BASTET

Bastet (Ancient Egyptian: Bꜣstt) is the beloved goddess of the home, cats, and protection. Her name comes from the bas jar, a heavy stone vessel used for perfumes and ointments, linking her to protection and preservation.

Ancient Egyptian Name	𓎰𓏏 (Bꜣstt)
Phonetic Pronunciation	Bas-tet
Literal Meaning	“She of the Ointment Jar”
Cosmic Role	Domestic Protection, Joy, Music

Initially a fierce lioness (Bast), she evolved over centuries into the gentler cat goddess we know today, reflecting the domestication of the sacred animal itself.

Bastet was the "Lady of the East" (where the sun rises), balancing Sekhmet, the "Lady of the West." Her role was primarily protective but in a domestic sense. She guarded pregnant women, protected households from plagues and evil spirits, and brought music and dance to celebrate life. She was the goddess of "soft power"—defense through vigilance rather than aggression.

In her earliest forms during the Old Kingdom, Bastet was a royal protector. She was the "Eye of Ra," the solar force sent to defend the king. Pyramid Texts describe the king as being nursed by Bastet, imbibing her strength. Even in her later, gentler form, she retained the claws of the lioness to strike down the enemies of the state.

Cats (Miw) were sacred to Bastet. To harm a cat was a capital crime in Ancient Egypt. Households kept cats not only for pest control but as living amulets of the goddess. When a pet cat died, the family would shave their eyebrows in mourning, and the animal would often be mummified and offered to Bastet to carry prayers to the divine realm.

Bastet is depicted in two main forms:

• The Cat-Headed Woman: A slender woman with the head of a domestic cat, wearing a patterned dress and holding a Sistrum (sacred rattle).
• The Seated Cat: A regal cat sitting tall, often wearing gold earrings and a nose ring, sometimes with kittens at her feet to symbolize fertility.
• The Aegis: She often carries a shield or collar (Aegis) topped with a lioness head, hinting at her fierce alter-ego.

Bastet is the daughter of Ra. She is often linked with Sekhmet; an Egyptian proverb states that Hathor-Bastet is "sweet in love, but Sekhmet in rage." She also forms a triad with her husband, Ptah, and their lion-headed son, Maahes (or sometimes Nefertum).

Her cult center, Bubastis in the Nile Delta, was a magnificent city of red granite temples. Recent excavations at Saqqara have also revealed massive catacombs dedicated to Bastet, filled with thousands of mummified cats and bronze statues, proving her immense popularity lasted well into the Ptolemaic period.

Bastet symbolizes the idea that Joy is a Protective Force. Music, dance, and happiness were believed to drive away darkness and chaos (Isfet). By celebrating life, Egyptians believed they were strengthening the cosmic order and keeping the angry Eye of Ra pacified.

Primary Role	Goddess of Home, Cats & Protection
Sacred Animal	Domestic Cat / Lioness
Cult Center	Bubastis (Tell Basta)
Key Symbols	Sistrum, Aegis, Ointment Jar
Divine Father	Ra (The Sun God)