Lesser-known facts about the father of modern science
Pope Gregory IX is believed to have perpetuated the myth of the black cat as a demonic half human, half feline creature when he initiated his infamous 1233 papal inquisition—the Vox in Rama—against Luciferianism, or devil worship, in northwestern Germany. In it, black cats were declared an incarnation of Satan.
The serpent in the Garden of Eden is popularly equated with the devil. Satan entered a snake for the purpose of deceiving Eve, and ever since the creatures have been associated with the devil as a symbol of evil power.
Their mysterious nocturnal nature has long associated owls as the messengers of sorcerers. In Christian symbolism, the owl stands for the devil and is considered an evil omen. The bird makes a regular appearance in several works by Dutch painter Hieronymus Bosch (c. 1450–1516), created during a time where the devil was seen as a real and present danger to any person.
During the Middle Ages, Christianity linked ravens with Satan, death, misfortune, and solitude. In 1845, American writer Edgar Allen Poe published his acclaimed narrative poem 'The Raven,' noted for its supernatural and mythological atmosphere. In England, the ravens of the Tower of London number six resident birds. A superstition holds that "if the Tower of London ravens are lost or fly away, the Crown will fall and Britain with it."
The association between bats and the devil was forged long ago. Medieval Christian Europe saw bats as the incarnation of evil spirits. More recently, an African-American folk legend relates that the devil may appear as a bat. The bat as a harbinger of death was sealed forever after the publication of Bram Stoker's 1897 novel 'Dracula,' and even today the flying mammal remains allied with nasty blood-sucking creatures after the discovery of the vampire bat in Central and South America.
In Greek mythology, the fearsome Minotaur was a monster of Crete that had the body of a man and the head of a bull. Though not born evil, it lived on human flesh and eventually became a threat to Greek society.
In the occult, a spider is a symbol of evil and darkness. Instilling a deep sense of dread in many people, arachnids very likely gained reputations as symbols of evil from the 1842 novella 'The Black Spider' by Jeremias Gotthelf, where old legends are spun into a Christian-humanist allegory about ideas of good and evil.
Like its cousin the raven, the crow has in the past been damned for its association with the devil. Sighting one was seen as a bad omen. A well-known artwork by the 17th-century Ethiopian scribe Zämänfäs Qeddus depicts Satan flying away like a crow when Euphemia shows him a picture of St. Michael.
These large rodents have traditionally been associated with malaise and misfortune. Infamously blamed for spreading plague in the 14th century (though contemporary studies now ascribe human fleas and body lice as the principal vectors), the rat's reputation as a vicious, unclean, and parasitic animal remains, as does its notoriety as an embodiment of evil.
Their taste for carrion has not done the vulture any favors. A bird immediately allied with death and decay, these huge birds of prey are also associated with warfare, gathering as they do to feed on the corpses of the slain.
As early as antiquity, horns and hooves were intrinsically linked with devil worship and satanic goings-on. Pan, half goat and half man, was a lusty Greek god of nature whose carnal appetites made him easy to associate with the forbidden. Later, spiraling goat horns and cloven hooves became synonymous with sin and wrong-doing.
One of nature's more repulsive-looking creatures, the toad in medieval times was regarded as a disciple of the devil who spat poison and fire. The amphibian was used as an instrument of torture to extract confessions, such was their fearsome reputation.
Its name alone can send shivers down the backs of lesser mortals. But the satanic leaf-tailed gecko is harmless, its demonic etymology based on it being described as "mythical" by Belgian naturalist George Albert Boulenger in 1888.
Sources: (National Geographic) (BBC) (History)
While the the fox is depicted usually as a cunning trickster, the animal is rarely regarded as evil. But it can't be trusted. However, their mastery at evading hunters has garnered this bushy-tailed mammal a grudging respect from its foes.
Throughout Africa the hyena has been vilified for its cunning and trickery, rather like the European fox. But in Europe during the Middle Ages, bestiary texts adopted the hyena as a symbol for the devil's dark deeds.
Early Christians perceived the pig as a vile, rude creature, a symbol of the sins of the flesh, and in particular as an expression of gluttony. While not necessarily evil, being labeled such an animal was never going to be a good omen.
Despite being possessed of a melodic song, its mere color suggested to many that the blackbird was related to witches, mystics, and magic. In the book of Leviticus, the blackbird is mentioned as a symbol of sin and evil.
There's a species of this predatory arachnid known as the devil scorpion—which doesn't help the reputation of this heavily armed but surprisingly graceful creature as a dangerous nuisance. Its notoriety is further underlined by the fact that an announcement or decision made with a sting in the tail contains a critical and unpleasant part, normally at the end.
In the Bible, flies represent everything bad. Some teachings suggest that flies were descendants of the devil. The insects' liking for decomposing matter hasn't helped its unwholesome reputation.
In ancient Egypt, the wolf was seen as the guardian of the underworld. In Europe during the Dark Ages, witches were closely associated with these canines, their mournful howl spreading fear across rural communities. The legend of the werewolf originally sprang from Greek mythology, but was later firmly rooted in a spate of mysterious serial killings that took place in France and Germany in the 15th century— grisly murders that spawned the werewolf legend.
Frogs, like toads, are included in Satanism and black magic rituals. In the Book of Revelation, frogs are depicted as "unclean spirits of demons" (Rev. 16: 13-14).
It's said that when a rooster crows at night, the annoying shriek symbolizes death or imminent danger.
The Bible makes references to "sluggard" or lazy behavior. Black slugs are synonymous with evil, death, and bad karma, and are considered a sign of bad luck.
Generally considered to be a sign of decay and death, maggots also represent corruption of the soul, mortality, and evil.
While not a manifestation of evil as such, a pale horse as a representation of Death appears in the Bible and associated literature.
Some animals by their very name and appearance are unfairly associated with evil. The thorny devil, for example, is a lizard endemic to Australia, and far from being dangerous is an important totemic animal of the Australian Aboriginal people.
And while horns and hooves were representative in days gone by of devils and demons, this beetle species with its exceptionally long antennae is rooted in Greek mythology: after an argument with nymphs, the shepherd Cerambus was transformed into a large beetle with horns, hence the insect's scientific name, Cerambycidae.
In some cultures, the devil is believed to take the form of a cockroach. Its presence in any household is seen as threatening, especially their ability to contaminate food with their waste and saliva.
Far from being man's best friend, the dog has been associated with the devil's pets—an animal linked with death. The dog of the Bible was a sort of wandering wolf, and the wolf in the story of 'Little Red Riding Hood' is cunning and shrewd, a voracious enemy who attacks and devours.
There are some animals that, despite being perfectly harmless and innocent of any wrongdoing, are forever associated with evil. These are creatures that some cultures and religions depict as being symbolic of Satan. They are nature's villains, misrepresented and demonized for their appearance and behavior—victims of our own prejudice and superstition. But what beasts are we so afraid of, and why?
Click through and get to know the devil's pets.
These animals are associated with the devil
Animals considered as a symbols of Satan
LIFESTYLE Culture
There are some animals that, despite being perfectly harmless and innocent of any wrongdoing, are forever associated with evil. These are creatures that some cultures and religions depict as being symbolic of Satan. They are nature's villains, misrepresented and demonized for their appearance and behavior—victims of our own prejudice and superstition. But what beasts are we so afraid of, and why?
Click through and get to know the devil's pets.