Rats in Mythology and Folklore.

[Nicodemus]

Rats in Myth, Folklore and Legend!
By Nicodemus and Krazzekez.

India

Karni Mata is home to the rat Temple, 30 miles south of Bikaner in Deshnoke. it is one of the strangest and most interesting holy sites in India.  

The Rats here is sacred! The temple is devoted to the practice of rat worship, in connection with Hinduism.

In Hindu mythology, the elephant god Ganesh has a rat companion, who follows him wherever he travels. The rat is an integral part of Hindu worship. The Karni Mata Temple was originally constructed in the 17th century and was a shrine to an incarnation of the goddess Durga. Rats in this case are holy because they are considered to be reincarnations of people hiding from the wrath of Yama, the Hindu god of death.




Rome

The Romans sometimes saw rats as omens however a white rat was considered by the Romans as a good omen. A black rat has unfortunate significance. Many Fables were told in Rome of rat's and their many colours, maybe due to the Roman empire stretching over much of the word, therefore encountering different coloured rats. if you were Roman and found rats had gnawed your personal effects
it was said, one should hold off , their immediate plans until further notice.
Native American Totem .

According to the Native American Indians, the rat as a totem animal stood for : Adaptability. Self assurance. Sensitive to the environment.

The Orient:
The Rat in Oriental Mythology is Revered! Chinese mythology states that the rat was the bringer of, the gift of rice to the people. The rat is featured in the Chinese Zodiac. The rat here is honoured for his quick wits and his for being frugal, and a good harvester! The rat is often in this case associated with good business. rats are a symbol of good luck and prosperity in Japan and China.

The Rat in the Orient is A survivor, Wise and a gifted with a fast wit !

the Rat in the zodiac is most kindly complimented. Apparently those born under the rat have good taste., A royal to their friends, Humorous , Courageous, good observers and much more! You can look it up for some more detailed explanations.

In Ancient Japan, the white rat was, the messenger , Daikoku. A god of luck, one of seven.

The folklore says, a rat couple desired the strongest husband possible for their daughter.

So they pleaded with the sun deity, who promptly refused! It Announced that clouds overruled his decisions on these matters, as they could cover his powers .

So Rat mum and dad asked a cloud, It's response was thus

"The wind is stronger than I because it can blow me away."

The wind could not give them there wish either, it said "The wall stops me cold,"

the wall, though honoured by the plea answered,
"The rat is stronger yet !
He can bore a hole right through me." So the couple decided their daughter would wed another rat  who was the strongest creature of them all !

Japanese. Zodiac.

Kyuuso neko o kamu
窮鼠猫を噛む
(Literally means,
"A cornered rat bites the cat.") A stag at bay is a dangerous foe. A baited cat may grow as fierce as a lion.
When left with no option, even someone weak can fight. Or, even a coward is capable of bravery.

People born in the year of the rat are charming, honest and ambitious according to the Japanese Zodiac.
Rats in Japan, also appear in plays and artwork . A few examples are, Ninja hero's who shape shift into rats and an evil rat king who rules his castle from a mountain.

[KrazeeKezz]

I had a bit more detail on the Karni Mata temple:

Hindu

Karni Mata (14th century female mystic, believed to be an incarnation of the goddess Durga, born to the Charan caste (tribe)).
There are a number of different variations of this tale, all very similar, the basic idea is:
Karni Mata tried to restore life to a boy that had drowned (either her stepson or storytellers son), but was told by the god of Death, Yama, that it was too late and the boy's soul had already been re-incarnated. Karni Mata became angry at this and swore that her people would never again pass into Yama's realm, but would instead be re-incarnated as rats until they could be re-incarnated again as humans (of the same family/clan).

Today Karni Mata has a temple in the small town of Deshnoke in India. The temple is famous for the rats that live there who are treated as sacred and offered food and coconut milk by visitors. The rats are protected from preditors such as hawks by an over head net or mesh, and cats are not seen anywhere near the temple. It is forbidden to harm the rats and if one is accidentaly killed the person responsible must present the temple with a life-size solid gold rat statue in payment. The temple is still maintained by the Charan tribe, who believe that the rats contain the souls of Charans awaiting re-incarnation into the tribe. Pilgrims to the temple will share a meal with the rats, eating food that the rats have nibbled, or eating or drinking from the same bowl with them. Despite the number of rats living in close quarters there has been no record of any kind of plague or other ratborne illness among the human visitors, similarly it is said that the rats have never bitten anyone in the temple either. The majority of the temple's rats appear to be agouti (brown coated), and it is considered a good spiritual sign and a promise of life-long good luck.

I find it interesting that a white rat is good luck in more than one tradition. I assume it's because in the wild population they would be very rare.

[Nicodemus]

Excellent !

[sarahh]

Wicked thanks for that I think I remember reading that, wish more people would appreciate rats and what they have done for us.

[Nicodemus]

Yes, also in Polynesia rats were a valuable and transportable food source ): well i suppose if they were in abundance. there is also a story in their mythology about a rude rat who blags himself a lift on the head of an octopus, leaving marking on the octopus head and it is said that is why the octopus jump at the rat fishing baits....you can find the full story online.