Post by Rhonda on Aug 13, 2007 3:40:48 GMT -5
Interesting!
Every tabby proudly carries the Mark of Tabby, that magical,
mysterious, magnificent "M", like a diadem on marking that it has
generated a variety of fanciful legends as to it's origin.
In the language of Ancient Egypt, where the populace revered the small
creatures so recently metamorphosed from elusive African Wildcat to
pampered denizen of the temple, one of the words for "cat" was "mau"
(or maou). Derived partly from the cat's distinctive vocalization,
"mau" was the Egyptian word for "seeing" or "light". The cats eyes,
glowing in the dark with the reflection from the tapetum lucidum, were
so changable they came to be associated with the sky's own mysterious
light, the moon. So from the earliest days of the human-cat
relationship, the "M" was thought to represent mau, fancifully, the
meow of the moon.
As cats spread through the ancient Mediterranean world new
interpretations arose. In the early Christian era, the tabby's "m"
engendered a charming folktale associated with the original Christmas
story. As the legend goes, after Mary gave birth to Jesus, the tiny
newborn cried and shivered in the chill of the primitive stable. Mary
begged the stable animals for help, but they were all too large to fit
into the manger where the infant lay. Then, slipping from the shadows,
a small gray striped cat climbed into the manger and snuggled softly
next to the baby, warming and calming him. In gratitude, Mary stroked
the cat's forehead, leaving the perpetual legacy of her esteem in the
form of her initial....the "M".
The Islamic world likewise created it's own tabby tales. The prophet
Mohammed was a famous lover of cats. According to legend, Mohammed
bequeathed cats the ability to always land on their feet. And the
Koran holds that dogs are unclean, while cats are the essence of
purity. Cats were traditionally honored guests in the mosque, and
feeding them was considered an act of piety. Thus, the tabby "M" both
honors the memory of Mohammed himself and serves as a symbol of the
Prophet's esteem for the whole feline tribe.
Taken from: That Mysterious "M" by Wendy Christensen, In Tabbies
Vol.2, 1998-1999, Published by Cat Fancy
Every tabby proudly carries the Mark of Tabby, that magical,
mysterious, magnificent "M", like a diadem on marking that it has
generated a variety of fanciful legends as to it's origin.
In the language of Ancient Egypt, where the populace revered the small
creatures so recently metamorphosed from elusive African Wildcat to
pampered denizen of the temple, one of the words for "cat" was "mau"
(or maou). Derived partly from the cat's distinctive vocalization,
"mau" was the Egyptian word for "seeing" or "light". The cats eyes,
glowing in the dark with the reflection from the tapetum lucidum, were
so changable they came to be associated with the sky's own mysterious
light, the moon. So from the earliest days of the human-cat
relationship, the "M" was thought to represent mau, fancifully, the
meow of the moon.
As cats spread through the ancient Mediterranean world new
interpretations arose. In the early Christian era, the tabby's "m"
engendered a charming folktale associated with the original Christmas
story. As the legend goes, after Mary gave birth to Jesus, the tiny
newborn cried and shivered in the chill of the primitive stable. Mary
begged the stable animals for help, but they were all too large to fit
into the manger where the infant lay. Then, slipping from the shadows,
a small gray striped cat climbed into the manger and snuggled softly
next to the baby, warming and calming him. In gratitude, Mary stroked
the cat's forehead, leaving the perpetual legacy of her esteem in the
form of her initial....the "M".
The Islamic world likewise created it's own tabby tales. The prophet
Mohammed was a famous lover of cats. According to legend, Mohammed
bequeathed cats the ability to always land on their feet. And the
Koran holds that dogs are unclean, while cats are the essence of
purity. Cats were traditionally honored guests in the mosque, and
feeding them was considered an act of piety. Thus, the tabby "M" both
honors the memory of Mohammed himself and serves as a symbol of the
Prophet's esteem for the whole feline tribe.
Taken from: That Mysterious "M" by Wendy Christensen, In Tabbies
Vol.2, 1998-1999, Published by Cat Fancy