How long has cat worship been practiced? Take a guess...
We can see the domestication of cats within human society as far back as Mesopotamia, the very cradle of civilization. Humankind cultivated feline friendship even earlier, but scientific evidence provides little detail on these early relationships.
We have cultivated feline friendships since the dawn of civilization...
Cat worship dates back to ancient Egypt, with the worship of a lioness turned feline goddess known as Bast, Baast, Ubaste, or Baste (said to mean the "Soul of Isis", or the "Devouring Lady.") Bast is depicted with the head of a lioness and the body of a woman. She is the goddess of cats, protector and keeper of the hearth and women's secrets, protector against disease, and patron goddess of music, dancing, joy, family and love.
I believe this love for the Goddess Bast, and her significance as the Eye of Ra, may the the real reason behind the creation of the Sphinx, if the carbon dating around the Sphinx can date it to the Leo Constellation.
Early in the second dynasty 2890 BC, Bast was worshipped as a lioness, the daughter of the Sun God Ra and sibling to Thoth Hathor, Tefnut, Thor, Sekhmet, Serket, Shu, Anhur, and Ammut. She was sometimes known as the Lady Asheru, meaning Lady of the Sacred Lake.
Bast, goddess of cats, protector and keeper of the hearth & women's secrets...
Bast's significance in Egyptian culture & politics was profound - in her representation as the "Southern Bubastis" she signified and represented the entirety of lower Egypt.
However, by the 22nd dynasty, with the rise of Thebes and the temple priests of Amun, Bast's status had diminished. She was simply Bastet, the feline goddess.
Did you know?
In 450 BC Egypt, killing a cat was punishable by death.
A branch of government devoted to stopping the export of cats - can you imagine such a thing? Ancient Egypt took the export of cats so seriously that they would send out government agents to retrieve stolen cats and return them to their homeland.
Their reverence for cats didn't stop there. By 450 BC the penalty for killing a cat in Egypt was death!
According to Herodotus, upon the death of a cat, the owners would shave off their eyebrows and would mourn their beloved pet until their eyebrows had regrown. The legendary funeral rites and practices of Ancient Egypt extended to their feline companions. During an excavation, over 300,000 mummified cats were found in their own cemetery, in the city of Bubastis.
During the battle of Pelusium in 525 BC, Egyptians' love for their beloved cats was their downfall. Cambyses the Second of Persia defeated the forces of Pharaoh PSametik the Third and conquered Egypt by placing cats in the front line and painting cats on the Persian soldiers' shields. The Egyptian soldiers could not force themselves to hurt the cats or offend the Goddess Bast, so they surrendered to the Persians.
Even in war, Egyptians refused to hurt cats. They surrendered rather than offend their beloved Goddess Bast
Humankind's love and reverence for cats did not end in Egypt. It can be traced in ancient cultures from Asia to the Middle East, Scandinavia to the Celts.
Worship of the Goddess Bast migrated from Egypt to Greece where she was identified with the Goddess Pakhet, a lion-headed goddess of Speos Artemidos (Cave of Artemis) near Beni Hassan. The Greeks associated Bast with Artemis "The Hunter." It is interesting to note that the cultural associations of Bast with fun and sexuality were subverted to Artemis: the goddess of chastity and virginity.
Cats are associated with Artemis, Greek goddess of chastity, virginity, & hunting by moonlight
Cats are also found in the sacred Hindu epics, the Mahabharata & the Ramayana.
In the Mahabharata there is a profound and significant story about the cat Lamasa and the mouse Palita. They help each other escape from death and discuss the nature of relationships. In the Ramayana, after seducing a maiden the god Indra disguises himself as a cat to get away from her husband.
There is also a goddess in Indian folk culture known as Sashthi who was greatly revered and similar in character to Bast. In the varied regions and religions of the Indian subcontinent there are numerous tiger gods and goddesses that are worshipped and revered to this day.
Cats are magical, made from smoke & bright stars...
The ancient Persian creation story for cats is pure magic.
In the story of the Persian hero Rustum, Rustum provides shelter to a magician and is asked what he would like in return. The hero answers he is in need of nothing. And so the magician creates a kitten for him out of smoke and two bright stars.
The prophet Mohammed was also known to be quite fond cats. Some say the M on the forehead of all tabby cats is the mark left when he blessed his own cat.
Humans could not understand the words of the Gods, so cats were entrusted as the go-betweens, keepers of time & order.
The ancient Chinese goddess Li Shou is said to have appointed cats as the overseers of the earth and gave them the ability of speech. She gave them three opportunities to watch over the planet but they were reluctant and only wanted to sleep and play. She soon tired of their reluctance, and decided to take their power of speech away and gave it to humanity. But the humans could not understand the words of the Gods, so cats were entrusted as the go-betweens - keepers of time and order.
In Japan the famous image for "Beckoning Cat" (the maneki neko figure of the cat with the one raised paw) represents the Goddess of Mercy.
One day, a cat sat outside of the temple Gotoku-Ji and raised her paw in acknowledgement of the Emperor who was passing by. Attracted by the cats gesture, the emperor entered the temple and moments later, lightning struck the very spot where he had been standing. The cat therefore saved the Emperor's life and was given great honor.
Mystic wild cat of fairy tales, beloved of the Goddess Freya...
In Norse mythology, Freya (goddess of love, fertility and the hearth) rides a chariot pulled by cats. The modern Norwegian forest cat is said to be the "mystic wild cat of the fairy tales" and much beloved of Goddess Freya.
Sadly, with the spread of Christianity, cats began to take on much darker associations. By the middle ages, cats were seen as demonic - the instruments of witches and evil spirits. The hunting, torturing and killing of cats was ritualized and celebrated in towns and cities across Europe.
During the Victorian era (1819-1901) cats began to regain their popularity with the help of Queen Victoria of Great Britain. She learned of the archeological finds in Egypt and the significance of Bast, and decided to adopt 2 persian cats and make them members of her court.
News of the royal endorsement reached the United States by a popular magazine in Philadelphia. The "Godeys Lady's Book" published by Louis Godey in 1860 stated that cats were not solely for older women or monarchs but that anyone should feel comfortable with the embrace, love and virtue of the cat.
"Anyone should feel comfortable with the embrace, love and virtue of the cat." - Godeys Lady's Book
After the Victorian era, the public image of cats changed to such a degree that we began to see them appearing as characters popular entertainment. Who can forget the Cheshire Cat? After the publication of Alice in Wonderland, the first major cat show in the world was held in 1871 London at the Crystal Palace.
The first cat show in America followed in 1895 at Madison Square Garden and by 1952 cats had taken their place in American pop culture with the iconic Cat Woman.
From the 60's all the way to our newest Cat Woman films and books, we have loved Cat Woman. She is immovable cultural icon, allegory, and feminist conversation starter. What woman hasn't put on ears and a tail at some time in her life?
The association between cats and the sacred seems natural to any cat lover, yet to know the history and importance of cat worship and feline Goddesses in ancient cultures gives new dimension to our modern relationships with our feline companions.
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