We have two fun features for you this Friday. First up is
Words with Webster, in which he shares some information about a mysterious type
of cat. This is followed by Friendly Fill-Ins.
Words with Webster
Hi, everyone! I’m Real Cat Webster, here to welcome you to
Words with Me. Today’s word is really interesting, and one that I never heard
of until recently. It’s Irusan, and
it means “King of the Cats” in Celtic folklore.
According to Godchecker.com,
Irusan was about the size of a cow (big kitty!) and lived in a cave near Knowth on the River Boyne
in Ireland, where there is a UNESCO World Heritage Site because of all the burial
mounds and prehistoric art. I couldn’t find anything about a big cat in the art
though. I did have fun exploring the Brú na Bóinne website.
They have some pictures that are pretty cool to look at, even if they aren’t
cats.
 |
| Scary-looking cat from the 1894 book More English Fairy Tales, by J. Jacobs, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons. |
Back to Irusan. The stories about him are kind of hard to
keep straight because there are so many. One story from Ireland claims that the
King of Cats might be your very own house cat. To find out, you just cut off a
little piece of the cat’s ear (ouch!), and if he is actually Irusan, he will speak to
you, telling you who he is, and also telling you some things you’d rather not know
about yourself (cats notice things, you know).
In another story, which has versions from England and
Scotland, a man returns home after being away for an unexpectedly long time one
day, and he tells his family of the bizarre adventure he had. I am shortening
the story a little, but basically he says that he came upon a strange
funeral—one in which the coffin was carried by cats. Other cats carried
torches, and in their light the man could make out a cross and a scepter marked
on the coffin. At this point, the family’s cat, who had been lying nearby
listening to the tale, jumps up saying, “By Jove! Old Peter’s dead, and I’m the
King of the Cats!” The cat then rushes up the chimney and is never seen again.
(Sources: “Irusan,” God Checker, updated August 10, 2014. http://www.godchecker.com/pantheon/celtic-mythology.php?deity=IRUSAN;
“The King of the Cats,” Death of an Underground Person, translated or edited by
D. L. Ashliman, http://www.pitt.edu/~dash/type6070b.html#wildecat;
“The King of the Cats,” Wikipedia, updated November 7, 2016.)
Friendly Fill-Ins
And now it’s time for Friendly
Fill-Ins, from 15andmeowing and McGuffy’s Reader. They are a fun way to learn a little bit about the authors of
the blogs you read. The first two questions, answered by Real Cat Paisley this
week, are from Ellen of 15andmeowing, and the next two, answered by old SoLT,
are from Annie of McGuffy’s Reader.
1. My idea of roughing it is having an empty food dish.
Sometimes I get hungry in the middle part of the day, but there is no food in
my dish. It is awful.
2. I never get sick of talking about how horrible it is that
the dog eats some of my food sometimes every day (see #1 above).
3. My youth is mostly a blur, and getting blurrier every
day!
4. My "golden years" is a concept that worries
me, because I have several health issues that will probably be catching up with
me by then.
That King of Cats story is obvious fiction - the cat would come back when he was hungry.
ReplyDeleteI love these answers. *ha* We keep the cat bowls up where the dogs cannot get at them...or they would. *sigh*
ReplyDeleteKeep track of those health issues, now, while you still can. HUGS!
Hahaha. Yep. Bear's idea of roughing it is an empty food bowl (for him, this means less than 96.45% full)!
ReplyDeleteWhat a concept to think of our cats talking! It is probably best they can't, I imagine they'd say a lot of things we didn't want to hear. LOL
ReplyDeleteI'd never heard of Irusan before...those are some cool stories! Paisley, Mudpie always leaves some food in her bowl so come on over! No competition here either :)
ReplyDeletePetra prefers to eat food out of the pitcher we use to fill her bowl with. We have no idea why. She freaks when the pitcher gets low. Have a good weekend.
ReplyDeleteI love the story of Irusan! We never like empty food bowls either.
ReplyDeleteThose are very interesting stories. I wouldn't dream of cutting off any kitty part to see if it would talk. I'd just have to keep wondering. :)
ReplyDeleteI hope that your health issues will be a thing of the past and play no part in your golden years. May those days be many and happy and healthy!
Have a blessed weekend. :)
Thank you for participating in the fill-ins, you both have good answers. I am sorry you have health problems though, I hope they don't cause you many problems as you age. Very interesting story too.
ReplyDelete