The Cat In The Medieval Era Essay

The cat had a lot of significance in the Medieval Era and it held a lot negative connotations with the people of the time. The cat at the time was usually thought of as a pet/helper for witches or they were thought to be witches themselves. So with that thinking people started killing and torturing cats thinking that they were getting rid of witches by doing so. The reasoning the people at the time had for torturing cats is that cats move from here to there and not domesticated and this was behaviors of witches and heretics. In the popular play Macbeth a familiar which took the form of a cat appeared to help the witches show Macbeth his future. This can be seen in this quote from Macbeth: “First Witch I come, graymalkin!” (1.1.10). The word …show more content…
The toad at the time was also thought of being a familiar for witches like the cat. The toad was thought to be the witches devoted magical animal and it was used to carry out all sorts of diabolical deeds. Toads were also believed to be used mainly as ingredients in witches magic remedies and brews. They were also used in charms and amulets used by witches and shamans.All of this can be seen in a quote from www.exploratorium.edu: “Toads were also commonly seen as evil spirits, or as the "imp" or "familiar" who accompanied witches, assisting them in their evil designs ... Toads were also popular as poisonous ingredients in potions. It was said that "the women-witches of ancient time which killed by poisoning, did much use toads in their confections.” Male witches were also purported to use toads for their poisonous magic”. In the play Macbeth a familiar which took the form of a toad appeared to help the witches show Macbeth his future. This part of Macbeth shows how people thought of toads at the time of the production. It shows how toads were supposedly used by witches to do their bidding as familiars and