“The Ancient Egyptians worshipped cats as gods. Cats have never forgotten this…”
Serious About Cats... Very, Very Serious
Though modern Western countries come close, no other culture in history has loved cats as the ancient Egyptians did.
Like India, Greece, Rome and many ancient cultures, the ancient Egyptians practiced multitheism: that is to say, they worshipped not one god, but many.
Those civilizations’ gods took many shapes, including those of various animals. But Egypt definitely held the record for worshipping gods that resembled cats both big and small.
Lions and Tigers and Cheetas - Oh, My?
The Egyptians were fascinated by lions, for instance. Two lions guarded the great god Ra when he made his nightly sojourn through the underworld.
One form of the Egyptian goddess of War and Healing, Sekhmet – who was also the destroyer of her father Ra’s enemies – included the head of a lion.
The goddess Tefnut also had the head a lion, and served as the primeval goddess of moisture—a very important duty in a desert culture.
That wasn’t Tefnut’s only title, however. As the goddess of Order, Time, Justice, Heaven and Hell, she was one very busy goddess.
Another of Ra’s body guards, his daughter Mafdet, is considered the first of the feline goddesses; she pre-dated Sekhmet, Tefnut, and even the most beloved of Egyptian goddesses, Bast.
Mafdet had the head of a cheetah, and was the goddess of protection against snakes and scorpions, which Ra was susceptible to.
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From Mafdet to Bastet
Though archeologists believe that many of Mafdet’s functions were eventually credited to Bast, Mafdet was long respected by the Egyptians: images of “The Lady of the House of Life”, have been found on many pharaohs’ personal items.
The goddess Bastet (Bast), was ancient Egypt’s most beloved household god. She was the protector of mothers and children, and the goddess of Sunrise, Music and Dance. She was also the goddess of family, fertility, home and birth.
Bast was often depicted as a graceful cat who wore bracelets and earrings with her elaborate headpieces. She protected domestic cats and (every crazy cat lady and dad will be glad to know!) those who cared for them.
Bast’s main temple, one of the most beautiful and popular in all of Egypt, was located in the city of Bubastis, which the Egyptians named after her.
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The Gentle - And the Hard
While Mafdet was “absorbed” by Bast, it seems that the ancient Egyptians saw Bast and Sekhmet as two faces of the same divine force. In their minds, Sekhmet embodied the fiercer aspects of Ra’s divine protection, while Bast represented its gentler facets.
Egyptian parents often consecrated their children to Bast so that she would protect them.
When a woman in ancient Egypt wanted children, she would wear a bracelet or necklace that portrayed Bast with kittens. The number of kittens on the bracelet or necklace indicated how many children the woman desired.
More Than Just a Style
The cat-like eye makeup that Egyptian women wore wasn’t just an affectation made up by Hollywood. Ancient Egyptian women and men wore such makeup to honor Bast.
Nor did the Ancient Egyptians’ love of Bast’s cat form include only the goddess: the penalty for harming or killing a domestic or “barn” cat in Egypt could be death.
When a cat died, the cat’s family would go into deep mourning. Some families even shaved off their eyebrows to show their grief. Deceased cats of more affluent families were often mummified so they could enter into the next world.
One royal Egyptian family’s cat was even buried in a marble sarcophagus, with hieroglyphs that referred to her as “Lady Cat”.
More Than "Just Cats"
From being worshipped as gods, to being mercilessly persecuted as familiars of Satan, History has watched the popularity of cats go through many changes over the centuries.
Happily, in our time, cats are again enjoying wide popularity and getting “the royal treatment”.
Speaking as Crazy Cat Ladies and Cat Dads, we hope the current trend continues for a long time to come!
