BAST was the most popular goddess in the eastern part of the Delta in Bubastis, the capital of Lower Egypt. The form in which the goddess was worshipped in the earliest times was that of a cat. According to one legend, Bast was the personification of the soul of Isis. She represented the gentle, life-giving rays of the sun which helped the crops. Like a cat, she was admired for her agility and strength.

Bast is first and foremost a protectress, she later was deified as being the life-preserving goddess of joy and protector of women. To please her, her devotees consecrated statues of the cat in large numbers. When a cat died it was considered to be an act of great merit to provide for its funeral. The chief festivals of the goddess Bast were celebrated in the months of April and May.