為什么黑貓預(yù)示著厄運(yùn)？

Everyone knows that when a black cat crosses your path bad luck is sure to follow, but have you ever wondered how black cats got their dark reputation? Is it simply due to the color of their coat, or something more sinister?

所有人都知道當(dāng)一只黑貓經(jīng)過(guò)你的身邊，厄運(yùn)隨后就會(huì)到，但你是否想過(guò)為什么黑貓會(huì)得到如此的壞名聲呢?是否只是單單因?yàn)樗拿?又或者是什么其他更不祥的原因呢?

Thousands of years ago, cats of all colors enjoyed the good life in ancient Egypt, where killing a cat came with a swift death sentence. A few millennia later, Christianity spread throughout Europe by overthrowing local pagan customs and traditions. This meant vilifying pagan symbols such as the Roman goddess Diana, as well as the cat -- which became a pagan symbol thanks to its link to earlier gods and goddesses

數(shù)千年前，所有毛色的貓?jiān)诠虐＜岸枷硎苤虧?rùn)的生活，在這里殺死一只貓是會(huì)立刻被判死刑。幾千年后，基督教傳播至整個(gè)歐洲，他們推翻了當(dāng)?shù)氐姆腔浇痰牧?xí)俗和傳統(tǒng)。這意味著他們會(huì)誹謗中傷非基督教的象征，比如說(shuō)羅馬的月亮女神狄安娜，還有成為異教徒象征的貓，因?yàn)樗鼈冊(cè)谠缙诤蜕裣嚓P(guān)聯(lián)。

In 1233 AD, Pope Gregory IX put the final nail in the black cat coffin when he declared black cats to be an incarnation of the devil himself. Eager to prove their devotion, Christians began to round up black cats and burn them alive at village festivals to punish them for their devilish ways . It got so bad that by the 14th century, cats were nearly extinct in some parts of Europe.

在公元1233年，教皇格里高利九世宣稱黑貓是惡魔的化身，這讓黑貓永無(wú)翻身之日。渴望證明自己忠誠(chéng)的基督徒們開(kāi)始在鄉(xiāng)村的節(jié)日上圍捕黑貓然后活活將它們燒死來(lái)懲罰它們的魔鬼之道。事情變得很糟糕，以至于在14世紀(jì)的歐洲某些地方，貓幾乎已經(jīng)滅絕了。

Over the next few centuries, the idea that black cats were in league with the devil naturally led to a link between black cats and witches. Black cats, according to superstition, were believed to be witches in disguise. Others claimed that a black cat could eventually become a witch himself after serving as a witch's familiar for seven years . By the time of the famous witch trials of the 16th and 17th centuries, simply owning a black cat was enough to get a "witch" condemned to death

在接下來(lái)的幾個(gè)世紀(jì)中，黑貓和魔鬼為伍這一概念自然導(dǎo)致它們和女巫產(chǎn)生了聯(lián)系。根據(jù)迷信觀念，人們認(rèn)為黑貓是女巫的偽裝。另外一些人則聲稱黑貓?jiān)谧鳛橹两皇谭钆?年后最終也會(huì)變成一個(gè)女巫。在16世紀(jì)和17世紀(jì)著名的女巫審判的那段時(shí)間里，僅僅是擁有一只黑貓就足以“女巫罪”判處死刑。

Ironically enough, the black cat superstition lingers to this day, and has proven to bring nothing but bad luck for the black cats themselves. In a 2013 study at Colorado State University, researchers found that it takes four to six days longer for black shelter cats to be adopted than cats of any other color. This spells bad news for black cats, as around 70 percent of shelter cats are eventually euthanized. While researchers can't say for sure why black cats are less attractive to potential pet owners, the myths surrounding black cats and bad luck could potentially play a role

諷刺的是，黑貓的迷信延續(xù)至今，而且可以證明的是黑貓除了會(huì)給自己帶來(lái)霉運(yùn)以外根本啥也帶不來(lái)。在科羅拉多州立大學(xué)2013年的一項(xiàng)研究中，研究人員們發(fā)現(xiàn)在動(dòng)物收容所里的黑貓要比其他毛色的貓多花4到6天的時(shí)間才能找到領(lǐng)養(yǎng)人。這對(duì)黑貓來(lái)說(shuō)是個(gè)壞消息，因?yàn)樵谑杖菟锎蠹s70%的貓最終都會(huì)被實(shí)施安樂(lè)死。雖然研究人員們無(wú)法確定黑貓對(duì)于想要養(yǎng)貓的人來(lái)說(shuō)缺乏吸引力的原因，但是圍繞著黑貓的傳說(shuō)和厄運(yùn)可能是潛在地原因。