Bastet Statue, Bronze Finish

Bast is the much beloved Cat Goddess. Sometimes known as Bastet, the Egyptian goddess of the home, pleasure, music, dancing, joy, domesticity, women’s secrets, cats, fertility, and childbirth. She sometimes represents the moon in its function of making a woman fruitful, with swelling womb. She protected the home from evil spirits and disease, especially diseases associated with women and children. As with many deities in Egyptian religion, she also played a role in the afterlife.

She is sometimes depicted as a guide and helper to the dead although this was not one of her primary duties. 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 transformation). Bastet was one of the most popular deities of ancient Egypt as she was the protector of everyone’s home and family.