Bast And The Sacred Cat

The early Egyptians revered many deities, one of whom was the goddess Bast. Bast was the deity of cats, reproduction and childbearing. Bast was the child of Ra, the sun god. Her duty was to shield the home from malicious entities and maladies that primarily involved women and children.
Originally, Bast had either a leonine head or one of a sand cat. During the New Kingdom (16th-century BC to 11th century BC), Bast became associated with the domestic cat. The Egyptians revered cats because of the connection with “The Sacred Cat”, Bast, and because cats killed the pests that initiated diseases. Tomb art showed how the Egyptians interacted with cats in their daily lives, from hunting to treating them as pets. Even though she was linked with the tamed cat and regarded as a protector, she retained her war-like origins. Harming a cat was considered a crime against Bast and punishment was harsh. It was also thought to be very unlucky to harm a cat. Priests of Bast kept cats in her temples, located in the city of Bubastis, and deemed them to be embodiments of the goddess. When these cats died, they were mummified and presented to the goddess as offerings. …show more content…
The Utchat was used for Ra’s vengeance. She came close to destroying the world but was tricked into drinking a blood colored beer that put her to sleep and gave her a hangover. This stopped the destruction of the world. She was linked to the other goddesses that were also considered to be the “eye of Ra”, Sekhmet, Hathor, Tefnut, Nut, Wadjet and Mut. She was more closely associated with Sekhmet because they both had cat-like forms. Both goddesses were also married to Ptah and the mother of Nefertum. During the feast of Hathor, Sehkmet respresented upper Egypt while Bast represented Lower