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April 29, 2014 • 4:13 pm
Why Evolution is True is a blog written by Jerry Coyne, centered on evolution and biology but also dealing with diverse topics like politics, culture, and cats.
Why Evolution is True is a blog written by Jerry Coyne, centered on evolution and biology but also dealing with diverse topics like politics, culture, and cats.
It appears to come from Egyptian mythology. I’ll get back to you with more details.
Also, according to Wikipedia (which itself is not always a trustworthy source, but it’s certainly a place to start), sometimes the number IS different (not nine): “…in Italy, Germany, Greece and some Spanish-speaking regions they are said to have seven lives, while in Turkish and Arabic traditions the number of lives is six.”
1. According to petfinder.com, an Egyptian deity also known as “the nine” would sometimes take the form of a cat, thus connecting the number 9 to the concept of the cat: “The myth most likely originated from Egyptian gods and religions, where sun god Atum-Ra, one of the Ennead, or the Nine would assume the form of the cat when visiting the underworld.”
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2. The URL http://wonderopolis.org/wonder/do-cats-really-have-nine-lives/ has a slightly different, but kind of similar explanation: “For example, the ancient Egyptian sun god, Atum-Ra, was believed to take the form of a cat on visits to the underworld. Legend has it that Atum-Ra gave birth to eight other gods and thus represented nine lives in one.”
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3. The URL http://www.moggies.co.uk/html/9_lives.html puts these two points together: “…Nine, a trinity of trinities, is a mystical number often invoked in religion and folklore. The cat was once revered in Egypt, and this is probably where its nine lives began. The priesthood in On – known to the Greeks as Heliopolis and now a suburb of Cairo – worshipped Atum-Ra, a sun god who gave life to the gods of air, moisture, earth and sky, who, in turn, produced Osiris, Isis, Seth and Nephthys. These gods are collectively known as the Ennead, or the Nine. Atum-Ra, who took the form of a cat for visits to the underworld, embodied nine lives in one creator…”
I hope that helped.