
Bastet, the cat goddess. Bastet was the daughter of Ra. She was originally
associated with the Sun, but the Greeks linked her to Artemis and declared her
a moon goddess.
Bastet was a giver of blessings to the good and a deliverer of wrath to the
evil, just as was Sekhmet.
The domestic cat was sacred to Bastet. The cult temple of Bastet at Bubastis
was said to rival the temples of Ra and Horus. Bastet was also worshipped at
Leontopolis along with other Lion-Ra-related gods.
Mummified cats were offered to the god Bastet, and the domestic cat is thought
to have been produced by cross breeding in the "catteries" of the
temples.
Domestic cats were kept in households of ancient Egypt and are sometimes pictured
in tombs of Nobles. The death of a domestic cat called for a period of mourning
and it is said that the household shaved their eyebrows in respect.
Herodotus wrote ".. they come to Bubastis (and) they begin the festival
with great offerings and sacrifices, during which more wine is consumed
than during the whole of the rest of the year. The Egyptians say that
some 700,000 men and women make this pilgrimage every year."
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