Bastet - Cat Goddess - Ancient Egyptian Mythology Documentary

[Music] [Applause] [Music] a Roman soldier runs for his life moments ago whilst on Patrol he calls civil outraged he does something that was completely unacceptable in Egypt a furious Egyptian mop is rapidly closing in they sold this despicable act and hunt him down [Applause] the Romans are disgusted that one of their own died in the hands of an enraged Egyptian mob they are appalled but they know who crossed the line a line that no one living in Egypt dare cross [Music] you [Music] [Music] most of us see a statue of a cat here a very pretty statue but to the Egyptians this represented one of their most popular gods Bastet the cat goddess of fertility motherhood and protection of the home you might know best that in a more recognizable cat headed female form by the statue before us was actually the most common way best that was depicted this however wasn't always the case best that went through a dramatic transformation 3,000 years ago almost entirely out of necessity she was originally a line goddess she had the head of a lioness and the body of a woman the egyptians recognized alliance for their authority and ferocity a deadly threat they were respected through fear running into a hungry lion in Egypt was not a very fun time unless he happened to be a mouse your impression of a household cat probably isn't a ferocious predator so this still begs the question what's the reason for bastards transformation why did Bastet morph from a fierce lion into a fluffy cat our first Clues lie in some of the earliest Egyptian mythology [Music] bastards father was sun-god rah arguably one of the most significant Egyptian gods he had dominion over the Sun he willed the strength and the dominance of the irr an instrument of power and vengeance this was a simple best that was commonly associated with before her transformation best that also had a look-alike lioness sister called Sekhmet Sekhmet was a vicious warrior goddess who was said to have come to earth on occasion to eradicate the planet of her enemies the sisters looked virtually identical but there was some serious differences between Bastet and Sekhmet compared to her warrior sister bestit was seen as a more passive benevolent goddess the fear and aggression Sekhmet inspired began to create a rift between the perception of the two sisters both of their unique qualities slowly developed their differences exacerbated over time Sekhmet became more combative and Bastet became karma this is made clear in hieroglyphics which tell stories of her softer more nurturing side the oldest religious writings in the world bear the ancient pyramid texts in these she is shown as a mother and nurse to the king caring for him this is also true in a collection of Egyptian funeral spells known as the coffin texts these outline how she provides protection for the deceased also found in tombs were paintings of cats with glowing eyes night falls over Egypt and torches are lit a small cat slowly creeps through the shadows and the torches flames are reflected in his eyes they look like they are glowing to the Egyptians this was a cat seeing demons in the darkness a special vision that allowed them to see dark forces and evil spirits the unique sight gave them the ability to perceive and ward off these threats [Applause] [Music] cats and kittens we see them as a fluffy friendly pet originally however Egyptians did not see them like this at all they had a big problem and they couldn't solve it on their own fortunately cats entered the picture and changed their civilization forever bread and grain derived products were the majority of an Egyptians daily diet bread was a staple of every meal so large quantities of grains were harvested and stored unfortunately grain stores attracted vermin like rats and mice these unwanted pests were a massive issue as they often carry deadly diseases the Nile floods your hard work plowing the grain fields finally pays off you have an incredibly successful harvest all of your weight is stored and good to go for the next year then a nasty noise comes out of the grain stores you go out to investigate and you see it Dredd hits a fat rat carrying a disease has been running all over your wheat yeah cats were naturally attracted to these grain stores for their love of the hunt rodents were their targets and they found frequent success Egypt's welcomed this with open arms and began baiting cats closer to the grain stores with cat treats the relationship between cats and humans strengthened and the rest is history like cats Egyptians also loved hunting a cat's exceptional hunting abilities were another catalyst for their admiration across Egypt they didn't stop at rats and mice though an Egyptian cat leverages hunting prowess and lightning-fast reflexes for a more formidable opponent why the cats really hon Kairos yes yes they did Cobras were popular prey for Egyptian cats getting bitten by a snake would have been game over for an ancient Egyptian so a cat's willingness to take on these deadly creatures was rather impressive we actually have concrete evidence of this in the world's first cat meme here we see Rob in the form of Bastet and a serpent God they called him a pet or Apophis he was accepted as rasmus fearsome enemy and he intended to drag the world into chaos fortunately best that rises to the challenge and single-handedly defeats him with a knife in their paw the Egyptians clearly were not lacking in creativity were they so Bastet was clearly seen as a protector but why would she do goddess of fertility this one's actually pretty simple Egyptians appreciated the large litters of kittens cats could produce a huge flourishing family was the goal of most Egyptians they aspired to have as many children as they possibly could and because of this they couldn't help but respect the impressive fertility of female cats you'll often see Bastet with a litter of kittens at her feet this of course represents motherhood and fertility little statues like this for a popular gift especially towards the end of the year the last five days of each year were considered to be bad luck by Egyptians they called them the demon days many could like gifts were given during this time including bastard amulets jewelry and even live litters of kittens were also popular presents these New Year's gifts were all symbolic of good luck and optimism around fertility they were symbolic of the receiver achieving success in their pregnancy there were a couple of other main symbols associated with Bastet particularly when she was in her female form you'll frequently see best at holding a few items which are commonly linked with Hathor goddess of the sky and women often in her hands systems on the Nats a MANET is a ritual necklace that brought protection against bad luck and evil spirits they also doubled as a rattle instrument sistrums were also a rattle like instrument typically made of prawns they made a loud jangling sound and reduced during times of celebration very commonly played at temples Egyptian temples are renowned for their opulence Bastet temples are no exception unfortunately they've all been completely destroyed totally leveled but we have some brief accounts of their magnificence from Greek historian Herodotus who visited them before they fell located in the eastern Delta the entire city worshiped Bastet and of course cats it became one of the richest and most luxurious cities on the entire planet for a time this was because of the large numbers of tourists they visited to pay respects to the goddess and to have their pet cats buried there Bubastis also hosted one of the largest festivals in history entirely dedicated to Bastet when the people are on their way to Bubastis they go by river a great number in every boat men and women together some of the women make a noise with rattles others play flutes all the way while the rest of the men and women sing and clap their hands more wine is drunk at this feast than in the whole year Herodotus says that there were massive crowds of up to 700,000 men and women who arrived on ships to drink dance and enjoy the festivities as clear Bastet was beloved her following gained a lot of momentum and rapidly grew over time by the late period and greco-roman times she was one of the most respected and popular gods in all of Egypt the Greeks commonly equated Bastet with their own goddess Artemis who was also a fertility goddess whilst the Romans respected best debt as a significant God right up until Christianity became the primary religion in Europe the rise in Bester's popularity and the spread of domestic cats over the world is no coincidence it was initially a relationship forged out of necessity but soon evolved into something much deeper [Music] remember that soldier at the beginning of this video what could he possibly have done that infuriated the Egyptian mob so much this soldier killed a cat unfortunately for him the punishment for killing a cat in ancient Egypt was death [Music] Bastet was an embodiment of the qualities Egyptians regarded in high esteem at the time she represented the link between the symbiotic relationship humans and cats composed after an agricultural revolution she was a goddess responsible for things that were greatly valued in ancient Egypt as a fertility goddess she produced inspiring quantities of kittens as a protector of the home she warded off evil spirits and disease spread by vermin as a comforter she nurtured many kittens and kept Egyptian laps warm on cold nights best at the Serpent's lair that God transformed into an alternative feline form the once feared deity now a true fan favorite two things before you go onto the next video check out the links in the description I'm constantly keeping it updated if you want to see more of my Egyptian related videos you'll definitely find something of value in there also if you want to see more videos just like this one be sure to click the subscribe button it's free and will stop you from missing out on new video uploads but that's all for today this has been Apollo foreknew your story oh and I'll see you in the next video you

Channel: New Historia

Views: 317,631

Rating: 4.9374294 out of 5

Keywords: Bastet, Bastet Ancient Egypt, Bastet Cat Godess, bastet documentary, cat goddess of egypt, Cat Goddess, bubastis, Bubastis Temple, Bubastis Festival, bastet tomb, bastet mythology, egyptian godess, Ancient Egyptian Mythology, egyptian cat, godess, bast, sekhmet, Ancient Egpyt, cat god, EGYPTIAN GOD, documentary, EGYPTIAN MYTHOLOGY, mythology, egyptian, egyptian mythology

Id: ze66X209ZEM

Length: 12min 24sec (744 seconds)

Published: Sun Sep 08 2019