Before today's topic, I want to give a quick preface: I do not condone animal cruelty of any type. The animals mentioned in this blog post were already deceased before any ritual had begun.
When tackling renovations, homeowners are often warned about "opening a can of worms." When opening a wall, they may find more problems than they knew. However, instead of a can of worms, what if you stumbled across a horse's skull or a dried-up cat? These were very real incidents for quite a few homeowners. In Cahokia, Illinois, homeowners ran across not one but four horse skulls during the restoration of their two-story mansion. One skull had been concealed behind a wall next to the first-story fireplace and three more on a load-bearing interior wall, with one directly over the doorway. In Moorhead, Minnesota, homeowners discovered a cat inside a plastered carriage house wall, posed with an equally mummified mouse in the cat's mouth. How had these creatures gotten here? And, more importantly, why?
Anthropologist M. Chris Manning of Ball State University defines ritual concealment as 'a deposit of one or more artifacts deliberately hidden within the structure of a building as part of a magico-religious or secular folk ritual.' Though this practice may startle our modern-day sensibilities, it was a significant part of our ancestors' lives. Sacrifices to protect the home were not uncommon. Hundreds of cases like the ones we discuss today are scattered across the British Isles, Germany, Ireland, and Scotland. The world was a difficult and unpredictable place, and people were desperate for any semblance of control over their environment. These rituals were not confined to the old world. As our forefathers ventured across the oceans, they carried their beliefs and traditions with them, leaving a lasting imprint on the homes they built.
Setting the Tone
One of the most common animal ritual concealments was the burial of a horse's head underneath your floors or inside walls. Why? For great acoustics, of course. A horse's skull was rather large, and the hollow interior of the skull would allow sound to reverberate when buried. Imagine it as an archaic form of subwoofers or sound panels. Sean de Buitleir of Cullenstown, Wexford County in Ireland, recalled the burial of horse's skulls: "They would be placed under the altar. The reason of this was to help the preacher to be heard all over the church. In some churches up to twenty of these heads were buried together." However, people weren't interested in only hearing sermons better. The skulls also enhanced the enjoyment of music. Liam O' hIceadha of County Cork, Ireland, stated, "One man told me that the skull was put under the flagstone of the fire, for that was where reels, jigs, and hornpipes were danced. The tap of the feet sounded very clearly then, and both dancer and onlookers were pleased." So, the sound-increasing qualities of horse skull concealments are very well-documented. But was that the only purpose they served? Perhaps not.
There was a documented case of a home being built and a ritual was observed being conducted amongst the laborers. The workers dug a large hole, hammered a wooden stake in the center, then lowered down the horse's skull. Once in place, a toast of beer was poured over the horse, and the workers shared a beer. Afterward, the hole was covered back up. When asked why they did so, the laborers replied that "this was an old heathen custom to drive evil and witchcraft away." So, perhaps the ritual came first, only to later be explained away because of the benefit of acoustics. Manning makes a fascinating link when stating, "Another possibility is the apotropaic function and the acoustic function are the same. Loud noises, particularly the clanging of church bells and the banging of metal objects, were believed to scare away fairies and demons." Therefore, horse head concealments could have three purposes: better acoustics, protection from evil, or protection because of increased acoustics.
Keeping Sickness at Bay
Another type of ritual concealment that involves animals is that of the cow. Similarly to the horse's skull, farmers would bury a cow's skull under the floor, typically under the house's threshold facing outward. Unlike the horse skull, however, this had to be a very specific cow. In ancient times, your livestock was your livelihood. This dependence on cattle for food is why so many witch trials and accusations involved rumors of cattle being bewitched to die or not produce. So, one way to protect your herd from evil forces was to bury the first cow that died after moving into your new home. Any disease, bad luck, or enchantments that might have spread to your other cattle would be cut off before it began. The cow's feet would be cut off and hidden in the home's rafters. The skin would be tanned and sold while the rest of the body would be discarded along a mountainside or ravine. The carcass needed never to be buried. The old proverb "If you follow the hole, the hole will follow you" insinuated that you would be buried shortly after if you did.
The other more risky option to get rid of a sickness that had touched your cattle was to bury the sick cow near the property of a neighbor's herd. It was said that the illness would then be transferred to them. This was called the 'changing of the cold meat' (aistriu na feola fuaire, proverbial reference). As one might imagine, this caused animosity between neighbors if discovered. It is best to keep the bones under your own eaves.
Cats, Mice, and Evil (oh, my!)
The third type of ritual concealment is the most intriguing of all: mummified cats. There's no explaining this one away for a mundane purpose. Unfortunately, some cats have wandered into a construction space and climbed into a wall, only to be boarded inside. However, the cats used specifically for ritual concealment had already died before being placed into the wall and posed. While more frequent in European countries, America has its fair share of mummified cats. Out of 40 cases of cats being found in the construction of homes, only 14 can be attributed to ritual concealments. There are three believed reasons for homeowners to intentionally immure a cat in the wall: to stem future rat infestations, to ward away evil, and to become or appease a house spirit.
The relationship between the cat and rodent is well known. It isn't a very far logical leap to suggest that cats were placed in the walls of a home to scare away any rodents looking to settle down in the house. Now, I am unsure if that is in a spiritual sense or if seeing the cat would scare a rodent away in a realistic sense. There isn't any documentation explaining anything in great detail. Some ritual concealments had mummified birds or mice posed with them as if taunting their future prey, so perhaps it is a bit of both.
Cats are believed to be able to see things the human eye cannot detect. This observation leads to the second reason behind the concealments: cats are believed to be able to sense the paranormal and, therefore, protect the home from threats of supernatural means. We've all heard stories about cats staring into a space for a long time and acting aggressively or running from the room. There is no scientific proof, but the consensus is that these cats are seeing ghosts that we cannot. But how about seeing sickness? During the bubonic plague, the Jewish quarter of Prague, Czech, didn't catch the plague until many years after their Christian counterparts. There were multiple reasons for this, but one of my favorites is because the Jews had cats. If you study history, you'll notice that the bubonic period also coincided with the witch trials. Not only were authorities killing cats suspected of being witches' familiars, but people were also killing their own to avoid being suspected of being witches. And who spread the bubonic plague? Rats. The Jewish people had no such hatred of cats and enjoyed the benefits of being rat-free. This protection could be seen as protecting the home from evil forces. Because, although rats carrying fleas were the cause of the plague, no one knew the true culprit of the plague's fast travel.
The last reason for the cat's concealment depends on where the remains were entered. The above examples were all found in the walls, but the last group of cats were buried in the foundations. There is an ancient belief called Hitobashira that burying people or animals into the foundations of buildings and bridges made them stronger. I won't go into much detail because this topic is a whole blog post in itself. However, burying a cat in the foundations is believed to give your home a spirit. These household spirits would protect the house and all of its inhabitants. If your home already had a house spirit, burying a cat would be like giving your house spirit a gift.
Conclusion
The unexpected discoveries of ritual concealments within homes reveal a fascinating blend of our ancestors' practical, superstitious, and cultural practices. These rituals underscore the lengths people historically went to protect their homes and families. Whether for improving acoustics, warding off evil, or ensuring good fortune, these concealed artifacts offer a unique glimpse into past societies' beliefs and daily lives. With each of these unique relics we uncover, we get closer to solving the mysteries of how and why they came to be. We also gain a deeper appreciation for the rich tapestry of human history that continues to influence our present-day understanding of home and protection.
Sources
Ó Súilleabháin, Seán. “Foundation Sacrifices.” The Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland, vol. 75, no. 1, 1945, pp. 45–52. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/25510484. Accessed 12 May 2024.
Humanities, National Endowment for the. “Roanoke Daily Times. (Roanoke, Va) 1886-1890, March 11, 1890, Image 5.” Chroniclingamerica.loc.gov, 11 Mar. 1890, chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn88061182/1890-03-11/ed-1/seq-5/. Accessed 12 May 2024.
Humanities, National Endowment for the. “The Seattle Star. [Volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1899-1947, September 07, 1911, Image 6.” Chroniclingamerica.loc.gov, 7 Sept. 1911, p. 6, chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn87093407/1911-09-07/ed-1/seq-6/. Accessed 12 May 2024.
Manning, M. Chris. “The Material Culture of Ritual Concealments in the United States.” Historical Archaeology, vol. 48, no. 3, 2014, pp. 52–83. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/43491309. Accessed 12 May 2024.
Ronan, Amanda Uechi. “Equus Obscurus: Horse Skull Lore.” HORSE NATION, 19 Apr. 2022, www.horsenation.com/2022/04/19/equus-obscurus-horse-skull-lore/. Accessed 17 May 2024.
