Goddess Bastet

Bastet is the ancient egyptian goddess of cats. She wears a long, close-fitting sheath dress and often carries a sistrum, a ceremonial rattle, in one hand and an aegis shield in the other, with a basket hanging from her arm. In her earliest form she was a fierce lioness goddess of war, but over time she softened into the beloved guardian of households, cats, mothers, and children.

She watches over fertility, childbirth, music, dance, and pleasure, and she protects against disease and evil spirits. Her cult center was the city of Bubastis in the Nile Delta, where her festival was one of the most joyful in Egypt, full of music, wine, and celebration. Cats were sacred to her, and harming one was a serious offense.