Bast

in: Gods & Religions

## Introduction

Bast, or Bastet, is the goddess of grace, the harvest, and fertility for not only her own people but of the earth. She is one of the oldest and most commonly worshiped goddesses of the Khemetian pantheon. The expanding knowledge of Bast was popularized in lower Khemet, for Bast brought hope.

*There was a land made verdant by the swelling of a river, and within it the fish and the ibis, and the lion, and the snake. Great and mighty Pra, Lord of the Sun, would sail his boat across the ocean in the sky, giving light to all the world that the papyrus, the wheat and barley and flax, the date trees and fig trees and the lovely lotus might grow along the river. All this bounty did Pra give to the world, and the beasts were fat and pleased. All but the snake, however, who slithered through the reeds at the waterside, scheming, hiding from the light of Pra and jealous of his life-giving power. One day, when Pra was preparing his ship for sailing to the east, the serpent did slither upon his boat, and hide beneath Pra's great seat. "I will wait until the sun is at its highest, and then I will bite mighty Pra, kill him with my venom, and steal his power for myself!"Pra did not see this danger beneath his feet, and readied his sails for his daily trip across the sky. There was, however, a lioness hunting gazelles in the yellow grass, who saw what the snake was doing. She said to herself, "If this snake destroys Mighty Pra, how will the yellow grass grow? What will the gazelles eat and feed their fawns? And what will I eat, if they cannot multiply?" The lioness knew this evil could not come to be, and so she boarded the boat as well, and though it was against her nature she made herself docile, and rubbed herself against Mighty Pra's legs, so that he might find her pleasant and allow her to accompany him across the sky that day.*

*Pra was enamored of this gentle lioness, and he let her lay upon his lap as he sailed his ship across the sky - Pra is far larger than any man, and a lioness is as a housecat to him. The serpent, seeing this, was frightened for lions are quite fierce. But he thought, "I am hidden here in the shade beneath Pra's seat. She will never see me, and by the time I have bitten Pra, I will have his mighty power, and it will be too late. "The snake bade his time. He was called Sopeth, and he was very patient, and very clever. And when the sun was at its highest, he opened his mouth wide and bit Pra upon the ankle! The lioness had her eye upon the snake - a cats eyes are very keen, and see well even in deepest darkness. Sopeth was quick, but so was she... before Pra's power could be stolen by the serpent, she grabbed him in her teeth, and threw him from the ship with a mighty roar! Pra, alas, was wounded - there was venom in his blood, and his power began to wane. The sun turned black that day, the sky red, and all the birds and insects were silent in terror of the unnatural sky. As Pra lay dying at the prow of his boat, the lioness bowed her head and licked the venom from his wound, taking it from him unto herself. The venom stole her power - she grew smaller and smaller, until she was the size of a housecat, miniscule beside mighty Pra. But the sun was saved, and Pra stood up and adjusted his sails, healed by the lioness' sacrifice. His boat continued across the sky, and life continued upon the earth as it ought. At the end of his journey that day, mighty Pra took the cat in his hand, and blessed her - "From this day forth, you will be as my daughter, my protector in all things. I will place a mirror in the night sky, and it shall be your domain - the moon, my reflection, shall be yours. And when I create men, they will revere you and keep you within their homes, anoint you with oil and perfume, and call you family. The power that Sopeth sought to steal from me, I give to you - you will be called Bast, the Lady of Bounty, she who makes the grass and the barley and the papyrus grow, she who brings the rains and whose mirror pulls the tides and gives light in deepest darkness. You are forever blessed, my daughter, for your sacrifice to the sun. "And so it was that Bast became a goddess, the protector of Pra and of Men, The Lady of Perfumes, the giver of all Bounty and Beauty, the daughter of the sun.*

### Appearance

The oldest teachings of Bast depicted her as a towering lioness or desert sand cat, it wasn't until later teachings during the New Kingdom that her form was thought of as more of a domesticated cat.

### *Lioness*

In this aspect, Bast is a fierce warrior with the body of a woman and head of a lioness. She is clad in the scaled and beaded garb of Khemet, with a golden collar upon her shoulders, and wielding twin Kopesh or a mighty bow. Sometimes the goddess is also shown wearing a feather cloak and skull mask.

### *Domesticated Cat*

In the newer teachings, the Goddess is depicted as seductive. She has the head of a sleek black cat with emerald green eyes, large wedge-shaped ears, and the body of a slender, yet voluptuous woman. Often, Bast is clad in revealing silks of Khemet styling, and wears a golden collar upon her shoulders, rings in her ears, and upon her fingers. She is also often shown with an ankh in hand, and is sometimes depicted entwined with twin serpents, or wearing a feather cloak and a skull mask.

## Personality

Bast is a dual goddess, with two appearances, and two personalities to go with it. The warrior goddess, with the head of the lioness is fierce and proud, unrelenting in her wrath. Protective, and wise, skilled in the knowledge of combat and healing, she is a formidable foe. As the domestic cat, she is aloof, graceful, and the most beautiful woman in the world. She is proud to a fault, seeming lazy, and far gentler than her lioness counterpart. As the cat-headed goddess, she is gentle, and affectionate. Though she is slow to act, Bast is fierce once the lioness comes forth.

## Cultures

Bast is most widely and openly worshiped in Khemet, though her influence is beginning to reach farther.

She is viewed as a goddess of luck among the Carnival, and while she is not openly worshiped, her name is frequently invoked as a good luck symbol during gambling, or other risky ventures. Among the Muulari, she is feared and hated by those who see her as a goddess of destruction and devastation. Bast is depicted as a snowy white lioness among the Orudei, and is viewed as a symbol of strength, cunning, joy, and bliss. Other, ancient cultures, include stone lions in their architecture, and are speculated to have worshiped the lioness form of Bast. Pure Arai and feline shifters are widely believed to have ties to Bast, and are often revered in Khemet where Arai are expected to hold clergy positions known as Miut: priests and priestesses sacred to Bast. To harm one is considered a crime.

## Relations

Daughter of the Sun, Pra.

Rival of Sopeth

## Depictions

She is often depicted as a woman with the head of a domestic black cat, or a lioness. In either form she may be shown wearing a feathered cloak, or a skull mask, and holding a kopesh, ankh, or serpents.Other depictions may show her as a lioness, or a domestic cat.

## Symbols

### *Ankh*

The ankh is a symbol of warding off evil. It appears like a cross with a loop at the top.

### *Khopesh*

A wickedly curved blade. It is a symbol of power and protection.

### *Twin Snakes*

Two serpents, one copper scaled, the other golden. They are symbols of seduction and wisdom, and protection against Sopeth.

### *Lion Statuses*

Lion statues are erected in the hopes that their presence will ward off evil.

### *Cat Statues*

Statues of cats are erected in the hopes of bringing good fortune.

### *Live Cats*

Temple cats are viewed as living incarnations of the goddess, by her priests and priestesses. They protect homes and crops from disease (by exterminating vermin).

### *Perfume*

Her name could be translated as “Devouring Lady”. However, the phonetic elements “bas” are written with an oil jar (the “t” is the feminine ending) which is not used when writing the word “devour”. The oil jar gives an association with perfume; thus her name implies that she is sweet and precious, but that under the surface lay the heart of a predator.