Ancient Egyptian goddess Bastet. Egyptian cat goddess Bastet

2024 Author: Miguel Ramacey | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 06:11

It will not be new to anyone that the history of ancient Egypt is quite fascinating in its content. A huge number of different gods and goddesses have always attracted the attention of curious people. In this article, I want to talk about exactly who the goddess Bastet is, for whom she was the patroness and when people turned to her for help.

About name

First of all, you need to make a first impression of this goddess. So, at the very beginning it is worth saying that Bast and Bastet are two names of the same deity, you can call it this way and that. By her nature, she is the daughter of darkness and light, she is the embodiment of femininity, wisdom and beauty. Some militancy and ferocity of this image, which arose at first, the Egyptians reduced to a more pleasant awareness of warmth, home, motherhood, protective forces and fertility.

Family

According to different versions, the goddess Bastet was both the daughter of the god Ra (his Eye) and his wife. You can also find information that Bast was the daughter of Isis and Osiris. According to other sources, Bastet's husband could be the god Bes, the patron saint of the elderly and children, bringing good luck and joy. It is also important to say thatthe union of the gods Ra and Bastet was embodied in the god Mahes, the ferocious god of war and borax, who was depicted with a lion's head (it was crowned with two Egyptian crowns).

Picture

Very interesting is how the goddess Bastet was portrayed. This woman is either in the form of a cat or with a cat's head. However, in ancient Egypt, there are no images of tamed, domestic cats. They were depicted only as wild animals, such as the cat of Heliopolis. And only in the 2nd century AD, this animal was firmly reunited with people and domesticated. Since that hour, cats have been universally revered, protected and loved. After the death of these animals, they were embalmed, sometimes even deified. It will also be interesting that the cat is considered a sacred animal of the sun god. In cats, they saw his incarnation, and the eyes of these animals, according to the Egyptians, radiated sunlight.

Patron

So, who did the ancient Egyptian goddess Bastet protect, whom did she bring good luck, who could turn to her in case of certain problems? Yes, there are many versions. First of all, she is the patroness of all women, because she is a catwoman. They came to her with various problems, including when the lady could not get pregnant. This is the goddess of childbearing and fertility in all its manifestations. Bastet was also considered the protector of the hearth, she brought fun, love and joy to the house. This goddess and the healers of those times were very revered. They everywhere painted her image on the houses - in the form of a black cat, in order toto save the patient from death and for his faster recovery. But, despite all of the above, the goddess Bastet also has her own dark side. Still, she is the daughter of darkness, and sometimes she was depicted with a lion's head, angrily looking forward, and had a second name - Pasht, the goddess Bastet-Pasht.

About beauty

As in all times, women were looking for ways to keep their youth. And in this they were perfectly helped by the goddess of Egypt, Bastet. The priests created a certain number of exercises for women, which, in their opinion, were to stop the fading of the lady's beauty. During their execution, it was believed that the spirit of Bastet instilled in a woman, which awakened her grace, plasticity and hidden fortitude. After these classes, the Egyptians believed that they would remain attractive and young for a long time.

Cult of the Goddess: Beginning

When did the Egyptians begin to worship Bastet widely? This happened back in ancient Egypt, when in most cases this deity was depicted with a lion's head (like the goddess Sekhmet) and was considered the mother of the god of war and storm Mahes. During the celebration of the day of the goddess, it was forbidden to hunt lions, because it was believed that on this day these animals become sacred, because the spirit of Bastet instilled in them. However, over time, the features of her face became softer, and her appearance more tender and feminine. And over time, this goddess became the patroness of the hearth, women and childbirth, joy and fun.

Goddess Cult: Blooming

SpecialThe cat goddess Bastet became revered during the prosperity of the Middle Kingdom, when the ancient inhabitants of Egypt finally learned how to grow grain and thought of storing it for future use in order to avoid starvation. It is not difficult to guess why the goddess Bastet was given special attention at this time.

All because the main enemy of this grain is mice, and the goddess is a cat. At the same time, this deity began to be associated with the we alth of the country and was widely revered. The center of worship of the goddess was the city of Bubastis, which was located in Lower Egypt. It was there that the largest and main temple of Bastet was built, which was surrounded by a large moor and decorated with beautiful bas-reliefs. In the middle was her largest statue, to which a huge number of pilgrims came every day, bringing small figurines of cats as a gift, hoping for her favor and kindness.

It is worth saying that a huge number of cats lived in this temple, and at its foot there was also a sacred cemetery of these animals. Like the pharaohs, they learned to mummify cats, they were placed in sarcophagi specially prepared for them and buried with all honors. Today, the temple is destroyed, only ruins remain of it. However, everyone who has visited Bubastis says that even from its ruins it breathes strength and former majesty and beauty.

Bastet Day

It is worth saying that Bastet, the goddess of ancient Egypt, was worshiped seven times a year. At this time, a huge number of pilgrims gathered in the temple, who came to bowgoddess. Various prayers were read, special songs were sung, sacrifices were made.

Interesting is the spring worship of this goddess. So, at this time, her statue was taken out of the temple, placed in a large boat and rolled along the entire Nile River. This was done primarily so that the goddess would save the river from spilling it, which was detrimental to the Egyptians.

About cats

It is worth mentioning that the statuette of the goddess Bastet was always in almost every house of the Egyptians. She was considered a strong amulet and protector of the hearth. In addition, it was considered a good sign if a live cat lived in the family. It is worth saying that she was the most important member of the family, sometimes even more important and more important than the child. The cat was always fed before the owners sat down at the table, she slept in a specially designated place for her or even a room that was necessarily decorated.

Especially important was the event when the cat was dying. It was a huge grief for the family. She was mummified according to all the rules, buried with great honors, food was put in the sarcophagus so that the cat in the other world would not starve, and also the mouse so that she would not be bored there. For a long time after the death of the animal, the owners still mourned the loss, wearing mourning clothes. It is worth mentioning that the killing of a cat was considered a huge sin and was punishable by death by law. It was also impossible to take cats out of the country, but merchants did this everywhere, creating a certain ritual of honor from this (thanks to this, cats spread throughout the world). However, love forThese animals played a cruel joke with the Egyptians during the war with the Persians. The fact is that the Persian king knew about such love of the Egyptians and ordered his soldiers to tie a cat to each shield. The soldiers simply did not dare to shoot at the sacred animals, and were easily captured by the enemy.

Goddess Cult: Withering

After the Roman power came to the country, the Egyptian cat goddess Bastet was revered less and less, and already in 390 her cult was completely banned by law. Over time, interest and respect for this animal subsided, while cats were kept in houses simply as hunters for snakes and mice, which at that time were quite numerous. However, even less fortunate were the cats that ended up in Europe. For their love of walking at night and glowing eyes in the dark, the Catholic Church declared them to be the offspring of the devil. A particularly hard fate befell black cats, who were so revered in ancient Egypt, they were considered assistants to witches and receptacles for the souls of their dead brothers. Cats were killed, tortured, they were mocked in every possible way. However, as soon as the Renaissance came, these animals were finally left alone, and interest in them pretty much subsided. Today, there is no negative attitude towards cats, but so far no one deifies them. These animals, as before, live next to people, a huge number of various superstitions are associated with them, to which people are still cautious out of habit. However, who knows, maybe the time will come again, and cats will be revered, as before, extolling them oncertain pedestal.