Bast (Bastet) - Egyptian Love Goddess

Bastet, or more correctly, Bast--was originally worshipped as the Eye of Ra and protector of the Pharoah. But the conquering Greeks, Romans (and others) evolved her legends so that she eventually became the original Party Girl, ruling over pleasure, love-making and sensory delights. 

Also considered a patron goddess of home and family, she was a Daughter of the sun god Re, sister of Sekhmet the Lion Goddess, and the Wife of Ptah, although her worship appears to preceed that of Ptah by at least several centuries. 

The cult of Bast flourished at her sanctuary at Bubastis in the rich NIle delta region of Egypt, where a necropolis has been found containing mummified cats. She is depicted as a cat or as a woman with a cat's head, often holding the sacred rattle known as the sistrum.

Is it Bast or Bastet?  The confusion in the pronunciation runs deeper than one might think. Firstly, in many cases, the Egyptians did not record vowel sounds--so you might here "Bast" pronounced "BOST" or even "BIST".  We don't really know what the vowel sound was between the "B" and the "ST" sounds.  Secondly, the name "Bastet" has been used because the Egyptians used an extra "T" mark to distinguish a female rather than male personage.   If anyone attempts to correct you on the pronunciation of Bast--just shrug your shoulders and say "it's all Egyptian to me!".  No one really knows the exact pronunciation that the Egyptians used for the Goddess Bast!

See our special BAST gift page.

Spectacular Large Bastet
holding her sacred symbols,
the Aegis (symbolic shield) and
Sistrum (ceremonial rattle)
A rare and beautiful form
of the goddess Bast,
with her desert cat head
and feminine body.
She's a stately and impressive
15 1/2" tall.
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Egyptian Cat Goddess Bast Pendant
Small Size.
Antiqued, lead-free pewter pendant with genuine natural stone cabochon.
Shown with
Turquoise
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Interesting Bast Links
We've found some excellent articles on the web for your futher education and enjoyment regarding Egyptian Cat Goddess Bast:

Per Bast  -- A very beautiful and informative site dedicated to the Goddess Bast

Who is Bast? --Interesting information about the worship if cats in Egypt