Fic: Bubastis, 1400 BC
For _silverfox, who chose the prompt ‘Cat’ on my writing meme. This is a loose prequel to the Triangle prompt fill, where I wrote about the Plagues of Egypt. Since tomorrow (Oct 31st) is, in addition to being Samhain/Halloween, also one of Bast's feast days (although she shares this one with Sekhmet and Ra) I thought this was a fitting time to post this. :D Although please note that the Festival of Bubastis would have taken place in middle April.
Historical/mythological notes: While Bubastis reached its peak during the 22nd Dynasty, the Plagues were believed to have taken place during the reign of Ramses II, of the 19th Dynasty; I rather doubt Gabriel and Bast had talked things out by then, so this takes place sometime during the early 18th dynasty. Since the entrance hall, festival hall and hypostyle hall of the Temple of Bast were only built during the 22nd Dynasty, most of the celebration here is outdoors. Tanis did indeed have a famous royal wine-producing estate, known as ‘Preserver of Kemet’ (though admittedly I don’t know if it was actually during this time period). Maahes is a leonine Nubian war god who was assimilated into the Egyptian pantheon and considered Bast’s son. And there is actually very little evidence supporting large-scale Hebrew slavery, so I avoid referring to them as a nation of slaves here.
Meme: Cat aka Bubastis, 1400BC
It should be made very clear that Gabriel was not drunk. He was simply feeling pleasantly mellow and relaxed. Nearby Tanis was famed for its royal vineyard, and he had to admit that its reputation was well deserved.
“More wine, Djibril?” Bast held up the earthenware jug, and Gabriel shook his head and shielded his faience goblet with one hand.
“No, thank you, Bast. I’m sorry, but you won’t see me joining in the dances later.”
She made a moue, and he laughed. The two of them were seated on the ground near the naos, the innermost shrine within the Temple of Bast, and he could just make out the elegant statue of a cat inside; it was both unlike and like the graceful woman next to him. One of the priests walked past to burn more incense, gaze sliding unseeingly over them; the temple cats, however, could see them perfectly clearly, and they milled around Bast like hungry cubs surrounding a lioness, pressing close to lie by her side and occasionally hissing at each other over that privilege.
The sun was beginning to set and the sky was the colour of burnished gold, casting a warm, ruddy light over everything; the little temple’s red granite pillars and tall trees were practically glowing. One of the cats was lying in a patch of sunlight near Gabriel; it yawned and stretched before curling up against him, and he petted its head and lightly scratched behind its ears. Laughter floated down from the crowds by the canals as the last pilgrims disembarked from their barges to the accompaniment of bawdy songs.
Bast gently eased a pregnant cat off her lap before standing. “Come, we don’t want to miss the prayers and the feast. Maahes will be there, too.” Gabriel smiled at her affectionate tone when speaking of her adopted son, as he tried to stand up without disturbing the snoozing cat by his side. It still stirred, however, and sent him a slightly baleful glare. Bast’s amused laughter filled the temple.
~*~
Enormous quantities of wine were being consumed and the air was full of song and laughter. Some clapped and others shook sistrums or tambourines or beat drums, accompanying the singers as they provided a rhythm for the numerous dancers. In shadowed corners, Gabriel could make out couples - or threesomes or more, in some cases - engaged in another sort of dance. He blushed, turning back to the circle in which several young men and women were dancing, clapping his hands to the beat; the music thrummed through him, filling him with a strange energy, and he found himself laughing.
“Dance with us!” Bast gripped his wrist, pulling him into the circle despite his panicked head-shaking. Close by, Maahes sent him a grin that was nearly feral in its joy before weaving his way between two dancers and joining in, leonine grace evident in his movements. For a moment Gabriel was tempted, before he managed to pull away. “I can’t dance,” he demurred, shaking his head.
“Clearly I should have made you drink more wine.” She let him rejoin the spectators as she, too, joined the dancers, the bangles on her wrists jangling as she moved fluidly, hips swaying and hands describing intricate waves and patterns in the air.
Down by the temple, the priests were making offerings and burning frankincense, its heady scent in the air as the people clapped and danced and sang Bast’s praises, unaware that she was amongst them in human form. As a being that had been created to worship and be an intermediary, Gabriel could sense the faith and love around him, like lying in a shallow but fast-moving river and feeling the cool water flow around and over you, and he shivered. The Archangel reflected that he probably wasn’t supposed to join in pagan celebrations, but the gods had been nothing but hospitable; besides, he could hardly go around persuading the Egyptians to adopt the faith of a foreign minority.
There were a few Hebrew onlookers at the celebration, either citizens of Bubastis or slaves who had accompanied their masters on the barges; they watched quietly, posture aloof. The goddess’s dance brought her near the spectators; she suddenly grabbed the hands of a thin little Hebrew girl with wide, dark eyes, pulling her into the circle and whirling her around before guiding her through the dance steps. The girl laughed as she tried to keep up with this strange, beautiful woman; her watching mother smiled a little, but remained tense and watchful until Bast finally released her daughter with a laugh. She smiled back before running back to her mother, who chided her softly but not with much anger. Bast watched them with a small smile.
Gabriel watched them for a moment, too, before glancing at the goddess curiously. Bast noticed his look, and shrugged. “She was a child; it matters little to me what else she is. I have no need of her belief. I have enough.”
The angel was silent for a moment. “My Father and brothers would not share your view, I’m afraid.”
“You are not them, and I care not what your Father thinks as long as He does not interfere with Egypt. Come, the feast is being laid out and you must try the Nile perch.”
Gabriel let her pull him along and press food wrapped in leaves into his hands; as he nibbled on a honey-coated date, he watched the dancers against the firelight and the lines of the temple beyond. The song and the smell of incense and food wrapped around him like a blanket, protection against the chilly desert night, and despite the niggling feeling that this would not last, he smiled.
~*~
Historical/mythological notes: While Bubastis reached its peak during the 22nd Dynasty, the Plagues were believed to have taken place during the reign of Ramses II, of the 19th Dynasty; I rather doubt Gabriel and Bast had talked things out by then, so this takes place sometime during the early 18th dynasty. Since the entrance hall, festival hall and hypostyle hall of the Temple of Bast were only built during the 22nd Dynasty, most of the celebration here is outdoors. Tanis did indeed have a famous royal wine-producing estate, known as ‘Preserver of Kemet’ (though admittedly I don’t know if it was actually during this time period). Maahes is a leonine Nubian war god who was assimilated into the Egyptian pantheon and considered Bast’s son. And there is actually very little evidence supporting large-scale Hebrew slavery, so I avoid referring to them as a nation of slaves here.
Meme: Cat aka Bubastis, 1400BC
It should be made very clear that Gabriel was not drunk. He was simply feeling pleasantly mellow and relaxed. Nearby Tanis was famed for its royal vineyard, and he had to admit that its reputation was well deserved.
“More wine, Djibril?” Bast held up the earthenware jug, and Gabriel shook his head and shielded his faience goblet with one hand.
“No, thank you, Bast. I’m sorry, but you won’t see me joining in the dances later.”
She made a moue, and he laughed. The two of them were seated on the ground near the naos, the innermost shrine within the Temple of Bast, and he could just make out the elegant statue of a cat inside; it was both unlike and like the graceful woman next to him. One of the priests walked past to burn more incense, gaze sliding unseeingly over them; the temple cats, however, could see them perfectly clearly, and they milled around Bast like hungry cubs surrounding a lioness, pressing close to lie by her side and occasionally hissing at each other over that privilege.
The sun was beginning to set and the sky was the colour of burnished gold, casting a warm, ruddy light over everything; the little temple’s red granite pillars and tall trees were practically glowing. One of the cats was lying in a patch of sunlight near Gabriel; it yawned and stretched before curling up against him, and he petted its head and lightly scratched behind its ears. Laughter floated down from the crowds by the canals as the last pilgrims disembarked from their barges to the accompaniment of bawdy songs.
Bast gently eased a pregnant cat off her lap before standing. “Come, we don’t want to miss the prayers and the feast. Maahes will be there, too.” Gabriel smiled at her affectionate tone when speaking of her adopted son, as he tried to stand up without disturbing the snoozing cat by his side. It still stirred, however, and sent him a slightly baleful glare. Bast’s amused laughter filled the temple.
~*~
Enormous quantities of wine were being consumed and the air was full of song and laughter. Some clapped and others shook sistrums or tambourines or beat drums, accompanying the singers as they provided a rhythm for the numerous dancers. In shadowed corners, Gabriel could make out couples - or threesomes or more, in some cases - engaged in another sort of dance. He blushed, turning back to the circle in which several young men and women were dancing, clapping his hands to the beat; the music thrummed through him, filling him with a strange energy, and he found himself laughing.
“Dance with us!” Bast gripped his wrist, pulling him into the circle despite his panicked head-shaking. Close by, Maahes sent him a grin that was nearly feral in its joy before weaving his way between two dancers and joining in, leonine grace evident in his movements. For a moment Gabriel was tempted, before he managed to pull away. “I can’t dance,” he demurred, shaking his head.
“Clearly I should have made you drink more wine.” She let him rejoin the spectators as she, too, joined the dancers, the bangles on her wrists jangling as she moved fluidly, hips swaying and hands describing intricate waves and patterns in the air.
Down by the temple, the priests were making offerings and burning frankincense, its heady scent in the air as the people clapped and danced and sang Bast’s praises, unaware that she was amongst them in human form. As a being that had been created to worship and be an intermediary, Gabriel could sense the faith and love around him, like lying in a shallow but fast-moving river and feeling the cool water flow around and over you, and he shivered. The Archangel reflected that he probably wasn’t supposed to join in pagan celebrations, but the gods had been nothing but hospitable; besides, he could hardly go around persuading the Egyptians to adopt the faith of a foreign minority.
There were a few Hebrew onlookers at the celebration, either citizens of Bubastis or slaves who had accompanied their masters on the barges; they watched quietly, posture aloof. The goddess’s dance brought her near the spectators; she suddenly grabbed the hands of a thin little Hebrew girl with wide, dark eyes, pulling her into the circle and whirling her around before guiding her through the dance steps. The girl laughed as she tried to keep up with this strange, beautiful woman; her watching mother smiled a little, but remained tense and watchful until Bast finally released her daughter with a laugh. She smiled back before running back to her mother, who chided her softly but not with much anger. Bast watched them with a small smile.
Gabriel watched them for a moment, too, before glancing at the goddess curiously. Bast noticed his look, and shrugged. “She was a child; it matters little to me what else she is. I have no need of her belief. I have enough.”
The angel was silent for a moment. “My Father and brothers would not share your view, I’m afraid.”
“You are not them, and I care not what your Father thinks as long as He does not interfere with Egypt. Come, the feast is being laid out and you must try the Nile perch.”
Gabriel let her pull him along and press food wrapped in leaves into his hands; as he nibbled on a honey-coated date, he watched the dancers against the firelight and the lines of the temple beyond. The song and the smell of incense and food wrapped around him like a blanket, protection against the chilly desert night, and despite the niggling feeling that this would not last, he smiled.
~*~