Bast

Proctectress of Cats

Cult Center: Bubastis in the Delta.

Attributes: As a sun goddess she represents the warm, life giving power of the sun. Her cult appears as early as the Second Dynasty. Like a cat, she was admired for her agility and strength. Bast defended Ra against the serpent Apep.

Bast defended her father Ra against his enemy, the serpent Apep. Every night Apep tries to stop the sun god's ship on his journey through the underworld. Occasionally Apep would win, causing a solar eclipse, but Ra would always triumph in the end.

Bastet was the proctress of cats. The Ancient Egyptians had a great respect for cats since they protected the grain from mice and rats. Killing a cat was punishable by death. When a cat died, the family mourned it, shaving their eyebrows to mark their sadness. Cats were sometimes mummified, like people, and their mummies have been found.

Representation: A woman with the head of a domesticated cat, sometimes holding a sistrum.

Relations: Daughter and wife of Ra, mother of Khensu and Maahes.

Copyright © 2008 Tim Stouse
Last modified: May 25, 2008

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