04 Jan 2021. Bast is also known as Bastet, Ubasti, and Pasch. 56 likes. Setna agrees to this also and sends for his children. They celebrated the festival of the goddess by drinking, dancing, making music, and displaying their genitals" (116). She went on a rampage, but she lost control, induced by bloodlust, and no one could stop her. She was also born from the fire of Ra's eyes. Account & Lists Account Returns & Orders. They associated Apollo with Horus, the son of Isis (Heru-sa-Aset) and so called the goddess known as Bast ba'Aset (Soul of Isis) which would be the literal translation of her name with the addition of the second 'T' to denote the feminine (Aset being among the Egyptian names for Isis). Mark, Joshua J. A road, paved with stone, of about three furlongs' length leads to the entrance, running eastward through the market place, towards the temple of Hermes; this road is about 400 feet wide, and bordered by trees reaching to heaven. This license lets others remix, tweak, and build upon this content non-commercially, as long as they credit the author and license their new creations under the identical terms. He has taught history, writing, literature, and philosophy at the college level. Khaemweset, known as the "First Egyptologist", was famous for his restoration and preservation efforts of ancient Egyptian monuments and, by the time of the Ptolemaic Dynasty, was greatly revered as a sage and magician. Whereas her twin sister Sekhmet was seen as the protectress of Upper Egypt, Bastet was revered as the deity who protected Lower Egypt. She is sometimes considered an alternate form of Bastet. He is so consumed with lust that he agrees to this and moves to embrace her. Sekhmet & Bastet by Lesley Jackson. They are closer than most might think. Sekhmet-Bastet Goddess of Fire With great concern over the continued and growing fires around us, the Goddess Sekhmet comes to mind. The most dominant role of Bastet is similar to some other feline goddesses – and that is protection of the king. He asks about her and learns her name is Taboubu, daughter of a priest of Bastet. **I do not own the music or the images appearing in the video. In some renditions of the story, Bastet killed Apep in the night in her cat form. The goddess was worshipped primarily at Bubastis but held a tutelary position at Saqqara and elsewhere. In the myth, Sekhmet came to being after Ra gazed upon the earth. English: In Egyptian mythology, Sekhmet was originally the warrior goddess as well as goddess of healing for Upper Egypt. Set Up a Bastet Altar. First, she tells him, he must sign over all his property and possessions to her. She has a strong presence in pop culture and a … In another myth, Ra became very angry at mankind since they did not respect the gods anymore. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); We use cookies to improve your experience on our website and to show you relevant ads. Lege… An aegis is a collarlike necklace (often called a broad-collar) bearing a divine head as symbol of protection and fertility. The Egyptians were undeterred in their veneration of the cat and their worship of Bastet, however.  Her status as one of the most popular and potent deities continued throughout the remainder of Egypt's history and on into the era of the Roman Empire until, like the other gods, she was eclipsed by the rise of Christianity.Â, Related Content Even so, scholars have come to no agreement on the meaning of her name. Sekhmet is known as Goddess of the West wearing red and Bastet is named the Goddess of the East dressed in green. Although Bastet is usually shown as a domestic feline, she can also take the form of a lioness. Aegis of Sakhmet or Bastet 664–30 B.C. Herodotus presents a vivid picture of the people traveling to Bubastis for the festival: When the people are on their way to Bubastis, they go by river, a great number in every boat, men and women together. Bast was sometimes considered to be Sekhmet´s counterpart (or twin depending on the legend), and in the festival of Hathor they embodied the duality central to Egyptian mythology. The Egyptians built 700 monuments to worship her. In some versions, she wakes up to see Ptah, God of creation and fertility, and falls in love. In spite of her rather violent nature, she was a kind goddess that many people worshiped. Bastet was the ancient Egyptian goddess of protection and cats. Ancient History Encyclopedia Foundation is a non-profit organization. by Osama Shukir Muhammed Amin (CC BY-NC-SA). The scholar Richard H. Wilkinson comments on this: In her earliest known form, as depicted on stone vessels of the 2nd dynasty, Bastet was represented as a woman with the maneless head of a lioness. Ra becomes angered upon seeing this and sought a way to gain retribution. We have also been recommended for educational use by the following publications: Ancient History Encyclopedia Foundation is a non-profit organization registered in Canada. Ancient History Encyclopedia, 24 Jul 2016. Today we are going to focus on two slightly similar, but still different Egyptian Goddesses: Sekhmet and Bastet! Hello, Sign in. This association was carried on in depictions of Bastet's son Maahes, protector of the innocent… Both Bastet and Sekhment took their early forms as feline defenders of the innocent, avengers of the wronged, from Mafdet. She holds him off, however, and tells him that his children must be sent for and must also sign the documents agreeing to this so that there will be no problems with the legal transference. In this time, Ra brought her back home, where she awoke without rage. She married Ptah. Bastet is sometimes rendered in art with a litter of kittens at her feet but her most popular depiction is of a sitting cat gazing ahead. But Ra was always managed to win before the end of the day. Although the story may be interpreted in many different ways, Geraldine Pinch argues that this section of the tale can most clearly be understood as an illustration of how Bastet punishes transgressors. The popularity of Bastet grew from her role as protector of women and the household. She acquired the title “The Scarlet Lady” because of her lust for blood. The only difference is that Bastet is the mild heat from the sun, while Sekhmet is the vicious heat. He has never seen any woman more beautiful in his life and sends her a note asking her to come to his bed for ten gold pieces but she returns a counter-offer telling him to meet her at the Temple of Bastet in Saqqara where she lives and he will then have all he desires. In time, as Bastet became more of a familial companion, she lost all trace of her lionine form and was regularly depicted as a house cat or a woman with the head of a cat often holding a sistrum. The people of Egypt came annually to the great festival of Bastet at Bubastis which was one of the most lavish and popular events of the year. Cats were also greatly prized in Egypt as they kept homes free of vermin (and so controlled diseases), protected the crops from unwanted animals, and provided their owners with fairly maintenance-free company. Another well researched and informative book by the hand of author Lesley Jackson. Mark has lived in Greece and Germany and traveled through Egypt. Bastet Sekhmet. In this story, Bastet takes on the form of a beautiful woman to punish a wrong-doer who had violated a tomb but the story would also have been cautionary to men who viewed women only as sexual objects in that they could never know whether they were actually in the presence of a goddess and what might happen should they offend her. Web. However, during the Third Intermediate Period and by the 22nd Dynasty or Bubastite Dynasty (945-715 BCE), this goddess began to be depicted with the head of a cat instead of a lioness. When Apep had the upper hand, earthquakes and storms occurred. It was believed that every day she would ride through the … This association was carried on in depictions of Bastet's son Maahes, protector of the innocent, who is shown as a lion-headed man carrying a long knife or as a lion. He plucked out his eye, which formed into a terrifying lion-headed goddess. Â. Geraldine Pinch concludes that Taboubu is a "manifestation of Bastet herself, playing her traditional role of punisher of humans who have offended the gods" (117). One spell advises pretending to be the 'son of Bastet' in order to avoid catching the plague. When the people of ancient Egypt rebelled against him, Ra claimed they plotted against him, and sent Hathor to punish humanity, but her bloodlust transformed her into Sekhmet. Some Rights Reserved (2009-2021) under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike license unless otherwise noted. In the later Coffin Texts (c. 2134-2040 BCE) she retains this role but is also seen as a protector of the dead. Sekhmet is a solar deity, sometimes called the daughter of Ra and often associated with the goddesses Hathor and Bastet. Bastet, in fact, was second only to Isis in popularity and, once she traveled through Greece to Rome, was equally popular among the Romans and the subjects of the later Roman Empire. (System Lord Plot Hooks) They were roughly 6.5 feet tall, with short soft fur covering their bodies. Bastet was the daughter of Ra, sister of Sekhmet, the wife of Ptah, and the mother of Mihos. For punish meant, he decided to send his daughter, Hathor, in the form of a lioness which became Sekhmet. Pharaoh informs him that his children still live and that everything he has experienced has been an illusion. With the documents signed he again moves toward her but, no, she has a third demand: his children must be killed so that they will not try to renege on the agreement and embroil her in a long, drawn-out court battle. Ancient History Encyclopedia Limited is a non-profit company registered in the United Kingdom. He further makes restitution to the inhabitants of the tomb by traveling to another city and retrieving mummies buried there who were part of the tomb inhabitant's family so they can all be reunited in one place. Ancient History Encyclopedia. It is suggested that Bastet enjoyed … Wilkinson writes: The goddess's popularity grew over time and in the Late Period and Graeco-Roman times she enjoyed great status. Bastetby Trustees of the British Museum (Copyright). (2016, July 24). Mark, J. J. It is customary for men and women (but not children) to assemble there to the number of seven hundred thousand, as the people of the place say (Histories, Book II.60). She is the mother of Nefertum. It was believed that her breath created the desert.Sometimes known as sister to Bastet/Bast, a goddess who protected pregnant women and children. She drank it and passed out, sleeping for three whole days. Setna instantly agrees to this; his children are murdered and their bodies thrown into the street. Ancient History Encyclopedia. (178). She was first represented as a woman with the head of a lioness and closely associated with the goddess Sekhmet but, as that deity's iconography depicted her as increasingly aggressive, Bastet's images softened over time to present more of a daily companion and helper than her earlier forms as savage avenger. Bastet appears early in the 3rd millennium BCE in her form as an avenging lioness in Lower Egypt. The Ancient History Encyclopedia logo is a registered EU trademark. Strictly Tabubue: The Legacy of an Egyptian Femme Fatale by Steve Vinson, The Complete Gods and Goddesses of Ancient Egypt. They had pointed snouts, triangular swiveling ears and seemed to resemble a house cat in appearance. Bastet is the goddess with the head of either a lion and a head. The festival of Bastet was also described by Herodotus who claimed it was the most elaborate of all the religious festivals of Egypt with large crowds participating in unrrestrained dancing, drinking, and revelry. Like other fierce goddesses in the Egyptian pantheon, she was called the “Eye of Re.” Both Sekhmet and Bastet are closely connected to the sun god Ra. Sekhmet is no more the "angry" side of Bast than Bast is the "pacified" side of Sekhmet; if any Egyptian deity occupies this role, it would be Het-hert, Who clearly becomes Sekhmet after She has gone forth to slaughter those who disobeyed the will of the Creator (Ra or Tem). She was the daughter of the sun god Ra and is associated with the concept of the Eye of Ra (the all-seeing eye) and the Distant Goddess (a female deity who leaves Ra and returns to bring transfromation). https://www.ancient.eu/Bastet/. This "raising of the skirts" by the women, described by Herodotus, had as much to do with freedom from social constraints as it did with the fertility associated with the goddess. Add a photo to this gallery Mark, published on 24 July 2016 under the following license: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike. Sekhmet represented Upper Egypt while Bast represented Lower Egypt. Ra named this new goddess "Sekhmet", and command… Â, Bastets & Sekhmetsby Kotomi Yamamura (CC BY-NC-SA). Other names of the Festival of Bast include, Procession of Bast or Bast Guards the Two Lands. The Tale of Setna and Taboubu (part of the work known as First Setna or Setna I) is the middle section of a work of Egyptian literature composed in Roman Egypt history and currently held by the Cairo Museum in Egypt. Designate a shelf, tabletop, or credenza as Bastet’s altar. The iconography of the goddess changed, however, perhaps as her nature began to be viewed as milder than that of other lioness deities. Her form and powers changed over the years. The goddess Bastet has been associated with Nefertum, the god of perfume and sweet things. A freelance writer and former part-time Professor of Philosophy at Marist College, New York, Joshua J. For me, the major difference is that Bastet is more of a local protector, so to speak, in that cats were kept and revered as pets and members of the family. In the beginning, she had a lioness head, but it changed to that of a cat in time.