Bronze Statue of Bastet

This image 𓏏𓅱𓏏 shows a bronze 𓈔𓏤𓈒𓏦 statue 𓄚𓈖𓏏𓏭𓀾 of the beloved 𓌻𓂋𓇌 Egyptian goddess 𓊹𓏏 Bastet 𓎯𓏏𓏏𓁐! This statue 𓏏𓅱𓏏𓀾 is dated to the Late Period – Ptolemaic Period (c. 664–30 B.C.E.).

The goddesses 𓊹𓊹𓊹𓏏 Bastet 𓎯𓏏𓏏𓁐 and Sekhmet 𓌂𓐍𓅓𓏏𓁐 were both depicted as cats 𓅓𓇋𓅱𓃠𓏪, however, Sekhmet 𓌂𓐍𓅓𓏏𓁐 usually had the body of a woman 𓂑𓏏𓁐 while Bastet 𓎯𓏏𓏏𓁐 usually had the body of a cat 𓅓𓇋𓅱𓃠. Sekhmet 𓌂𓐍𓅓𓏏𓁐 is also usually distinguished from Bastet 𓎯𓏏𓏏𓁐 by the sun disc 𓇳𓏺 that usually appears on her head!

However, when Bastet 𓎯𓏏𓏏𓁐 was depicted with the body of a woman 𓂑𓏏𓁐 (like in this statue 𓏏𓅱𓏏𓀾), she was usually holding a sistrum 𓊃𓈙𓈙𓏏𓏣 in one hand! Since Hathor 𓉡 was usually seen with sistrums 𓊃𓈙𓈙𓏏𓏣𓏪, this shows a link between the two 𓏻 goddesses 𓊹𓊹𓊹𓏏!

This statue 𓏏𓅱𓏏𓀾 also shows Bastet 𓎯𓏏𓏏𓁐 holding a basket 𓂝𓂋𓂝𓂋𓎅 in her elbow/arm (opposite the sistrum 𓊃𓈙𓈙𓏏𓏣) and a lion-headed aegis in the same arm. An aegis is an object that has the head of a deity 𓊹 (in this case a lion) with a broad collar 𓅱𓋴𓐍𓎺𓋝 underneath it! The aegis itself was a protective 𓅓𓂝𓎡𓀜 symbol associated with Bastet 𓎯𓏏𓏏𓁐 and was used in rituals and festivals! The basket 𓂝𓂋𓂝𓂋𓎅 is thought to possibly hold kittens, but that is just an inference by historians and Egyptologists!

Bastet 𓎯𓏏𓏏𓁐 was the goddess 𓊹𓏏 of pregnancy and childbirth and was considered to be the protective 𓅓𓂝𓎡𓀜 form of the goddess 𓊹𓏏 so it is very fitting for her to be holding the aegis!

Sekhmet 𓌂𓐍𓅓𓏏𓁐 and Bastet 𓎯𓏏𓏏𓁐 were believed to be the two 𓏻 unpredictable personalities of the same goddess 𓊹𓏏. While Sekhmet 𓌂𓐍𓅓𓏏𓁐 represented the destructive and unpredictable side, Bastet 𓎯𓏏𓏏𓁐 was the gentler and calmer side. 

This is my personal photograph and original text. DO NOT repost. 

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