| In Egyptian mythology, Bast (also spelt Ubasti, and | | | | This merging of identities of similar goddesses has |
| Pasht) is an ancient goddess, worshipped at least | | | | lead to considerable confusion, leading to some |
| since the Second Dynasty. The centre of her cult | | | | associating things such as the title Mistress of the |
| was in Per-Bast (Bubastis in Greek), which was | | | | Sistrum (more properly belonging to Hathor, who |
| named after her. Originally she was viewed as the | | | | had become thought of as an aspect of Isis, as |
| protector goddess of Lower Egypt, and | | | | had Mut), and the idea of her as a lunar goddess |
| consequently depicted as a fierce lion. Indeed, her | | | | (more properly an attribute of Mut). Indeed, much |
| name means (female) devourer. As protectress, | | | | of this confusion occurred to subsequent |
| she was seen as defender of the pharaoh, and | | | | generations, as the identities slowly merged, |
| consequently of the chief god, Ra, who was a | | | | leading to the Greeks, who sometimes named her |
| solar deity, gaining her the titles Lady of flame, | | | | Ailuros (Greek for cat), thinking of Bast as a |
| and Eye of Ra . Bast was originally a goddess of | | | | version of Artemis, their own moon goddess. And |
| the sun, but later changed by the Greeks to a | | | | thus, to fit their own cosmology, to the Greeks, |
| goddess of the moon. | | | | Bast was thought of as the sister of Horus, who |
| Later scribes sometimes named her Bastet, a | | | | they identified as Apollo (Artemis' brother), and |
| variation on Bast consisting of an additional | | | | consequently the daughter of Isis and Osiris. |
| feminine suffix to the one already present, | | | | Bast in popular culture |
| thought to have been added to emphasise | | | | In the Disney movie The Three Lives of |
| pronunciation. Since Bastet would literally mean | | | | Thomasina, the eponymous cat 'dies' during the |
| (female) of the ointment jar, Bast gradually | | | | movie and imagines herself going to cat heaven, |
| became thought of as the goddess of perfumes, | | | | presided over by a great statue of the cat |
| earning the title perfumed protector. In connection | | | | goddess. |
| with this, when Anubis became the god of | | | | In an episode of The West Wing, an unexpected |
| embalming, Bast, as goddess of ointment, | | | | filibuster is blamed, in part, on C.J. Cregg breaking |
| became thought of as his mother, although this | | | | an ancient statue of the goddess Bast. |
| association was broken in later years, when | | | | Bast appears as a minor, but influential, character |
| Anubis became thought of as Nephthys' son. | | | | in two of Neil Gaiman's works, The Sandman and |
| This gentler characteristic, of goddess of | | | | American Gods. In Sandman, Bast appears as a |
| perfumes, together with Lower Egypt's position | | | | friend and confidant of Dream, at one point |
| as the loser in the wars between Upper & Lower | | | | openly flirting with him although nothing comes of |
| Egypt, lead to her ferocity being gradually toned | | | | it. In American Gods, she appears at times as a |
| down. Thus by the Middle Kingdom, she had come | | | | cat living with other Egyptian gods Thoth and |
| to be thought of as a domestic cat rather than a | | | | Anubis who now survive as small-town morticians, |
| lion, although occasionally, she would be depicted | | | | and during the story Bast provides the |
| holding a lionness mask, hinting at suppressed | | | | protagonist Shadow with comfort and protection |
| ferocity. Since domestic cats tend to be quite | | | | (for example, using her powers among other cats |
| tender, and protective, toward their children, she | | | | to keep an eye on him). There is also a 3 issue |
| was also thought of as a good mother, and | | | | limited series called The Sandman Presents: Bast |
| sometimes became depicted with numerous | | | | written by Caitlin Kiernan. |
| (unidentified) kittens. Consequently, a woman who | | | | In the pilot episode of the television show Dark |
| wanted children would sometimes wear an amulet | | | | Angel, a major plot element revolves around the |
| depicting Bast, as a cat, with kittens, the number | | | | main character Max (who has feline DNA) stealing |
| of which indicated her own desired amount of | | | | a statue of the goddess Bast. |
| children. | | | | In the 2004 movie Catwoman, the title |
| Due to the severe disaster to the food supply | | | | character's supernatural powers are linked to the |
| that could be caused by simple vermin such as | | | | goddess Bast. |
| mice and rats, and their ability to fight and kill | | | | Bast also appears in a book called Catswold |
| snakes, especially Cobras, Cats in Egypt were | | | | Portals, she is the mother of a species called |
| revered heavily, sometimes being given golden | | | | catswold humans that turn into cats. |
| jewelery to wear, and being allowed to eat from | | | | Bastet also appeared as a Goa'uld System Lord in |
| the same plates as their owners. Consequently, as | | | | the television series Stargate SG-1. |
| the main cat (rather than lion) deity, Bast was | | | | In one episode of the television show Early Edition, |
| strongly revered as the patron of cats, and thus | | | | a statue of Bastet brings vengeance on thieves |
| it was in the temple at Per-Bast that dead (and | | | | who steal the statue's emerald eyes, and the |
| mummified) cats were brought for burial. Over | | | | mysterious cat who brings a newspaper from the |
| 300,000 mummified cats were discovered when | | | | future is linked with the feline deity. |
| Bast's temple at per-Bast was excavated. | | | | In Terry Pratchett's Discworld series, there is a |
| As a cat/lion goddess, and protector of the lands, | | | | cat-headed deity called Bast. The difference being |
| when, during the New Kingdom, the fierce lion god | | | | that in Egyptian Mythology, Bast is depicted as |
| Maahes became part of Egyptian mythology, she | | | | female, whereas the Discworld Bast is male. He is |
| was identified, in the Lower Kingdom, as his | | | | the God of things left on the doorstep or |
| mother. This paralleled the identification of the | | | | half-digested under the bed. |
| fierce lion goddess Sekhmet, as his mother in the | | | | Bastet is referenced in Garfield: His 9 Lives |
| Upper Kingdom. | | | | In the role-playing game universe World of |
| As divine mother, and more especially as | | | | Darkness, the Bastet are werecats, one of many |
| protectress, for Lower Egypt, she became | | | | shapeshifting breeds. |
| strongly associated with Wadjet, the patron | | | | In the 2004 movie Immortel (Ad Vitam), Bastet, |
| goddess of Lower Egypt, eventually becoming | | | | along with Anubis, wait in the floating pyramid for |
| Wadjet-Bast, paralleling the similar pair of patron | | | | the seven days while Horus tries to produce |
| (Nekhbet) and lioness protector (Sekhmet) for | | | | offspring. They are responsible for awakening |
| Upper Egypt. Eventually, her position as patron | | | | Horus, and punishing him for his crimes after the |
| and protector of Lower Egypt, lead to her being | | | | seven-day-long hourglasses run out. |
| identified as the more substantial goddess Mut, | | | | Bastet is the name of a record label owned by |
| whose cult had risen to power with that of | | | | Arthur Magazine. |
| Amun, and eventually being absorbed into her as | | | | Bast is also one of the major goddesses |
| Mut-Wadjet-Bast. Shortly after, Mut also absorbed | | | | worshipped by the Amazons of Bana-Mighdall in |
| the identities of the Sekhmet-Nekhbet pairing as | | | | the DC Comics magazine Wonder Woman. |
| well. | | | | |