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Bastet
Bastet A goddess of ancient Egypt, whose THEOPHANY
was the cat, Bastet’s cult center was at BUBASTIS. She was
the protector of pregnant women and was a pleasure loving
goddess who served as the patroness of music and
dance. Bastet was also believed to protect men from diseases
and demons. The goddess was considered the personification
of the warming rays of the sun on the Nile.
She was normally depicted as a woman with a cat’s head,
holding a SISTRUM and the symbol of life, the ANKH.
The goddess remained popular throughout Egypt
even to Roman times. Her festivals at Bubastis were
among the most well-attended celebrations in Egypt. People
set out in festooned barges, and music accompanied
all who made the pilgrimage to her shrine. The festival
was a time of pranks as well as another designated period,
of intoxication. A gigantic parade culminated the celebration,
and on that day few Egyptians were sober. Shrines
of the gods were erected in Rome, Ostia, Nemi, and Pompeii
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