Mythical gods of Egypt

Egypt was a museum of different cults, from the period of the old kingdom (4000 BC to first century AD), till the advent of Christianity and Islam. The old Egyptian Nile civilisation has been predominantly governed or motivated by the mythical powers of the gods, goddesses and deities. There were so many gods, goddesses and deities in the Nile civilisation.

The Egyptians worshipped and venerated them with great respect and devotion. This respect and devotion was the most significant civilised phenomenon in the lives of Egyptians at that time.

A team of Egyptian archaeologists led by Mohamed Abdel Maqsood discovered many artefacts during an excavation project carried out at the old Alexandrian Royal quarters. They discovered an old temple dedicated to Goddess Bast - the Cat-goddess in the heart of Alexandria which was believed to be nearly 2000 years old. It was founded by Alexander the Great in the Fourth Century BC. The Bast statue or the cat-goddess was the most significant discovery among the artefacts. The Egyptian Supreme Council of Antiquities made a declaration confirming its historical authenticity on January 19 this year.

The discovery of the statue Bast also referred to as Basat or Bastet confirms that the veneration of the cat-goddess had been practised by the people right from the 15th Century BC up to the Ptolamiac Dynasty in the Fourth Century.BC

The newly discovered Temple (2009-2010) was said to belong to Queen Berenice, the wife of King Ptolomy III.

The Egyptian chief archaeologist, Shai Howass says as a large number of stones is missing on the excavated site, it must have been used by the people as a quarry for a long period. The modern Alexandria had been built squarely on the top of the ruins of the classical-era-city. Many of its gardens, palaces and libraries still remain under the present port-city of Alexandria.

The gods and goddesses of that time were depicted in animal or human form or with a human body and an animal head.

This was the role model of the manifestation of Egyptian gods at that time, especially related to the Nile civilisation. There were gods and goddesses in the image of lionesses, jackals, crocodiles, falcons, cows and cats in Egypt.

Egyptian goddesses

The famous cat-goddess is called Bast or Baset, the falcon god is called God Horus, the cow god God Honums the crocodile - headed god is called God Sobek and the jackal god is called God Anubis.

Isis is a female human god. While God Thoth is a male human god. All these gods manifested different concepts.

God Horus for protection, God-Best for joy, music dancing, health, healing and perfume and God Anubis for protection, God Isis for love, affection and beauty and God Thoth for astrology, writing and creativity. God Amun and Ra for power and energy. God Osiris for life, death and rebirth of all living things. This was the culture of life and belief of the pre-religious era of Egypt.

The cat god Bast was a national God of Egypt in 3200BC. There were so many other local gods too. Once King Akhamenthop (1370 B.C) made a declaration prohibiting polytheism. He ordered and commanded the people to follow one god and that was God Atons, the sun-disk god. The Bast which joined the pantheon of gods in the Middle Kingdom era, was depicted as a woman with a cat's head.

It was portrayed with a sacred basket in the new kingdom era. Cats were revered highly in Egypt because they killed mice, vermins and serpents which were a threat to the food supply. Egyptian historians say that even killing a cat was a punishable offence, at that time; the death penalty was the probable verdict.

Domesticated cats enjoyed all the comfort on par with the family members. The dead cats were mummified and buried. The family members who died were buried along side the cat's burial pits.

According to historical findings, 300,000 mummified cats were discovered near the per-Bast temple. The Father of History, Herodotus says when a cat in a family died the Egyptian shaved their eye-brows and took the body to Bubastis to embalm. It is said that there are some settlers in the Nile hinterland still who worship the Goddess cat, Bast or Baset. It continues today through the khemetic reconstructionalist religion, in Egypt.

K. W. Chandrarathne.

Retired Government Teacher.