In Egyptian mythology, Bastet is the cat-headed goddess associated with protection and the home.
Bastet was worshipped especially at Bubastis in the Nile Delta. In her later and best-known form, she appears as a woman with a cat’s head, sometimes holding a sistrum or an aegis. Her protective role extended to households, children, mothers, fertility, and defense against illness and harmful spirits. The domestic cat’s ability to kill rodents and snakes likely strengthened her household associations.
Bastet’s identity changed over Egyptian history. She was originally represented as a fierce lioness goddess, sharing some protective and solar qualities with Sekhmet. By the first millennium BCE, she was increasingly portrayed as a gentler domestic cat deity, although the older warrior aspect never disappeared completely.
Bastet is often confused with Sekhmet because both could be lioness or feline goddesses connected with protection. Wadjet was a cobra goddess linked with Lower Egypt, while Hathor had broader roles involving motherhood, music, love, and the sky. Bastet’s major cult center, Bubastis, became famous for festivals and enormous cat burials.