Killing a cat, even accidentally, resulted in death, showing just how much they were valued. In Egyptian mythology, gods and goddesses could transform into animals, but only one, Bastet ...

Many wealthy families went so far as to mummify their cats so they could join their humans in the afterlife. Bastet, the Egyptian goddess of motherhood and fertility, famously sported a feline face.

If you think your moggy at home demands attention, they’ve got nothing on Bastet, the Egyptian cat goddess. The extremely popular deity was originally depicted as a wild cat, but later on when ...

The Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History is home to cat mummies as part of our anthropology collections. Cat coffins and representations of the cat-headed goddess Bastet are among the ...

This Egyptian mummified cat's head is part of ... Cats were also given in offering to the cat goddess, Bast. Bast was the deity of protection, fertility and motherhood. The presence of this ...