Ancient Egyptians valued cats both practically and religiously. Domestic cats helped control rodents in grain stores, but they were also sacred. Bastet was depicted as a lioness and later as a domestic cat, representing protection of the home and fertility. Cats connected with her cult were worshipped as manifestations of the goddess. Egyptians revered other animals too, including crocodiles, jackals and birds, in animal cults. Killing a cat could therefore be treated as a serious religious offense; comparison with the modern status of the bald eagle is only an analogy.
Ancient Egyptians protected cats and worshipped feline manifestations of Bastet
Key facts
- Bastet was depicted first as a lioness and later as a domestic cat, and was associated with protection of the home and fertility.
- Domestic cats were useful for controlling rodents in grain stores, but the supplied evidence does not establish that protecting stores from serpents was a standard function.
- Cats were sacred and associated with Bastet; cats in her cult were worshipped as manifestations of the goddess. Killing them could therefore be treated as a serious religious offense, although the bald-eagle comparison is only a modern analogy.
- Ancient Egyptians did practise animal cults. Animals including cats, crocodiles, jackals and certain birds could be revered as manifestations or symbols of deities, so describing them simply as protective animals rather than objects of worship is misleading.
Sources
In Ancient Egypt, cats were sacred – killing one was punishable by ...thevintagenews.com
Cats were called “Mau” back then, and the Egyptians saw them as a solution to their problems with rodents, bugs, and snakes which destroyed ...
Reasons Why Cats Were Respected in Ancient Egyptblog.tasnimanas.com
The Ancient Egyptians once noticed wild cats were protecting them against poisonous insects, snakes, and rats. Then wild cats were attracted ...
Bastet – The Egyptian Cat Goddess | Myths, Powers & Historybastettravel.com
Often depicted with a cat's head or as a lioness, she was not just a deity of felines but a fierce guardian of households against evil spirits ...
Bastet Egyptian Goddessegypttimetravel.com
Bastet, also called the Egyptian cat goddess Bastet, was initially depicted as a lioness representing fierce power. Over time, she evolved into ...
Basteten.wikipedia.org
Symbol lioness, cat, euphemisms, being cult secrets. meaning, "She of the ointment jar". Bastet changed from being a lioness deity into being predominantly a ...
Lion-headed Bastetegypt-museum.com
Bastet, whose image evolved from lioness to domestic cat, represented the gentler, nurturing aspects of divinity: protection of the home, ...
The Goddess Bastet and the Cult of Feline Deities ...arce.org
A cat symbolized the gentler, more accessible, more attractive nature of a feline goddess. This re-imagination of Bastet as a kinder form of lioness evidently ...
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