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You are about to enter the shrine of the ancient Egyptian goddess Bastet. (Entrance at the bottom of this page)
Click here to have only a short info about
her.
| Other Names and Titles | Her Role |
| The Cat in Egypt | Her Signs and Symbols |
| Bast Poetry | Offerings |
| And now enter her shrine | Cult Centers |
Other Names and Titles
Bastet, Bast, Bastis, "the Tearer"Bubastis Greek version,
Pacht, Pasht Pasch
Ubast, Ubasti
Ba en Aset : the soul of Aset (Isis)
Other titles Bast was given with time were "Lady of the East", "the Light
Bearer", "Lady of Truth" and "Goddess of the Birth Chamber".
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The vase is a bas vase, and the loaf represents the sound /t/. The word Bast is made up of the word "bas" and the Egyptian suffix "-t", and is pronounced "baohst" in the sense that there is a long "a" which has a bit of an o-sound to it. Bastet, another form of her name would then be the feminine of Bast, which is already feminine! This could be due to the fact that a vase and two loaves were often given to her as an offering. Change them to hieroglyphics and it would be "bas" + "t" + "t". Result... Bastet! That is not the preferred name, but since it is widely used in books it deserved an explanation.
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Relations
in the Egyptian Pantheon
| Shame
on them:
Cemeteries of mummified felines have been unearthed |
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In
addition to her major symbol, the sistrum, Bast was also allotted one of the Divine Eyes in the form
of the Uraeus, or Serpent of Wisdom. According to the one version, she acquired
this from her brother Horus, but the popular belief was that she was given
charge of it by Ra for defending him against Apep. Although the Uraeus is
considered to be the right Eye and the Horus Eye the left, there is obviously
some confusion here as Eyes were depicted under the Horus banner facing either
way, which rather suggests that the ancient Egyptians themselves were, perhaps,
a little unsure as to which was which.
In art Images of Bast portray her with a sistrum (ancient Egyptian percussion instrument) in her right hand, and a small bag over her left arm, with figurines of kittens surrounding her feet. Such images are among the most naturalistic works of ancient Egyptian. Symbols: cat, lioness, sistra (especially later periods), Udjat-eye. |
Thousands of small cat sculptures,
probably left with offerings
to the Temple by devotees,
have also been recovered at Bubastis.
sweet liquids and foodstuffs
mint, catnip, honey, raw meat,
perfumes and ointments (especially in the "bas"
jars which are a pun on Her name).
Never offered: cats (The penality for killing a cat was getting killed !)
Bast ( Bastet, Bastis, Bubastis, Pacht, Ubast) is a name well-known in the West.
She was responsible for Joy, Music, and
Dancing, also Health and Healing.
Her cult can be traced back to about
3200 BC,
Her origin is said to be in this city
Bubastis,
Cats, as manifestations of Deity, were
sacred; they protected the grain from mice and rats. |
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And now enter
her shrine:
ENTER
Some text and information about Bast was taken
from "The Way of Cartouche" by Murray Hope.
CATS IN THE ANCIENT WORLD From the Internet Book, The Amazing Ancient World
By C. Rempel, Foothill College Online Course Student