Legends of the Siamese Cat

Black Manx and Royal Siamese

Artist: W. Luker Jr.

I have a Siamese cat who thinks the universe revolves around him. His persnickety and superior attitude must be fed by an inherent cat knowledge about the history and legends of his ancestors.

The Cat Back

Artist: Hu Chan

Many years ago in Siam (Thailand), the Siamese cat was a very exclusive feline. Being reserved for the king and royal family, no common sorts such as ourselves could own one. When a royal died, a household Siamese was selected to capture and contain the dearly departed's soul. Don't think anything bad happened to the cat. It wasn't sacrificed, or buried with the dead, but instead lived a life of luxury with the monks and priests of the local temple. There, the lucky Siamese ate all the best food from gold plates, and slept on the softest of silk cushions. These luxuries were provided by relatives of the deceased in a desperate bid for good fortune and special blessings. The selected cat was believed to possess rare powers of intercession for the soul of the departed. When the king himself died, his Siamese representative attended the new king's coronation, so the former king could be present at the royal event and festivities. 

 

In Thailand, Siamese cats are called "Wichien-maat," a name that means Moon Diamond.

Some Siamese have crossed eyes and kinks in their tail. I once had a Siamese with crossed eyes. Though her peculiarity didn't bother HER, I could never tell which direction she was looking. When I thought she was aiming for my lap, she was aiming for the curtains instead. Here is a legend that explains why Siamese cats have crossed eyes and kinked tails. 

Buddha

A long time ago, a terrible war was fought by Siam to defend its kingdom. Since all Siam's men were sent to battle, Buddha's golden goblet was left unprotected. Two Siamese were chosen to preserve the goblet in the sacred temple. The male cat was named Tein, and the female Chula. All went well until Tein became uneasy and left (after mating with Chula) to find a new priest capable of caring for the goblet. Poor Chula, now expecting kittens, never took her eyes off the sacred goblet. As a safeguard against sleep, Chula nervously wrapped her long tail around the goblet's stem to foil thieves. When the kittens were born, they amazingly received Chula's physical quirks she developed as a watchcat. They had crossed eyes and tail kinks. So if you possess a Siamese with crossed eyes, or a kinked tail, remember Chula and her brave protection of Buddha's sacred goblet.

Asian Silver Jade Ring

Here's a second story about the Siamese and its kinked tail. Once, a princess of the Royal House of Siam used her cat's tail as a ring stand when taking a bath. The cat, not wishing to loose the ring, obligingly developed a kinked tail to safeguard the special object for "his" princess.

Cat Eye

Photographer: Justin Scarpetti

Whether or not your Siamese has crossed eyes, or a kinked tail, treat him well, they're very interesting cats with a long and royal history. No wonder they're persnickety and superior! They're also very sweet.

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Since finishing this post yesterday, I realized I left a very entertaining legend out. It's the legend of the first Siamese.  

Noah's Ark

Artist: Mary Singleton

The story of Noah is known far and wide. After Noah built his ark, he filled it with animals two by two. It began to rain. It rained and rained and rained with no end in sight. The animals in the ark became very bored and searched for something to do. The monkey, spotting the pretty lioness, immediately fell in love. Wooing occurred and soon, tiny Siamese kittens were born. They had the cleverness and agility of the monkey, and the courage of the lioness. Come to think of it, my Siamese is a bit like a monkey himself! 

Qilin

The Qilin is a hooved mytholoical beastie found in East Asian countries that is a hodgepodge of assorted creatures usually called a chimera. The Qilin pictured above was popular in the Qing dynasty of China (1644-1911). As you can see, it had a head like a dragon, antlers of a deer, colorful scales like a fish, sturdy hoofs of a ox and lastly, a tail just like a lion's if a lion had fish scales running down it. The orange on its legs is fire. You would think you were hot stuff if you saw one, since spotting a Qilin was considered a good omen bringing rui, otherwise known as serenity or prosperity. Once you got over its wild and terrifying aspect, you would learn it's a serene and gentle soul that only becomes dangerous if a good person is attacked. If this happens, fire will shoot from its mouth. 

   

This looks like a Qilin shooting fire from its mouth.

The qilin has may other talents besides shooting fire. Though these talents can vary from one story to another, it does have an amazing ability to walk on grass without squashing the blades. It can also walk on water. Its gentleness is a talent in itself, and proves this by not stepping on living things and never eating meat. 

    

Strangely, the Qilin was often associated with the giraffe. Maybe because the giraffe steps carefully with its long legs, is a vegetarian, has horn-like appendages on its head, and has a patterned coat looking much like fish scales. In Japan, the giraffe is called a Kirin, the name for the Qilin in that nation. 

     

This is a photo of the Qilin Dance. The Qilin Dance is considered very hard to do due to the weight of the costume's head. The person controlling the head swings it around in a very energetic fashion so the Qilin will appear powerful.