Many of us begin and end our day with prayers to god. Gods differ from religion to religion. Some of these are said to be in human form, some others are in the form or animals and plants and few more have no form as such. In India, it is common to find people worshiping nature and also animals like cows, snakes etc. But did you know that even the pets we have in our houses are also considered to be gods? We may not worship them but a lot of other people in various parts of the world do pray to them.
Dogs have been a part of various religions around the world. They are considered to be sacred in certain beliefs and defiled in few other beliefs. Nevertheless, they occupied a prominent position in some religions as sometimes, they too were buried after death. Some of the references to dogs in ancient religion and mythology are as follows-
1. Dogs in Egyptian Mythology
• Anubis

Anubis was an ancient Egyptian god of the underworld who guided and protected the spirits of the dead. He was generally depicted as a black jackal-headed man, or as a black jackal. Ancient Egyptians associated their dogs with this god and therefore they even buried some of their domestic dogs as sacred animals in the Anubieion catacombs at Saqqara.
• Set
Set was a storm god associated with strange and frightening events such as eclipses, thunderstorms and earthquakes. His divine dominions include storms, deserts, darkness, foreigners, and chaos. He is represented as having the body of a man but the head of an animal that is not sure to be a dog or a jackal or some other species that went extinct.
• Wepwawet
His name means “opener of the roads”. He was said to lead the deceased through the underworld and guard over them on their perilous journey. But he was also thought to act as a scout for the army, “opening a path” to allow them to proceed. Some scholars argue that he was a wolf and others argue that he was either a jackal or a dog. He is said to be a dog because of these animals being good fighters and path finders.

Canines have been associated with death and after life because they were usually found lurking around the ancient Egyptian graveyards. But this might have been because the embalming process in mummification of dead bodies, included materials whose different scents attracted these animals which have a strong sense of smell.

2. Ancient Aztec mythology
• Xolotl
Often depicted as a skeleton, a dog-headed man, or a monster animal with reversed feet, Xolotl was the Aztec god of lightning and fire, sickness and deformities. He was said to guard the sun on its nightly journey through the underworld. In some myths, he also aided the dead in their journey to the afterlife. The name of a real species of dog is inspired by him. Xoloitzcuintli is the official name of the Mexican Hairless Dog.

3. Ancient Greek mythology
• Cerberus or Kerberos

Known to be the loyal watch dog of Hades, Cerberus had three heads of dogs, the tail of a dragon, and on his back the heads of all sorts of snakes. He guarded the gates of the underworld. He was a fierce, flesh eating hell hound that would not let the living enter the land of the dead. Even the gods feared him but he was overpowered by the mighty Hercules who kidnapped him and brought him to the world of the living.

4. Ancient Norse mythology
• Fenrir

Fenrir is the son of the demoniac god Loki and a giantess, Angerboda. The gods feared the strength of Fenrir and thus they tricked him and chained him with a magical chain. It is said that he will remain chained until the day of Ragnarok (doomsday), when he will break free and kill the chief god, Odin. Later Odin’s son will avenge his father’s death by killing Fenrir.
Norse mythology also makes references to Garmr, a blood stained watch dog that guards Hel’s gates. He too, is associated with the Ragnarok.
5. Ancient Mesopotamia
• Bau
The godess of healing, Bau was a dog headed patron deity of the ancient Babylonia “bow wow”. In her cult, dogs were given a lot of importance. They were used in oaths and were sometimes referred to as divinities. There is a temple in Isin, Mesopotamia, named é-ur-gi7-ra which translates as “dog house”. More than 30 dog burials, numerous dog sculptures, and dog drawings were discovered when the area around this Ninisina temple was excavated.

6. Zoroastrianism
The Parsis consider dogs to be exceptionally important beings. It is even written in their sacred books that dogs must be taken care of and treated just as humans would be treated. A dog’s gaze is said to be purifying and one that drives away demons. The Chinwad Bridge to Heaven is said to be guarded by dogs in Zoroastrian scripture. Thus the dog is regarded as an especially beneficent, clean and righteous creature.

7. Hinduism
In the North-East of India, Hindus worship dogs as a part of the Tihar festival. They are said to guard the gates of heaven and hell and people believe that kindness to dogs paves the way to heaven. A dog is the amount of the god Bhairava.

Although in the religions mentioned above, the dog is believed to have a divine authority, there are quite a few religions around the world that look down upon dogs. In Islam and Judaism, dogs are regarded as ritually unclean scavengers. But in most other religions they are revered. In Persian mythology, two four-eyed dogs guard the Chinvat Bridge. In Philippine mythology, Kimat who is the pet of Tadaklan, god of thunder, is responsible for lightning. In Welsh mythology, Annwn which is the other world of paradise is guarded by the canine, Cŵn Annwn. In Christianity, dogs represent faithfulness. In Asian countries such as China, Korea, and Japan, dogs are viewed as kind protectors. The dog is one of the 12 animals honored in Chinese astrology. The second day of the Chinese New Year is considered to be the birthday of all dogs and Chinese people often take care to be kind to dogs on that day.

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Cats have always been associated with spirituality and the supernatural. In some places they may be considered to bring bad luck. But mostly, they are revered all around the world. It is a common misconception that only the ancient Egyptians worshiped cats. The truth is that there are many cultures in different places, that give the cat the position of a deity. These are some of them
1. Egyptian Mythology
The goddess having a human body and the head of a cat, Bastet was the protector of the people. Initially, she was depicted as having the head of a lion because she was supposedly fierce. But later on as her role softened, she got the head of a cat. She was the keeper of hearth and home, protector of women’s secrets, guardian against evil spirits and disease, and the goddess of cats. In her temple, cats received great importance. The Greek historian, Herodotus, described her temple as one to please the eyes. Mau, also a god of cats, was her male counterpart.

2. Norse Mythology
The goddess Freyja was the deity of love, fertility, war, wealth, divination and magic. She would ride around in a chariot that was driven by two giant grey cats. Farmers would leave offerings for the cats so that they would be blessed with a good harvest.

3. Chinese Mythology
Li Shou was a goddess who was depicted in the form of a cat. She was worshipped by farmers because they wanted her to protect the crops from being eaten by rats and mice. She warded off evil spirits at night. Other beliefs in China mention that the gods had appointed cats to supervise their creation. Apparently, they were even granted the gift of speech but since they did not make use of it, this gift was then given to the humans. Even today, it is believed in China that one can tell the time by looking into a cat’s eye.

4. Polish Mythology
Ovinnik was a spirit of barns. He took the form of a black cat with fiery eyes and with the bark of a dog. He protected barns from danger if their owners would offer gifts to him. However, if they forgot to appreciate him then he would burn down their barns. He was worshipped by many farming families because he watched over domestic animals and chased away evil-natured ghosts and mischievous fairies.

5. Siamese Mythology
It was believed that when Siamese kings passed away, their spirits would go into Siamese cats so that they could be present at the coronation of the new king. These cats would be a part of the royal family and would be treated royally. Another belief is that the Korat breed of cat is responsible for rain. Thus the farmers would involve these cats in their rituals to pray for rainfall.

6. Japanese Mythology

The Beckoning Cat or Maneki Neko, is worshipped in Japan. The story of this cat is as follows – Long ago, this cat stood in the door of the Gotoku-ji temple and raised her paw in the traditional Japanese beckoning gesture to an Emperor or a Feudal Lord who was passing by. Intrigued by this, the man went inside the temple, towards the cat. Moments later, a bolt of lightning struck the spot where he had been standing previously. Thus the cat saved his life and was accorded great honors. Since then, the maneki neko is considered to be the goddess of mercy. She is the protector of homes and also brings success in business.

7. Persian Mythology
In Islam, cats are revered and are regarded as ritually clean. Ancient Persians believed that cats were created magically. Apparently, the great Persian hero, Rustum, once saved a magician from a band of thieves. As a token of his gratitude, the magician created a cat and gifted it to Rustum. It is also believed that the Prophet Muhammed loved cats. Legend says that the ‘M’ design on the forehead of a cat was formed when the prophet blessed his cat by keeping his hand on its forehead. In another story, the prophet wanted to go to pray but he did not want to disturb his cat, Meuzza, which was sleeping on his arm. Therefore he cut his sleeve from his garment and let the cat sleep. The prophet also condemned the killing of cats.

8. Others

In parts of Europe, a cat decorated with ribbons was released in the field after harvest-time to appease the gods. The Peruvian fertility god Ai Apaec could assume the form of a tomcat. The Roman goddess Diana sometimes wore the form of a cat. Aradia is the goddess of cats and is often considered as the Italian counterpart of Bast. Ceridwen, the Welsh goddess of wisdom was attended by white cats that carried out her orders on Earth. Greek mythology tells of how the goddess Hecate assumed the form of a cat in order to escape the monster Typhon. Afterwards, she extended special treatment to all cats. Christians, too, are kind towards cats because of the legend that says that a cat protected baby Jesus while he was being chased by rodents and snakes. Thus Mother Mary blessed the cat and kept her hand on its forehead, which is why it has the design of ‘M’.

There are these and many more legends of cats. But this post would not be enough to mention all of them. In most of the cases, cats started to be worshipped because they would rid the people’s houses of rodents. Even now they are of great help to us. Doesn’t this make you think highly of your cat?

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