British Museum, London Late Period, 664-332 B.C.

She is a feline goddess, daughter of the sun god “Ra”. Bastet was
originally a lion goddess, but after 1000 B.C. as her cult developed,
she became more associated with the cat and was considered to be the
center counterpart of the lion goddess Sekhmet. Cats could be
observed skillfully hunting and catching snakes, which had special
relevance for the Egyptians since the snake was the symbol of Apophis,
the demonic enemy of the sun god Ra. So cats became animals sacred to
the solar deity. Bastet was especially worshipped at her temple at
Bubastis (“the house of Bastet”). As a sun goddess, Bastet was the
goddess of plenty and the mistress of pleasure. The celebrating of
her festivals were renowned for being the most lavish of all the gods
of Egypt. Bastet was also associated with the moon and in myth
became the eye of the moon. The Greeks associated her with the Greek
goddess Artemis. She is usually depicted as a cat-headed woman. In
one hand she holds a sistrum, a kind of musical rattle, and in her
other hand she holds an aegis which is a symbolic shield of protection
in the form of a golden collar decorated with a cat head.

Product SKU: E-208GP