Bastet
My Goddess:
Bastet:
Bastet is the cat goddess of music and dancing. She is also one of the patron goddesses of the fine arts, including theater.
In ancient Egypt Bastet was usually represented as a cat or a woman with the head of a domesticated cat. Up until 1000 B.C. she was portrayed as a lioness, however, when she was shown as a lioness, she was associated with sunlight. She was heavily connected with the Moon, and her son Khensu was God of the Moon. Bastet was the Goddess of cats, fire, pregnant women, and of the home. Cats were very important pets in Egyptian society. According to one myth, she was the personification of the soul of Isis. She was also called the "Lady of the East". Bast represented a duality in that she possessed a gentle and fierce side. When docile she was protector of the home, but when she was fierce she was feared in battle. She was identified with the goddess Sekhmet, and they were called the Goddesses of the West (Sekhmet) and the East (Bastet). Both were shown with the heads of lionesses although Bastet was said to wear green, while Sekhmet wore red. Bast is first and foremost a protectress; specifically of the royal house and the Two Lands. Later she got the life-preserving goddess of joy and protector of women. However, Bast's original role did not include the "cat as sex symbol" archetype. Worshiped in the Delta city of Bubastis and usually depicted as a cat or in human form with the head of a cat, Bast was seen as a protector of cats and those who cared for them.
How cool is that?
Bastet:
Bastet is the cat goddess of music and dancing. She is also one of the patron goddesses of the fine arts, including theater.
In ancient Egypt Bastet was usually represented as a cat or a woman with the head of a domesticated cat. Up until 1000 B.C. she was portrayed as a lioness, however, when she was shown as a lioness, she was associated with sunlight. She was heavily connected with the Moon, and her son Khensu was God of the Moon. Bastet was the Goddess of cats, fire, pregnant women, and of the home. Cats were very important pets in Egyptian society. According to one myth, she was the personification of the soul of Isis. She was also called the "Lady of the East". Bast represented a duality in that she possessed a gentle and fierce side. When docile she was protector of the home, but when she was fierce she was feared in battle. She was identified with the goddess Sekhmet, and they were called the Goddesses of the West (Sekhmet) and the East (Bastet). Both were shown with the heads of lionesses although Bastet was said to wear green, while Sekhmet wore red. Bast is first and foremost a protectress; specifically of the royal house and the Two Lands. Later she got the life-preserving goddess of joy and protector of women. However, Bast's original role did not include the "cat as sex symbol" archetype. Worshiped in the Delta city of Bubastis and usually depicted as a cat or in human form with the head of a cat, Bast was seen as a protector of cats and those who cared for them.
How cool is that?