Today (July 22) is Rat Catcher's Day, which commemorates
the legend of The Pied Piper of Hamelin.

From https://www.nfld.com//~dalton/rat.html (about 1996) :

"Early in the Chinese year, in the Year of the Rat, when I, my sister
Anne and her two daughters were travelling west from St. John's to
Lakeview along the Conception Bay Highway, a large rat raced Olympic
fashion rapidly to the edge of the road and made a flying leap to hit
our car. We backed up to find it was dead and I dragged it off the road,
and later thought that it had committed self-sacrifice and would be
reincarnated in higher form after hitting the "car of ma." "

From that, Rat, the species someone of that rat species,
is a minor deity to me.

--
https://www.nfld.com/~dalton/dtales.html Salmon on the Thorns (mystic page)
"This could be the final breath; This is life and death;
This is hard rock and water; Out here between wind and flame;
Between tears and elation; Lies a secret nation" (Ron Hynes)