Cats from Mythology and Legend Coloring Pages
Cats have been goddesses and guardians and good luck charms. Here are cats from myths and legends around the world, from the lioness goddesses of ancient Egypt to the lucky maneki neko of Japan.
Jump to: Egypt | Norse | Celtic | Maya and Aztec | Asia | Africa | Witches' Cats
Cats of Ancient Egypt
Bastet
Bastet protected homes and families and was one of the most loved goddesses in Egypt. Early pictures show her as a lioness but over time she became a gentler cat-headed goddess. Her temple city of Bubastis was home to thousands of cats.
Mafdet
Mafdet is one of Egypt's oldest goddesses. She protected people from snakes and scorpions, which is exactly the job real cats did around Egyptian homes and granaries.
Pakhet
Pakhet's name means "she who scratches." She was a lioness goddess of hunting who watched over the desert near Beni Hasan in Middle Egypt.
Sekhmet
Sekhmet was a fierce lioness goddess of war and healing. In one story she grew so angry that the other gods tricked her into drinking beer dyed red to look like blood. She fell asleep and the world was saved.
Norse Mythology
Freya's Cats
The Norse goddess Freya rode in a chariot pulled by two large cats. The old stories never name them. Bygul and Trjegul are names that were given to them much later.
Bygul and Trjegul coloring pages
Celtic Folklore
Cat Sìth
The Cat Sìth is a fairy cat from the Scottish Highlands. It's a large black cat with one white spot on its chest. People believed it could steal a soul before it reached the afterlife, so families kept watch over the dead with games and riddles to keep the cat away.
Maya and Aztec Mythology
Balam
Balam is the Maya word for jaguar. Jaguars hunt at night and swim and climb, so the Maya believed they could move between the world of the living and the underworld.
Tezcatlipoca
Tezcatlipoca was the Aztec god of the night sky. His name means "smoking mirror" and he could take the form of a jaguar, whose spotted coat was said to look like the stars.
Aztec mythology coloring pages
Cats from Asia
Maneki Neko
The maneki neko or "beckoning cat" sits in shop windows all over Japan with one paw raised. A raised left paw is said to invite customers and a raised right paw invites money.
Japanese mythology coloring pages
Dawon
The Hindu goddess Durga rides a lion or tiger into battle against demons. In Tibet her great cat is called Dawon.
Goumang
Goumang is the ancient Chinese god of spring and new growth. He was linked with the east and with farming.
African Folklore
Paka
Paka is the Swahili word for cat. Cats turn up in folktales along the coast of East Africa, sometimes as clever helpers and sometimes as creatures tied to magic.
African folklore coloring pages
Witches' Cats and Black Cat Folklore
Familiars
In old European folklore witches were said to have animal helpers called familiars. Cats were the most famous, which is one reason black cats became a symbol of Halloween.
Black Cats in Graveyards
Some old beliefs said black cats could cross between the world of the living and the spirit world. That made them the natural guardians of graveyards in spooky stories.