Funeral director Richard Parson was remodeling his house when he found something surprising in the walls: a 400-year-old mummified cat that might have been placed in the walls to ward off evil spirits.
"Apparently 400 years ago people put cats behind walls to ward off witches. It clearly works as, since we have lived in the village, we have not seen sight or sound of any witches."
Mr Parson said neighbours have told him the cat was previously found behind the wall 20 years ago, but was put back by another resident. He added: "There has been a local myth, a legend, that there was a cat buried in the house but of course we had no idea where that was. We were also told about a child's boot left in the house because it was once used as a cobblers', and was supposed to bring luck.
"I am not a superstitious man but the cat is a little bit of village history and adds charm to the property."
Link (Photo: APEX)
Interesting story, but I don't think I'd shove a dead cat back in the wall. I guess it's a tradition of a sort.
:-(
Oh I wouldn't put it past... wait a minute, whats that scratching sound. Dear god! He's in the house and he's trying to kill me! Lucy, board up the doors and get my shotgun!
Spooky in fact...! Some years ago and not far from that place more towards Modbury I once saw a cropcircle. ...Perhaps that also was a doing of The Cat...?
"Animal venom is natural. Doesn’t mean you should go out looking to be snake-bitten, or collecting tissue that has gone necrotic from a brown-recluse’s bite."
Yep, but it also doesn't mean that you just go out killing these stupid snakes because they could harm you.
"A lot of past practices were stupid at best, and superstitious nonsense at worst."
Okay, I can go along with that one.
"Reacting in any other way than respectfully and carefully interring it and sterilizing the area where it was found is barbaric, not to mention stupid."
Why barbaric...?
So if you find -burial- rituals of past civilisations in the USA that don't fit your Christian? modern ways, you just discard of them and you just sweep aside any objections to your actions from anyone that honours these practices from his or her forefathers because you think they behave barbaric and stupid...?
If how you think would be the correct way, lots of historic stuff in Europe and elsewhere and in the USA should be cleaned up pretty fast because they are relics from stupid barbaric times and actions and nowadays they are looked after with great care.
Wel... I hope you are not how the majority thinks. I think I begin to understand why Native Americans partly have so much problems with the way modern white folks treat the historic artifacts of those Natives...!
And please, Ben B. do not call all Arabs morons- They do not all suppress women, or ride camels and shoot AK47's at infidels.