為什么黑貓預示著厄運？

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?

所有人都知道當一只黑貓經過你的身邊，厄運隨后就會到，但你是否想過為什么黑貓會得到如此的壞名聲呢?是否只是單單因為它的毛色呢?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

數千年前，所有毛色的貓在古埃及都享受著滋潤的生活，在這里殺死一只貓是會立刻被判死刑。幾千年后，基督教傳播至整個歐洲，他們推翻了當地的非基督教的習俗和傳統(tǒng)。這意味著他們會誹謗中傷非基督教的象征，比如說羅馬的月亮女神狄安娜，還有成為異教徒象征的貓，因為它們在早期和神相關聯。

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，這讓黑貓永無翻身之日?？释C明自己忠誠的基督徒們開始在鄉(xiāng)村的節(jié)日上圍捕黑貓然后活活將它們燒死來懲罰它們的魔鬼之道。事情變得很糟糕，以至于在14世紀的歐洲某些地方，貓幾乎已經滅絕了。

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

在接下來的幾個世紀中，黑貓和魔鬼為伍這一概念自然導致它們和女巫產生了聯系。根據迷信觀念，人們認為黑貓是女巫的偽裝。另外一些人則聲稱黑貓在作為至交侍奉女巫7年后最終也會變成一個女巫。在16世紀和17世紀著名的女巫審判的那段時間里，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給自己帶來霉運以外根本啥也帶不來。在科羅拉多州立大學2013年的一項研究中，研究人員們發(fā)現在動物收容所里的黑貓要比其他毛色的貓多花4到6天的時間才能找到領養(yǎng)人。這對黑貓來說是個壞消息，因為在收容所里大約70%的貓最終都會被實施安樂死。雖然研究人員們無法確定黑貓對于想要養(yǎng)貓的人來說缺乏吸引力的原因，但是圍繞著黑貓的傳說和厄運可能是潛在地原因。