Bastet

The Egyptian protector goddess

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. She played a role in the afterlife, supplying perfumes and ointments to Anubis for the embalming process.

The fascinating and sometimes exotic character of ancient Egyptian religion finds its perfect symbolization in the feline goddess Bastet. In countless museums and exhibitions, we meet her depicted as a seated cat with varying divine iconography such as a scarab on her head. In a motionless, yet vigilant, pose easily seen on real cats, the beautiful, divine Bastet typifies an ancient world of mysterious beliefs. As such, she is depicted as a slender, beautiful goddess with the head of a cat.

The Lady of Slaughter

Bastet was the daughter of Ra, and one of the Eyes of Ra, the protectors of the Emperor-god. Early on, she was depicted with the head of a lionness and closely associated with her sister, Sekhmet but, as that deity’s iconography depicted her as increasingly aggressive, Bastet’s images softened over time to present more of a daily companion and helper than her earlier forms as savage avenger. 

Although she was greatly venerated, she was equally feared as two of her titles demonstrate: The Lady of Dread and The Lady of Slaughter. She is associated with both Mau, the divine cat who is an aspect of Ra, and with Mafdet, goddess of justice and the first feline deity in Egyptian history.

Both Bastet and Sekhmet took their early forms as feline defenders of the innocent, avengers of the wronged, from Mafdet. This association was carried on in depictions of Bastet’s son Maahes, protector of the innocent, who is shown as a lion-headed man carrying a long knife or as a lion.

Both Bastet and Sekhmet took their early forms as feline defenders of the innocent, avengers of the wronged, from Mafdet. This association was carried on in depictions of Bastet’s son Maahes, protector of the innocent, who is shown as a lion-headed man carrying a long knife.

The Eye of Ra

Lioness goddesses were rendered dangerous and unpredictable while, at the same time, they also were caring,  protective and fierce. As a daughter of Ra, she along with her sisters, Hathor, Isis, and Sekhmet served as his his fierce protectors. Unlike the other Eyes, she would ride through the sky with her father every day. As his boat pulled the sun through the sky she would watch over and protect him. At night, she would turn into a lionness to protect Ra from his greatest enemy, the serpent Apep. Due to her protective duties, she was nicknamed the Lady of the East, Goddess of the Rising Sun, and the Sacred and All Seeing Eye. 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. 

Lady of the East

Ra appointed her protector of Lower Egypt to stand in guard of the people while he traveled to the east. She became furious that he would not allow her to accompany him, and her fury led her into the desert, spreading fear as she went. Ra sent Thoth to fetch his daughter. It was a difficult task as the god must calm the angry lioness and keep her happy on the long journey home. To accomplish his mission, Thoth appeared in the form of a baboon and used music, dance and alcohol to please the lioness, entertainment that would later be central features of her festival in Bubastis.

Afterward, Ra allowed his daughter to accompany him abroad, but only on the condition that she conceal her Egyptian nature and present herself with a different name.

The Feline Goddess

It was while in the east that she met her future husband. Ba’al knew her as Anat, a huntress and warrior. They kept their relationship low-profile during the years that she traveled back and forth from Egypt to Mesopotamia. As a result, the precise nature of the relation between Anat and Baal is uncertain in the stories with the conventional views that they were lovers, siblings or both remain a matter of dispute today.

What is known is that eventually, Bastet became pregnant with her son, Maahes, who would later become protector of the innocent, shown as a lion-headed man carrying a long knife. By this time, the threat of Apep and Set had passed, and Bastet settled into domesticity. She raised her son in lower Egypt that was her homeland, and her form and power changed. Bastet was the goddess of protection, pleasure, and the bringer of good health now. Unlike her sister, she became calmer with age, and began to pass on what she learned. She taught many younger goddesses and humans so much that she is likened to be surrounded by kittens at all times.

Her temple at Bubastis was the focal point of the city providing services ranging from medical attention to counseling to food distribution. The popularity of Bastet among the people grew from her role as protector of women and the household. As noted, she was as popular among men as women in that every man had a mother, sister, girlfriend, wife, or daughter who benefited from the care Bastet provided. Further, women in Egypt were held in high regard and had almost equal rights which almost guaranteed a goddess who protected women and presided over women’s secrets an especially high standing.

Cats were also greatly prized in Egypt as they kept homes free of vermin (and so controlled diseases), protected the crops from unwanted animals, and provided their owners with fairly maintenance-free company. Bastet’s main cult location is Bubastis, an important city in the southeastern Nile Delta. One of the most important aspects of Bastet’s festival was the delivery of mummified cats to her temple. When the temple was excavated in 1887 over 300,000 mummified cats were found. 

She of the Ointment Jar

In her later years, she took up the role of caring for the dead as much as she cared for the living. Her name is closely associated with ointment jars, as she was known to gift protective ointments, perfumes, and oils to Anubis to use during funerary rites and embalming.

Personality

Bastet enjoyed revelry, food and wine. She was fierce and loyal, and passionate as a result. Later in life she was more mature and calmer than her sisters, and settled into the role of teacher and protector of womenkind.

Powers

Seeing ta’veren and having an instinct to protect those important to the Pattern.

As a channeler, she had the talent to weave Air and Spirit to cloak herself or others in shadow, becoming almost invisible to sight and sound. Her movements were silent, and her presence undetectable while so cloaked, making her an exceptional scout or infiltrator.

Rebirths

Lythia Krean, Aes Sedai of the Green Ajah

Nora Saint-Clair, Atharim Scholar