Black Cat Superstitions Trivia Quiz

Answer: The plague

A black cat crossing one's path in that lovely land can only mean bad luck if two conditions are present - if it crosses in moonlight, and if there's a plague in the vicinity. Should these two conditions be present, then it surely means death. Otherwise though, it doesn't say what happens at all. One presumes the people go on their merry way and get home safely.

It does, though, seem like a rather clever way of keeping people indoors and out of harm's way should a plague strike the local area.

Answer: He was arrested

King Charles I (1600-1649) was the monarch of England, Scotland and Ireland from 1625 until his execution in 1649. That was the consequence of his falling out with Parliament over their attempts to restrain him and his equally determined belief in his divine right to do as he jolly well pleased - and nary the twain did meet.

The royal head of Charles bid farewell to his body on the 30th January, 1649. While he lived, however, the king had a pet black cat that he valued greatly, so much so that he had guards protect it 24 hours a day. Whether this was out of love or superstition is unknown, but what is known is that the day after the little moggy finally died, the king was arrested, subsequently put on trial, and, disgracefully, executed.

Answer: They would have plenty of suitors

In medieval times in England, women had little opportunity in life to get ahead. Their choices were basically limited to getting married as quickly as possible before any looks faded, and, given the high rate of infant mortality at that time, produce as many children as possible so that at least some would survive. Peasant women that is.

These poor girls were married off at the average age of twelve. Wealthier women, and those springing from nobility usually married in their twenties - if at all. If there was no necessity to wed, they often didn't, for, if a woman married in that era, her money, land and other possessions, and even she herself, automatically became the property of her husband. Blow that for a joke. So many chose not to. However, if a girl, rich or poor, noble or peasant, grew up believing that marriage was the ultimate aim in life, there was no surer way of guaranteeing a troop of romantic swains coming a-knocking on her door than to keep a black cat in the house.

Answer: It was thought they protected the men at sea

Analysis of skeletal remains of ancient man reveal that fishing for consumption dates back at least 40,000 years, and of course as families began to gather together in groups, this skill improved through the ages, both for sustenance and, later, for trading purposes. It was hard work of course, and as boats grew more sophisticated in their design and ability over time, allowing for further trips away from land, extremely dangerous at times. It still is. I lived in an old coastal house down in Newcastle in New South Wales at one time that had a widow's walk (a small balcony) jutting out from its top floor. That was where the successive generations of fishermen's wives paced up and down looking out over the ocean, waiting for their husbands to return from the sea.

Obviously then, the best means of protection for the man of the house, apart from prayer, was to keep a black cat in the home. These animals were considered so valuable and so effective at keeping husbands and fathers safe, that they were often stolen by those who had lost their own cats and needed a hasty replacement.

Answer: Yes

Whereas North Americans believe that it is bad luck for a black cat to cross one's path, the Irish believe this means good luck. And whereas North Americans believe it is good luck if a white cat crosses their path, the Irish are positive this means bad luck.

As a HUGE percentage of the ten million people who left Ireland from the 1800s onwards to settle overseas headed to the United States, this mix-up probably happened on the international date line where they must have became disoriented. You've only got to see how it affected the side of the road they drive on over there as well, as proof of this, ladies and gentlemen.

Otherwise as soon as the Irish landed in North America and spotted all those white cats mooching around, and an accompanying dearth of black cats, they would have caught the next ship back to the land of the green.

Answer: They were human beings undergoing punishment

Druids were members of old Celtic cultures such as those associated with the ancient Welsh and Irish. Many are thought of today as being mainly priestly figures who led their people in strange pagan ceremonies involving nature, but they were far more than that.

The Druids held down other important positions in their societies as well. These included advising on legal issues, making rulings as judges on more serious issues, keeping the records and continuity of the ancient tales and folklore, acting as medical advisers, and holding down other positions involving the day to day running of their societies. And mixed right in there with all their more esoteric practices was the belief that black cats were really human beings who had been turned into those slightly menacing four legged creatures for some evil they had carried out in their human life forms.

Answer: Prosperity

Why is it, one wonders, that the Scots are always associated with either making or wanting money? It's a little insulting, and here we are even with black cat superstitions, that the money element has crept in once again - and their McMiaow superstition is associated with achieving prosperity.

They didn't even want to leave the security of the EU. Still, they probably half-starved to death for centuries with their ongoing wars with the British decimating the countryside, so perhaps it's a little understandable.

Answer: Lady Luck will smile upon them

At least they don't eat them there along with the legs of poor little frogs and unfortunate snails, so this French superstition regarding black cats seems harmless enough. Another superstition based around black pussies in this nation is that French peasants once believed they could find buried treasure if they took the following steps: They had to locate an intersection where any five roads met, and then, setting a black cat down in the middle, follow it as it wandered off supposedly to locate that buried wealth. Of course this superstition wouldn't work today, as plonking down a terrified, squirming cat in the middle of a very busy five road intersection would likely result in both you and the cat ending up buried instead.

Answer: They spread the news around town

Poor puss. Locked out the family room and unable to hear any catty gossip going on. This was because at one stage in Europe, when black cats seem to feature in many superstitions of the time, the Dutch believed that, if a cat was allowed into any room in which a family discussion was underway, it would absorb everything being talked about, and then slink outside and wander around the town, spreading it far and wide among the other townspeople.

Answer: Put your hat on backwards

Just remember to straighten it up when you arrive at your destination or you'll look like a right dill if you're in a uniform. Just to make extra sure to ward off any bad luck by the black fur ball running across in front of your car, also mark a big X on your windshield.

Not while you're driving though, or hat on backwards or not, you'll probably have an accident. To reverse the bad luck caused by a black cat crossing while you're out walking, first walk around in a circle, and then walk backwards across the spot where it happened and count to thirteen. Good luck will happen though if you are given a black cat, touch a black cat, have one meet you as you enter a house, or meet three black cats in succession.