Bast--the Cat Goddess of Egypt

"Her name was originally B'sst which became Ubaste, then Bast, then Bastet; the meaning of this name is not known or, at least, not universally agreed upon." ~ (Definition of the goddess Bastet or Bast, or B'sst at ancient.eu)

On researching the history of the Egyptian cat goddess, Bast as we all know her, I found some interesting history on her for those of you who aren't familiar.

Her cult was located in an Egyptian city called Bubastis, whose ruins lie one mile north of the modern city of Zagazig. In (c. 2890 - c. 2670 BCE), followers of the cult of Bastet, revered cats and worshiped her in this city.

Bast, as an Egyptian goddess was the protector of women and children, the home, secrets, all things feminine such as perfumes and ointments. She is the daughter of the sun god, Ra and it says she is also associated with the symbolic all-seeing eye of Ra, so popular even in today's pop culture.

She governs over the plant we all know as catnip or catmint. I've enjoyed watching mine grow so large this year and so have my cats. Lovely to watch the bumblebees and butterflies flocking around the tiny purple flowers, pollinating and drinking the nectar of this mysterious plant. Our cats love it.

The ancient Egyptians made this sound pssst or bssst to mention her name. We still use this ancient sound unknowingly when we call our cats or want to get their attention. And they indeed pay attention! As if we're calling on the spirit of this ancient deity they seem to understand genetically and they come running when we go "b'sst, b'sst, b'sst."