Bastet was originally a fierce lioness warrior goddess of the sun throughout most of ancient Egyptian history, but later she was changed into the cat goddess that is familiar today, becoming Bastet.[5] She was also seen as the daughter and consort of Atum-Ra. She also had a son with Atum-Ra, the lion god Maahes .[5] As protector of Lower Egypt , she was seen as defender of the pharaoh, and consequently of the sun god, Ra . Along with other deities like Hathor, Sekhmet, and Isis, Bastet was associated with the Eye of Ra .[6] She has been depicted as fighting the evil snake named Apep , an enemy of Ra.[7] In addition to her solar connections, she was sometimes called "eye of the moon".[8]
Bastet was also a goddess of pregnancy and childbirth, possibly because of the fertility of the domestic cat.[9]
Images of Bastet were often created from alabaster . The goddess was sometimes depicted holding a ceremonial sistrum in one hand and an aegis in the other—the aegis usually resembling a collar or gorget embellished with a lioness head.
Her name became associated with the lavish jars in which Egyptians stored their ointment used as perfume. Bastet thus gradually became regarded as the goddess of perfumes, earning the title of perfumed protector . In connection with this, when Anubis became the god of embalming, Bastet came to be regarded as his wife for a short period of time.[citation needed ] Bastet was also depicted as the goddess of protection against contagious diseases and evil spirits .