NT02 Celtic Cats

The early Celts were a people profoundly connected with the turning of the seasons, the natural world, and the creatures they encountered there. The beasts of the field and forests, the birds in the air and the fishes in the oceans and rivers were all significant to the Celts, not only in terms of basic survival, but also for their highly developed spiritual life and. It’s not surprising that the depiction of the nature became an intrinsic part of the complex designs of Celtic art. An unknown ninth-century Irish monk wrote a poem about his cat, Pangur Ban, that we still read and appreciate today:
I and Pangur Ban my cat,
’Tis a like task we are at:
Hunting mice is his delight,
Hunting words I sit all night.
Medieval monks prized cats not only because they warred against mice to protect food stores, but also because they prevented mice from nibbling on the manuscripts the monks labored to create. The occasional inky paw print on a page was less destructive. They often can be found drawn in the borders of illuminated books.