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.

BastetThe 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)


"...as my eyes grew accustomed to the light, details of the room within emerged slowly from the mist, strange animals, statues, and gold - everywhere the glint of gold. For the moment - an eternity it must have seemed to the others standing by - I was struck dumb with amazement, and when Lord Carnarvon, unable to stand the suspense any longer, inquired anxiously, 'Can you see anything?' it was all I could do to get out the words, 'Yes, wonderful things. '"
~ Howard Carter, The Tomb of Tutankamen


Egyptian Goddess Bastet

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

Blue Bastet

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Cat-Headed Goddess Bastet
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Cat Coffin

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Coffin of a Cat Protected...
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The Temple of Bastet Cat Goddess

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Temple of Bastet : Egypti...
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Bronze Statue Depicting the Cat Goddess

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Bronze Statue of Cat Repr...
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Unusual Portrayal of Bastet

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Chatte Bastet couch??e avec son chaton
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Bastet Depicted as a Cat-Headed Woman

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Statue of Goddess Bastet ...
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A Statue of the Cat Goddess

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La d??esse Bastet, chatte ...
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Bastet

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statuette de la d??esse Ba...
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Statuette of Cat with Gold Earrings

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Statuette of a Cat with G...
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Bastet’s Head

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T??te de Bastet
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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.

"In ancient times cats were worshipped as gods; they have not forgotten this." ~ Terry Pratchett


I hope you enjoyed the pictures of the Bastet cat goddess shown here.



For more on the feline goddess and other related information, please visit the following:

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