Cats and other animals in sermons

Bernardino Busti, Rosarium Sermonum (Strasbourg, 1496), Sermon 16, 313.

Aliquam creaturam posse realiter transmutari in aliam speciem, puta in gattas, vel huiusmodi hoc enim est haereticum … apparente vero potuit fieri virtute daemonum.

Translation: A certain creature could really metamorhose into other species, like in cats, and in every way this is heretic … it is just the virtue of demons than can make it [the metamorhosis] seem real.

Context: Busti speaks of those witches who believe to be capable of turning into cats, following an old and long-lasting popular belief. The cat is the symbol of the devil.

Bernardino of Siena, Ciclo Senese 1425, ed. C. Cannarozzi, (Florence: 1958), sermon 38, 169 - 70.

El dimonio fa parere a quella mala femmina che ella diventi gatta e vada stregonando, ma ella si sta nel letto suo. Illusioni del dimonio per ingannare altrui!

Translation: The devil makes it seem to the evil woman that she metamorphoses into a cat and that she goes around bewitching, but in reality she remains in her bed. These are the devil’s illusions to deceive people!

Context: Busti speaks of those witches who believe to be capable of turning into cats, following an old and long-lasting popular belief. The cat is the symbol of the devil.

Luca from Bitonto, Sermones "Narraverunt Mihi", Sermon 68, f. 294 [1]

Sicut aquila provocat ad volandum pullos suos et super eos volitans. In hac autoritate tria querenda sunt, scilicet quare dominus aquile comparetur.

Translation: In the behaviour of the eagle that exhorts its eaglets to fly while it flyes along with them, it can be seen the behaviour of our Lord.

Context: Through a metaphor Luca from Bitonto shows how animal behaviours might symbolize Christian moral habits

Luca from Bitonto, Sermones "Narraverunt Mihi", Sermon 37, f. 150 [2]

Item debemus converti sicut pullus perdicis ad genitricem suam

Translation: Item debemus converti sicut pullus perdicis ad genitricem suam

Context: Through a metaphor Luca from Bitonto shows how animal behaviours might symbolize Christian moral habits

Luca from Bitonto, Sermones "Narraverunt Mihi", Sermon 52, f. 219 [3]

Pisces maris qui perambulant semitas maris. Sunt curiosi qui in profundo huius seculi temporalia, et propter fluenciam pertinaci studio querunt

Translation: Fishes swim in the depths of the sea like eager men go looking for insatiable secular goods in the depths of earthly life

Context: See above. Moreover, the fish has an old christian significance symbolizing the faithful, and water as the element in which the fishes live has a strong baptismal significance, as we read in Tertuallian

Bernardino of Siena, Prediche volgari sul Campo di Siena 1427. ed Carlo Delcorno, (Milano: Rusconi, 1989), 1010.

Elli so stati di quelli che hanno già veduta la gatta quando va a fare queste cose; e tali so stati tanto preveduti, che hanno auto qualche cosa in mano e arandellato a quella gatta, e talvolta l'hanno gionta. E di quelle so' state, che hanno riceuta tal percossa, che hanno rotta la gamba. E a chi credi che sia rimasa la percossa? Pure a la femina indiavolata, non al diavolo.

Translation: There are those who said they saw a female cat when he (the Devil) went to do these things; and some have even taken preventive action against it by throwing whatever they had in their hand at this cat, even managing to strike it. And there are some of these cats that, being struck, got their leg broken. And who do you think ended up with a broken leg? Not the Devil, but the possessed woman.

Context: Bernardino refers to the belief of women's metamorphosis into cats (symbols of the devil) reporting this story.

James of the Marches, Sermo 27, Semones Dominicales, ed. by Renato Lioi (Falconara Marittima: Biblioteca Francescana, 1978), 421

Dum portabatur ad baptismum [filium] gactus magnus et niger recepit illum a manibus portantis et portavit ad infernum. Potestis ergo considerare quantum diplicet summo Deo per artem dyabolicam velle acquirere filios.

Translation: Thus the son is taken to the baptism and a big black cat take him and bring him to hell. From this it is possible to consider how much it minds to God willing to obtain sons through diabolic art.

Context: The cat is here clearly a metaphor of the devil to condemn those who used magical means with the hope of obtaining babies

Johann Hartlieb, Buch aller verbotenen Kunst, Unglaubens und der Zauberei,

excerpted in Joseph Hansen, Quellen und Untersuchungen zur Geschichte des hexenwahns und der Hexenverfolgung im Mittelalter (Bonn: Carl Georgi, 1901), 130 - 31, in Franco Mormando, The Preacher's Demons (Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 1999), 55.

Es was in dem sechsten jar als bapst Martin gesetzt was, da studn uf zu Rom ain ungelaub, das etliche weib und man sich verwandelten in katzen und totten gar vil kinder zu Rom

Translation: It was in the sixth year of Pope Martin that an unbelievable thing happened in Rome, namely, that a certain woman and man turned themselves into cats, and killed very many children in Rome.

Context: Again, the chronicler refers here to the belief in the metamorphosis of the witches

Johann Chraft, Continuatio of the Chronica pontificum et imperatorum romanorum of Andrea Ratisbonensis,

in Johann Georg Eckhart, Corpus Historicum Medii Aevii (Leipzig: Jo. Frid. Gleditschii), I, 2159, in Franco Mormando, The Preacher's Demons (Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 1999), 55.

Hujus temporibus murilegus sive cattus quidam Romae multos infantes in cunis jacentes, dum a nutricibus non bene custodiebantur, nacta oportunitate interfeciebat … et tunc per vestigia sanguinis, et vulnus illatum, compertum fuit, illum cattum esse unam vetulam.

Translation: In that time a certain feline or cat in Rome had been killing many babies lying in their cribs, seizing the opportunity when they were not being properly watched by their nurses … it was subsequently discovered, thanks to the traces of the blood and the presence of the wound, that this cat was an old woman.

Context: see above

Bernardino of Siena, Seraphim 1443, sermo 27, 173 v.

Et dicebat quod capiebant formam gatarum, et non est verum quod stant tales in domo sua

Translation: And (the witch) said they metamorphosed into cats, but this is untrue since they (the witches) remain at their homes

Context: Bernardino shows here some scepticism about that belief

Bernardino of Siena, Seraphim 1443, sermo 27, 173 v.

Dyabolus dat sibi soporem profondum et dat sibi illusiones quod videtur quod capiant forma gate et vadant faxinando pueros

Translation: It is the devil to give to the witches a profound sleep and give them the illusion of metamorphosing into cats and going to kill children

Context: see above

Bernardino of Siena, Seraphim 1443, sermo 27, 173 v.

Et dyabolus capit formam gate et vadit ad cunabula pueri et sugit puero unam venam

Translation: The devil keeps the form of a cat and goes to the cradles of children and suck them through a vein

Context: Still speaking of the same cultural stereotype

Le registre d'Inquisition de Jacques Fournier, éveque de Pamiers (1318 - 1325), ed. J. Duvernoy, Toulouse 1965, II, 69.

Frater Gaufridus inquisitor Carcassonne qui mortuus fuit, nullus eum vidit morientem; et in crastinum quando iverunt ad lectum ejus, in quo mortuus jacebat, invenerunt duos catos nigros, unum ad unam spondam lecti et alium ad aliam, qui cati, ut dixit, erant maligni spiritus qui dicto inquisitori solacium faciebant.

Translation: Friar Gaufrid, inquisitor at Carcasson, died alone and the following day when they went to his bed on which he lied dead, they found two black cats one at one side of the bed and the second at the other, and those two cats were evil spirits which had consoled that inquisitor.

Context: The black cat is the symbol of devil, very appropriate here for Gaufrid who is considered an evil man

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Contributor: Fabrizio Conti