombing AT yahoo DOT com
After thought. Interesting no colour given.
