Bastet

Goddess of The Protection of the Royal House and of the Two Lands.

The Goddess that grants birth and Joy.

Protector of Women and Children.

Protector of the Felines.

The Grand Goddess who brings Good Fortune.

Along with Dance and Music.

Goddess who is Beautiful with every Step.

Cautious but full of strength.

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Appearance -Of a cat or Human Form with a Cats head. At ancient times she was first depicted in some arts as a Lioness.

Sacred Animal : Cats

Symbols : cat, lioness, sistra, Udjat-eye.

Area once Worshiped Delta city of Bubastis.

Other names : Bast, Bastis, the Tearer, Bubastis, Pacht, Pasht Pasch, Ubast, Ubasti, Ba en Aset(the soul of Aset)

Other Titles: "Lady of the East", "the Light Bearer", "Lady of Truth" and "Goddess of the Birth Chamber"

Offerings : Sweet liquids mint, catnip, honey, raw meat, perfumes and ointment

First Appearance Around 3000BC.

Bastet is seen in some text as Daughter of Aset andOsiris . Sister of

Horus . As well as other text she has been seen as the Daughter of Ra. Bastet was said to be the daughter of Ra himself and legend has it that she defended her aging parent against his only real enemy, the serpent Apep, a representation, no doubt, of the eternal force of evil or darkness.

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Cemeteries of mummified felines have been unearthed by archaeologists bastards of English merchants sold thousands of those mummies as fertilizer.

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Mafdet

Unlike the other deities discussed in this chapter, Mafdet (or Maftet) was not based on lion or domestic cat imagery. As to exactly what animal she was there is some confusion, but she was certainly feline. Different sources claim she was a cheetah, a lynx or a leopard. Her name means 'runner', which seems to favour the idea she was a cheetah, but she is most popularly regarded as a lynx. Mafdet was certainly a ferocious goddess, as were most of the feline deities. In the Pyramid Texts, she is described as killing a serpent with her claws. The mere touch of her claws was apparently lethal to snakes. She reputedly leapt upon the necks of serpents and was also famous for slaying scorpions. In one instance, she is described as having braided hair, which could symbolise the bodies of scorpions and snakes that she killed.

There is little doubt that Mafdet is a very ancient goddess, predating both Bast and Sekhmet. The details of her worship have mostly been lost, although a representation of her does appear on a vase that was found at a royal tomb in Abydos, which dates from between 2950-2800 BC. It's likely that she is of African origin.

Mafdet is mentioned twice in the Book of the Dead. In one chapter she is reported as cutting off the head of a serpent, while in another, she is called upon to prevent the deceased from being bitten by snakes in the underworld. The following is taken from E A Budge's version of Chapter Twenty-Four:

'Oh Serpent! I am the flame which shineth upon the Opener of hundreds of thousands of years, and the standard of the god Tenpu, the standard of young plants and flowers. Depart ye from me, for I am the divine Mafdet.'

It seems that Mafdet can be either male or female, being referred to in different places as a lynx goddess or a lynx god. In our own group's encounters with this deity, he has so far manifested in our visualisations as male, a guide through the realm of shadows, an opener of the way. We have yet to ascertain whether this interpretation bears any true resemblance to original Egyptian belief.

According to 'The Witch's Goddess' by Janet and Stuart Farrar, Mafdet's titles are 'Lady of the Castle of Life' and 'Slayer of Serpents'. Regarding the former title, as far as we're aware, castles were not a common feature of the Egyptian landscape. Perhaps this title would be better interpreted as 'Lady of the Palace of Life', or 'Lady of the House of Life'
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