What was the goddess Bastet known for?
What was the goddess Bastet known for?
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.
What symbolizes Bastet?
| Bastet | |
|---|---|
| Bastet in her late form of a cat-headed woman, rather than a lioness | |
| Name in hieroglyphs | |
| Major cult center | Bubastis |
| Symbol | lioness, cat, ointment jar, sistrum, solar disk |
Why was the goddess Bastet represented as a cat?
Bast/Bastet was the protector and guardian of Lower Egypt. She was the patron goddess of fire fighters, because the Egyptians believed that a cat running through a building on fire would draw the flames out.
Does Bastet have any special powers?
Appearance. Like all gods Bastet can change her appearance for war she takes the form of a lioness, for her gentle side she takes the form of a domestic cat and finally another form that the goddess takes is a human to interact with humans better.
What are Bastet’s weaknesses?
Bastet incorporated the qualities of a protector and a sensual being, therefore, is the essence of femininity for the Ancient Egyptians. However, the goddess also had certain weaknesses; particularly, her inconsistency and fierceness deserve to be mentioned.
What breed of cat is Bastet?
Egyptian Mau. Egyptian Maus are a small to medium-sized short-haired cat breed.
What are Bastets powers?
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.
What was bubastis famous for?
It was the capital of its own nome, located along the River Nile in the Delta region of Lower Egypt, and notable as a center of worship for the feline goddess Bastet, and therefore the principal depository in Egypt of mummies of cats. Its ruins are located in the suburbs of the modern city of Zagazig.
Is Bast a real God?
Bastet, also called Bast, ancient Egyptian goddess worshiped in the form of a lioness and later a cat. The daughter of Re, the sun god, Bastet was an ancient deity whose ferocious nature was ameliorated after the domestication of the cat around 1500 bce.
What did Bastet carry?
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.
Is Bastet good or bad?
Bastet was the goddess of protection, pleasure, and the bringer of good health. She is also known as the Goddess of the Moon and was thought to be the eye of the moon and the eye of Ra. Bastet is still worshipped today and her protection is believed by some to be cast over modern cats.
Is Bastet real?
Why is Bastet the Egyptian goddess a cat?
Bastet, ancient Egyptian goddess worshiped in the form of a lioness and later a cat. The daughter of Re, the sun god, Bastet was an ancient deity whose ferocious nature was ameliorated after the domestication of the cat around 1500 BCE. Learn more about Bastet in this article.
What is the significance of the bast cat?
Bastet (Bast) Cats were very important to the ancient Egyptians and were even considered to be demi-deities. Not only did they protect the crops and slow the spread of disease by killing rodents, they were also thought to be the physical form of the goddess Bastet. Bastet was the goddess of protection, pleasure, and the bringer of good health.
What did Bastet hold in her hands?
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.
What is the other name of Bastet?
Alternative Title: Bast. Bastet, also called Bast, ancient Egyptian goddess worshipped in the form of a lioness and later a cat. The daughter of Re, the sun god, Bastet was an ancient deity whose ferocious nature was ameliorated after the domestication of the cat around 1500 bce.
