But we do know that the final domestication of cats, started in the days when Vikings were roaming the Earth. This is the exact opposite of what scientists expected as, in all other cases, domestication has made animals smaller. The Norse god Freya (Freyja) drove a chariot pulled by two cats. The role cats play in the volva's work in this account is unspecified but it is thought that the objects she carried and items of apparel she wore all had mystical significance. The account Davidson references is from the Eyrbyggja Saga and concerns a famine in Greenland. 0. Norse mythology had it that Freya rode on a chariot pulled by two cats. Even so, it is clear that cats were skinned and used for clothing at the same time that they were considered pets and important working animals who controlled the rodent population. In most of the stories, they were almost feared by the people but there were some stories where they brought good fortune to the people. We didn’t grab them and put them in cages and breed them until they behaved. But in genetic terms, they’re actually not all that different. The DNA evidence points to two separate migrations happening from the East. From sifting through dozens of bags of archaeological remains, from sites all across Denmark, researcher Julie Bitz-Thorsen found that modern domestic cats in Denmark are on average 16% larger than their Viking-era counterparts. In Norse mythology, the godess Freyja is pulled by two cats. This is hardly surprising since, according to Adam of Bremen (c. 1050 - c. 1085 CE), dogs were among the sacrifices at the Temple of Uppsala in Sweden dedicated to Odin, Thor, and Freyr, the fertility god and brother of Freyja. The prevailing theory is that humans didn’t actually domesticate cats, at least initially, like they did with dogs. Although we know a little from observations made by Tacitus and Caesar, most of what we know of Norse mythology comes from Christian times, beginning with the Prose Edda of Snorri Sturluson (c.1179-1241). One of the preeminent goddesses in the Norse mythology … Just hit the social sharing button for the perfect pin. The genetic differences between domestic cats and wildcats are very small. Brown bear cubs would be taken when young and raised by the people of a home to be fully domesticated. Thank you! Although it may be hard to imagine a Viking chief bringing his favorite dog or cat along on a raid, recent genetic studies point to precisely such a scenario as it is now thought that Vikings transported cats and dogs on their raids on foreign shores and that these were kept as both working animals and pets in Norse households. Yes, indeed! They had long, tough laces with large tin knobs on the ends. Freyr: The God of Fertility. We’ll start at the beginning by looking into the mythology. Reluctantly, after much persuasion, he does so at which point the cat is transformed into a princess who had been turned into a cat by the troll. Polar bears were also domesticated and scholar Sveinbjorn Rafnsson notes how Norse settlements in Iceland and Greenland were able to export exotic valuables to Europe, including the polar bear (Sawyer, 132). Large fines were levied on people who allowed their house bear to get loose and damage someone else's property (Viking Answer Lady, 10). The Viking fortress at Nonnebakken, in Odense, is well known from Norse mythology. [Trevor H()nderson]! The main evidence we have for cats sailing with Vikings comes from Greenland and Canada. The spirit of a plant that appears in Norse mythology. Treating cats well guaranteed similar treatment of a human by the goddess. Cats in Norse mythology Norse mythology is the ancient mythology of the North Germanic and Scandinavian people. We know the Ancient Egyptians loved and revered cats and we see a lot of feline iconography in Egyptian mythology. Maybe Leif Erikson was the one to introduce Felis catus to North America. Norse Gods Norse Mythology. Dogs were companions as well as working animals, and farmers who could afford it would keep both hunting and herd dogs. These in turn are descended from a single subspecies, the Near Eastern wildcat, Felis sylvestris lybica. Her gloves were catskin with white fur inside. Goddess Freya drove a chariot pulled by two cats. The Goddess Freya. There may be a few different reasons for this. She is also one of the most sensual and passionate goddesses in Norse mythology. Aug 6, 2017 - Cats pulling a flying chariot? (2019, January 18). Historians are still trying to piece together exactly how cats came to conquer the globe from their early beginnings in the Middle East. Frey and Freya are brother and sister gods in Norse mythology. The best-known dog from Norse mythology is Garm (also given as Garmr), who, according to mythologist Snorri Sturluson (1179-1241 CE), guarded the gates of the afterlife realm of Hel. And because cat owners tend to have more cats than dog owners have dogs, there are actually more domestic cats than dogs in the country! Pinterest. Related Content She predicts that the famine will end soon and also that Gudrid would go on to lead a distinguished life (which she did, traveling to Iceland, North America, and finally Rome). In Norse everyday life, cats were an important aspect of the household who controlled rats and mice and were also carried aboard Viking ships. Obtenez des photos d'actualité haute résolution de qualité sur Getty Images Wildcats are very different from the cats we keep as pets. We don’t know exactly when cats reached Scandinavia. The cat was the sacred animal of the Norse goddess Freyja. They went back out to the lake called Amsvartnir, and sailed to the island Lyngvi, and lured Fenrir with them. Yes, indeed! So, how did these fierce but shy hunters become the beloved fluffballs that we know today? Green Three Headed Dragon. In Norse mythology, Freyja (/ ˈ f r eɪ ə /; Old Norse for "(the) Lady") is a goddess associated with love, beauty, fertility, sex, war, gold, and seiðr.Freyja is the owner of the necklace Brísingamen, rides a chariot pulled by two cats, is accompanied by the boar Hildisvíni, and possesses a cloak of falcon feathers. The majority of these Old Norse texts were produced in Iceland. Dogs were not only honored through mythological and spiritual connections, however, but were an important part of everyday life in Scandinavia. The more dogs one had, the greater one's show of wealth and success. More information... People also love these ideas. Cats were raised here to keep the vermin under control and to be companions. There are also numerous instances of birds in mythology that serve symbolic purposes. There’s a small amount of evidence that they were in the area during the iron age, around 200 B.C.E. Ancient History Encyclopedia Foundation is a non-profit organization. Commonly, if a dark cat appears out of the blue, it means something bad is about to happen. When Thor could only lift one paw, the cat was revealed to be the Jormungandr – the mighty serpent that encircles Midgard. So, we have cats and humans chilling out together in the Fertile Crescent of the Near and Middle East. The association of cats with Freyja in her role as goddess of luck and chance, able to tell the future and shape one's destiny, has to do with the nature of the cat itself: it was considered as unpredictable as life itself. Cite This Work Rather, cats domesticated themselves. H.R. Our Runa is a Norwegian Forest Cat. Ellis Davidson writes: The link between cats and the goddess [Freyja] has not been satisfactorily explained, but the gloves made of cat-skin, white and furry inside, mentioned in the Greenland account, suggests that cats were among the animal spirits which would aid the volva on her supernatural journey. Cat Mythology Fact #2: This sacred animal was so important to the Egyptian society and the side of its head. Instead, it’s likely that the contact with humans allowed cats to grow larger by making food much less scarce and removing the need to spend a lot of energy on hunting. Even though cats were sacred to Freyja, or at least favored by her, they were sacrificed in rituals and their fur used in lining gloves and other apparel but, at the same time, it was considered bad luck to kill a cat. Discover (and save!) Mar 31, 2019 - WOOD CARVED PORTRAIT FREYA. Web. . We’ll start at the beginning by looking into the mythology. Usually illustrated as a strong man with … The association of cats with Freyja has to do with the nature of the cat itself: it was considered as unpredictable as life itself. We don’t know, of course, why this happened. This small, tawny-coloured member of the wildcat family still stalks the desert areas of the Middle East today. Dogs had collars which sometimes identified them or their owners and leashes and leads were used as they are today. Words of Norway tells the stories of Norway to the world, and helps Norwegian companies do the same. I wonder what they did with the cat pelts.