The well-known work of Lewis Carroll "Alice in Wonderland" presented readers with many funny interesting characters, one of which is the Cheshire Cat. The facts that prompted the writer to create such an extravagant hero deserve special attention.
The Cheshire Cat, such as Carroll created him, is a charming smiling hero who knows how to teleport, dissolve in the air, leaving only a smile behind. He loves to philosophize and is sometimes too boring, which greatly annoys the main character of the story - the girl Alice.
Interestingly, the definition of "Cheshire" came from the name of the county "Cheshire" or "Cherstyshire", a native of which was Lewis himself. The first draft of Alice in Wonderland did not include the Cheshire Cat character. Lewis Carroll wrote this charming character in his story in 1865. Why did the writer come up with the image of the Cheshire Cat, and not a lion, a parrot or, say, a pig?
The fact is that the saying "Smiles like a Cheshire Cat" was popular in Cheshire long before the appearance of Lewis's novel. According to one version, it appeared thanks to one local painter, or rather, his colorful creations on wooden plaques above the doors of taverns. According to primary sources, he drew not cats, but grinning lions or leopards, but the local population, who had never seen predatory animals before, associated these drawings with pets.
The second version of the appearance of the Cheshire Cat is the one that tells about the famous Cheshire cheeses, which resembled a smiling cat in their appearance. These cheeses have been known for over 9 centuries.
There are other, less popular explanations for the appearance of the unusual character. One of them says that there was a joke among the people that even cats sarcastically laughed at the high rank of the small county of Cheshire. Another legend tells of a strict county forester who smiled wickedly when he caught another poacher and, apparently, somehow reminded the locals of a cat.
Lewis Carroll endowed his Cheshire Cat with the ability to disappear by analogy with the legend of his brother - the ghost of the Congleton cat. The latter lived in the abbey, but one day he suddenly disappeared, after which he also suddenly appeared on the threshold of the caretaker and a minute later melted into thin air. Local ministers assured that later they saw the ghost of the Congleton cat more than once.
Whatever the origin story of the character of the Cheshire Cat in Carroll's novel, he has gained immense popularity among different peoples of the world and has been pleasing readers with his sarcastic smile for several centuries.
