Bastet | Symbols & Facts (2024)

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What are 5 facts about Bastet? ›

Bastet was the goddess of protection, pleasure, and the bringer of good health. She had the head of a cat and a slender female body. Bastet was the daughter of Ra, sister of Sekhmet, the wife of Ptah, and the mother of Mihos. Since the Second Dynasty, Bastet was worshiped as a deity, most commonly in Lower Egypt.

Bastet, Goddess of Protection

Bastet is the Egyptian goddess of the home, domesticity, women's secrets, cats, fertility, and childbirth. She protected the home from evil spirits and disease, especially diseases associated with women and children.

Bastet was depicted by Egyptians with the head of a cat and the slender body of a woman. Sometimes, Bastet was venerated as just a cat head.

Her main cult center was at the city of Bast, where a festival was held in her honor every year. Thousands of people would come to celebrate. Bastet was the daughter of the god, Re, and Egyptian myths sometimes had her as the wife of Anubis or Ptah. She had at least two children, the gods Mahes and Nefertem.

Bastet is the Egyptian goddess of the home, domesticity, women's secrets, cats, fertility, and childbirth. She protected the home from evil spirits and disease, especially diseases associated with women and children. As with many deities in Egyptian religion, she also played a role in the afterlife.

Most people believed that Bastet was either the daughter of Ra and Isis or only Ra. In the sense that she was the Eye of Ra, she was a portion of him granted free will. She was the mother of Mihos, a lion-headed man or lion-like god. Later, she gained fame as the mother of Nefertum, a sun, perfume, and alchemy god.

Bastet was worshipped as a deity throughout much of ancient Egypt's evolution, most frequently in Lower Egypt, even if her form and power changed over the years. She was an Egyptian goddess with many associated attributes, including protection, pleasure, fertility, and good health.

She was also considered a guardian of the household and was believed to ward off evil spirits and disease. In ancient Egyptian mythology, Bastet was regarded as a daughter of the sun god Ra. She was considered a gentle deity, but when angered, she could display her fierce and aggressive nature.

Represented as a woman with a cat's head, Bastet carries an ancient percussion instrument, the sistrum, in her right hand; a so-called aegis, or breastplate (in Bastet's case, surmounted with the head of a lioness), in her left hand; and a small bag over her left arm. She wears an elaborately ornamented dress.

Bastet was most commonly considered a daughter of either Ra and Isis or just Ra alone. In her aspect as the "eye of Ra," she was a part of him given independent life. She was the mother of the god Mahes, a lion or lion-headed man.

Was Bastet a real cat? ›

Bastet is probably the best-known feline goddess from Egypt. Initially depicted as a lioness, Bastet assumed the image of a cat or a feline-headed woman in the 2nd millennium BCE. Although she combined both nurturing and violent qualities, her shielding and motherly aspects typically were emphasized.

Weaknesses. Power Loss: Without worshipers, Bastet's power today is much lower than in ancient Egyptian times.

The exact origin of Bastet is not known, but she was part of a group of goddesses associated with the sun and sky, and her name is often linked to the word "bast," which means "fire." Her association with the sun and her origins as a lioness goddess suggest that she may have been one of the earliest deities in the ...

Bastet's husband was Ptah, the god of Craftsmen, Rebirth and Creation. When associated with Isis, Bastet was sometimes called the “Soul of Isis”.

She had wings on her arms and the claws of a lion. Bastet's festival at Bubastis, held in April and May, was among the most popular in Egypt, celebrated with feasting and wine drinking and with singing and dancing that took place in barges along the Nile.

The goddess we most frequently call "Bastet" today was known as both "Bast" and "Bastet" in ancient Egypt. "Bast" was her earlier name. It possibly meant either "Soul of Auset" (Auset being an alternative name for "Isis," who is sometimes considered her mother), or "devouring lady."

Originally a Warrior Sun Goddess. She was later worshipped as a Moon Goddess of protection, music, dance, family and cats. The sistrum, a percussion instrument, is one of her symbols. Bastet's name is written in hieroglyphs between the Eye of Horus and the Ankh on her throne.

Represented as a woman with a cat's head, Bastet carries an ancient percussion instrument, the sistrum, in her right hand; a so-called aegis, or breastplate (in Bastet's case, surmounted with the head of a lioness), in her left hand; and a small bag over her left arm.