| Bast | |
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Other Names |
B'sst, Baast, Ubaste, and Baset |
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First Appearance |
Egyptian Mythology |
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Created by |
Egyptian Mythology |
Origin[]
Bast is a goddess of ancient Egyptian religion, worshipped as early as the Second Dynasty (2890 BC). Her name also is rendered as B'sst, Baast, Ubaste, and Baset. In ancient Greek religion, she was known as Ailuros.
Bastet was worshipped in Bubastis in Lower Egypt, originally as a lioness goddess, a role shared by other deities such as Sekhmet. Eventually Bastet and Sekhmet were characterized as two aspects of the same goddess, with Sekhmet representing the powerful warrior and protector aspect, and Bastet, who increasingly was depicted as a cat, representing a gentler aspect.
She then was depicted as the daughter of Ra and Isis, and the consort of Ptah, with whom she had a son, Maahes.
As protector of Lower Egypt, she was seen as defender of the king, and consequently of the sun god, Ra. Along with other deities such as Hathor, Sekhmet, and Isis, Bastet was associated with the Eye of Ra. She has been depicted as fighting the evil snake named Apep, an enemy of Ra. In addition to her solar connections, she was also related to Wadjet, one of the oldest Egyptian goddesses from the Southern Delta who was dubbed "eye of the moon".
Bastet was also a goddess of pregnancy and childbirth, possibly because of the fertility of the domestic cat.
Images of Bastet were often created from alabaster. The goddess was sometimes depicted holding a ceremonial sistrum in one hand and an aegis in the other—the aegis usually resembling a collar or gorget, embellished with a lioness head.
Bastet was also depicted as the goddess of protection against contagious diseases and evil spirits.
Public Domain Literary Appearances[]
- Myths and Legends of Ancient Egypt by Lewis Spence (1915)
- The Gods of the Egyptians; or, Studies in Egyptian Mythology (1904)