Name: Bastet / subject code #02 Specie: Miu Sphynx DNA The tests on humans have been a complete success, allowing a being who was a divinity for the ancient Egyptian civilization to be brought back to life. Bastet, also called Bast, was an Egyptian cat-headed goddess. The protector of Lower Egypt and the sun god Ra, Bastet became an important deity in Egyptian religion. She was originally depicted as a lioness, but in the first millennium B.C. Bastet was depicted almost exclusively as a domesticated cat. Only in parts of the Nile Delta did the lioness form remain, although domestic cats were still associated with her cult there. As Bastet became more strongly associated with house cats in her images, she also took on more of their traits in her domains. Ra, the god of the sun, was strictly linked to cereals and agriculture. It is likely that the Egyptians domesticated cats to keep rodents out of their grain supply, thus forming the first link between cats and the sun god. They also protected snakes and other vermin. Since Ra's greatest adversary was a serpent, it was easy to imagine Bastet driving her away as her protector. A side effect of keeping both rodents and snakes out was the decreased spread of disease through the food supply. Over time, Bastet became so associated with disease prevention that the stone used for medicinal ointment jars, alabaster, was named after her. Bastet even harshly assumed the role of mother goddess in the fertility and maternal instinct of domestic cats. Thanks to Bastet, cats were revered in ancient Egypt. In reality, however, the goddess was worthy of reverence for her cats and not the other way around. Most cat owners have heard the joke that their cat thinks she is the king or queen of the house. If you lived in ancient Egypt, that approach might have been much closer to reality.