SOURCES

BOOKS

Several good books are available on mythology. The main ones used were:

• Cotterell, Arthur; "The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Myths and Legends",
  Cassell Publishers ISBN 0-304-31834-5
• Herodotus; "The Histories"(also available as an e-text from "Home of the
  Cat Goddess")
• Ions, Veronica; "Egyptian Mythology", Hamlyn, ISBN 0-7537-0001-8
• Sykes, Egerton; "Who’s Who Non-Classical Mythology", Oxford
  University Press ISBN 0-19-521032-8

E-TEXTS AND WEB SITES

These are not as reliable as the books, but nevertheless some good information
can be gleaned from them. Often sites die and new ones rise, so if you find
some dead links inform us please, and we will be glad to provide the text via
e-mail:

• Michael Poe; "Egyptian Metaphysics" A very interesting text which
  seems to be reliable. The author makes it clear from the start that the
  things he speaks about are NOT Rosicrucian or Mason stuff, but actual
  Ancient Egyptian stuff, and after the whole mess such orders as the
  Golden Dawn left after, that is a VERY good sign of reliability.

• "C.A.T.S. and World Mythology" By the author of this report, this site
  traces a lot of cat legends from around the world, from Egypt to Europe to
  Asia and Australia.

• Milo/CatGuy; "Bast Web Site" Another very interesting site, which is,
  unfortunately coming down soon. This site should not be considered as
  totally puritanically Egyptian, as much of it is a modern interpretation of
  the Kemetic religion.

• "Bast . . .Feline Goddess & Protector of the Home" Yet another page
  which is not fully agreed with. However, in this site one can buy Bast
  statues, etc.

• "Encylopedia Mythica" An immense mythology site, very reliable, and
  contains substantial information as well as pictures from the mythologies
  of several cultures.

• Stephanie MeryBast;"Name of Bast" A pretty reliable site about Bast,
  containing some general information, but focuses on the name of Bast,
  and its variations, pronunciation and so on.

• Lilith Emerald Lioness;"Bubastis – the House of Cats" A very cute web
  site, containing lots of links for all cat lovers. The section called Herstory
  is a very valid history (or herstory!) of Bast worship. In the other Bast
  sections, much of the stuff is personal, such as prayers to Sekhmet and
  Bast. Nevertheless they show a sincere understanding of the Egyptian
  myths.

• Shawn C. Knight; "Summaries of Notable Egyptian Gods" An extremely
  user-friendly description of the main gods of Egypt. This site is
  recommended to anyone who is baffled by Egyptian mythology, as the
  explanations are clear, correct and concise.

• "Egyptian Mythology" – an immense site, containing information on the
  divinities, a translation of TheBook of the Dead and beautiful pictures both
  Egyptian and modern, amongst other things.

• Selena; "Goddesses of the World" A very long list of goddesses divided
  into sections according to the place of origin. Alas, the descriptions are
  too brief, each goddess being dedicated just one sentence. Though the
  information seems correct in the site many important things have been left
  out, such as which part of Egypt venerated which goddess. Also, there is
  no mention of the male gods.

• Denette; "The Cat Goddess Bast" The info is correct here, and the site
  also has some cool pictures.

• "Bast – the Cat Goddess" A good site except for some slight details
  which are clarified in this report.

• "Preserved for Posterity" Some ancient writings concerning Egyptian cats
  and pictures of cat mummies, courtesy of the Natural History Museum of
  Los Angeles County.

• "Zagazig" Practical information about the modern site of Bubastis, useful
  if planning a tour.

• "Who shall remain nameless" – some info about Egyptian cats and Bast,
  some of which is certainly right, some other parts are certainly wrong, and
  others more research is necessary. Nevertheless an interesting site, also
  courtesy of the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County.

• "Home of the Cat Goddess" – a sweet site, information being correct
  though brief.

• "JBL Catalog" – no information here, but you can buy statues of Bast
  and many other gods/goddesses.

• "For you, my dear Bastet" – a poem about Bast, nothing actually Ancient
  Egyptian, but a good poem nevertheless.

• "Bastet’s Temple" – another personal approach to Bast, though an
  interesting one.

• "The Goddesses of Ancient Egypt" – a site which is right about the
  Ancient Egyptian bits but then deviates to a creative interpretation.

• "Bastet"– An interesting and correct site about Egyptian deities, including
  the etymology of each divinities' name, and the name itself in hieroglyphics.

OTHERS

• "Cats", a series of documentaries produced by BBC is a very interesting
  one, the first one being called "Cats and the Pharaohs", and containing
  some nice info about Bast and other Egypt-cat relations.
• Here I should also thank an immense number of people who helped me
  through e-mails, chat, and other forms of correspondence. I do not
  mention these by name not because they have not been helpful, but
  because I don’t want to take the risk of missing out on someone. Many
  parts of my research would have proved inconclusive hadn’t these people
  clarified some things out for me.

The picture shows Thoth, an appropriate god to appear on this page, as the Egyptians
attributed the invention of writing to him.