Bastet
(aka Bast, Pasch, Ubasti and Ba en Ase)
Bastet was one of the daughters of the sun god, Ra.
A Goddess of many things, including dance, sex, music and good luck.
She is pictured here in her cat form. She was also depicted as a woman with a cat's head.
Bastet is the name of Bast when She is in fully cat form.
She is the sister to and benign aspect of the goddess Sekhmet,
and both are generally represented in the form of a feline or feline-headed human
(Bast is seen as a desert cat or domesticated cat, while Sekhmet is seen as a lioness).
Bastet was usually seen as a gentle protective goddess.
But she also protected the pharaoh in battle.
The cat was a symbol of Bastet.
The ancient Egyptians made many statues of cats like this one to honour Bastet.
Rituals honoring Bastet included light-hearted barge processions and orgiastic ceremonies.
She also protected humans against contagious diseases and evil spirits,
making her also the goddess of health and healing.
Her cult can be traced back to about 3200 BC, and she became a national deity when Bubastis
became the capital of Egypt in about 950 BC.
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