BAST

Bast, also Bastet or Ubasti, in Egyptian mythology, cat goddess worshiped primarily in the ancient city of Bubastis on the Nile Delta. As the protector of cats, which the ancient Egyptians often kept in their homes as pets, Bast was also an important goddess of the hearth. During the New Kingdom (1550-1070 bc), she became equated with Sekhmet, the lioness deity of war. Bast was also worshiped as the spouse of the creator god, Ptah-seker-ausur, and possessed destructive powers attributed to the sun.

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 sculpture.

Herodotus, a Greek historian of the 5th century bc, described in his second book of his Histories the annual festival of Bast, whom he equated with the Greek goddess Artemis. He estimated that the festival attracted more than 700,000 people each year. Excavations in the area where Bubastis was located have uncovered cat cemeteries with large numbers of mummified cats and cat figurines, which were perhaps dedicated to Bast during her festival.