Bastet Cat Goddess

On this page you will find a gallery of pictures depicting the Bastet cat goddess. These pieces make great gifts for cat lovers as well as for lovers of art and Ancient Egypt.

Who was Bastet?

Bastet was the Ancient Egyptian goddess of fertility, women and children. She was also the protector of the Pharaoh and Lower Egypt. Bastet was a sun goddess and as such was believed to be the daughter of Ra, the Sun God and one of the main Ancient Egyptian deities.

Bastet was initially depicted as a woman with the head of a lioness but it was later portrayed a cat-headed woman. She was also portrayed as a desert cat.

The many names of Bastet

It is not clear what the name Bastet actually means, but some scholars think that it means "she of the ointment jar". The following names are also associated with the cat goddess:

• Bast
• Baast
• Boubastis or Bubastis
• Ubasti
• Ailuros (Greek for cat)

Egyptian Goddess Bastet

The following posters are brought to you in affiliation with Art.com.

Blue Bastet

Cat-Headed Goddess Bastet Buy From Art.com

Cat Coffin

Coffin of a Cat Protected... Buy From Art.com

The Temple of Bastet Cat Goddess

Temple of Bastet : Egypti... Buy From Art.com

Bronze Statue Depicting the Cat Goddess

Bronze Statue of Cat Repr... Buy From Art.com

Unusual Portrayal of Bastet

Chatte Bastet couch??e avec son chaton Buy From Art.com

Bastet Depicted as a Cat-Headed Woman

Statue of Goddess Bastet ... Buy From Art.com

A Statue of the Cat Goddess

La d??esse Bastet, chatte ... Buy From Art.com

Bastet

statuette de la d??esse Ba... Buy From Art.com

Statuette of Cat with Gold Earrings

Statuette of a Cat with G... Buy From Art.com

Bastet’s Head

T??te de Bastet Buy From Art.com

Cats in Ancient Egypt

Cats played an important role in Ancient Egypt's society. They started as desert cats and were later domesticated. Cats (known as Mau to the Ancient Egyptians) were highly respected as hunters of mice and other vermin.

They became essential to the preservation of crops. Soon, cat began to be adopted as pets. Indeed, many cats were mummified and buried along with their owners, a sign of the high regard cats had among their human companions.

Eventually, cats attained a divine status as they were believed to be the embodiment of the cat goddess Bastet.