IE CAT’ AS SACRED ANIMAL OF THE GODDESS MUT. {a 1979 the Brooklyn Museum Expeton othe Precinct ofthe go ‘Mut at Karna, found in the remains of flooring just 0 the west of nth end ofthe est porch before the Mutemplein Karnak» poorly ved sate ofa ested eats height 7 em: with 25 er, pth 38 wy wos made of sandstone. As the heud was broken, this bested chuld represent either ion ox et, bu inthe pay preserved iphic inscription the word myt (cat) can be read, 30 that ie bly sure that originally represented a ct. Moreover, om the ge ofthe base we can read the name ofthe godess Mut ip a Mus (an fering that the King gives to Mas) pel on the et side of nse part ofa prayer: May she give a good lifecme inte precinct 2h of m mnt) On the rear ofthe base ean be discerned what i iy 2 personal name NebeMaairRe. The date of the pit i rn the shove it to be conclded that this statue of eat was a ilving othe goddess Mut. Thu conclusion, however, raises the jon why the fmage of aca wa edited to Mut We know that inthe Egyptian religion tere were counters relations re arimals an gods that many ge wee represented im animal “raw nana ith al ead, ae that eligios vale wat “many animal for their symbalie meaning. Frankior's ew" an anita intel had elgioussgifcance Beene fi being at from bursans, Rowever, fo be doubted, ony because ox all, mals had such a religious symbole vale aed not ll gods were ~The te er Ce gi orton it Wek and within bye Bas By Bryan a ee ie he Rae arale ae ieee kt cn eg cena ammeter Us toa ah era imac ae Mehr antra nme vne: represented in animal form oF as humans with a aia hea The ox ‘ear Btu who i al often called» vdvre gene ayia] erature, never, oF extremely racy and then leat ony y indie derivation, depicted at avultare, Usuly see sown a a woman Wear ing the peal crowns of Upper and Lier Egypt and sometes swan witha a's head In what elation she and to theca is pre Tier posed by the Bind refereed to above. “The eat wa cevaily one ofthe momerou animals tha symbole religious values. This symbalic value though requites further precision oe dein, inthe las lenniom B.C. the goddess Batt usally feprevened actor as 3 worn with the bead of eat holding a ag twa on’ head nt and sometimes a ie basket supposed to Conlin ator hie, Bastt can alo be depicted though with ons Head, and in crises th was away the eave* The connection be fwezn gol and an animal i practically never exclusive in Esyptn felgion, The eat may be connected sith various Egyptian goddesses, snith Hatbor, Nth, Tet, Pakbet and arshown by the statue dest ‘ove, aio with Mw Tr cannot of course be attempted here 10 write a study of the signifeance ofthe at in Egyptian calor ad religion: "Tout le taal {urls symbolique dy chat en Egypte reste A faie."* N. and B. Langton” id atno B. Retaahi think it was the peculiar aloes ofthe cat {hat give Fre fo eligious worship. This idea would seem to be sed ‘aiher upon personal obyeraton ofthe at than upon an analysis ofthe Egypian data. The fllowing pases of Hebn wil woeaday also be taken com grang tain: "Dat Verschlosene und Stumme, der "Aboungarich, das nach Regel alle There haben sin dev Katze ust Geren eigenthtmlicen, geehsam myetschen Siten nd) Neguns ‘besonders lho. Sie hat noch eat i den der se gewahren ist wel TTA gma a fir = (ibes ists sermons ee “Pah Prlininary Rept (5) mentions he cule 4 me epee qoeemea ae ca Ts I ct esa eee ee oe ee geet SEE ung ta SE om 5 ARR es ee gettin sen Ease Ties ee Reto as tie ausimerksam beobachet, etwas Acgyptiches, das de Vorticbe der Einen, den Widerwilen der Anderen weckt’” We may well age, weve with hi sew tha sheet ws domesticated in Buypt and fro there came via Grete to Western Europe in the Middle Ages, so that fowadaya “etwan Aegyptiaches als alive and pursing in many 3 Dutch home, a in many other counties, ‘Recording to more recent studies the domestication ofthe et aleady began before and outside the Egyptian eatare, Dut the further process of tlomesteaton mbich led the cat's becoming a pet animal of an came shout in Bayps nthe scond ileum B.C. This development ito pet animal ny have been de tot prabolic religious mesning, 0th Sere is eestaily core of truth the opinion that makes the et the [eaves cave of eligions tration for domestication ofa domestication ‘tanimais over te whole work!" Neverthles there las have been [In economi reaon forthe domestication of the eat, even though it does spo peeduce met or lk lke the cow or sheep. Already nthe third rllenivm BG theca depicted in Egyptian ara Musing bids rom the papyrus s0 thatthe human hunter ‘can bring them down wih his boomerang a they te Tn busting catures before the beginning of Egypt culture the cat may have Ben trained to help the hers. but {he il hardly ave heen tore than incidental, "The representation of {wonat with probably a eat or leopard on er arm andthe nding (Srra's bes ia setonent” ce a gravel ma just as well concern Individual tamed specimens of wikl cat at provide evidence of the domestication of the vat race. Atany rate the cat never had place in hunting cKares that could be compared to that of the dog. ‘Aericaltoralis had stronger maiation for domestiating the ca. Ax pra i na Bonn ot ide ee ieee teat Seis oe Destin of Ca i i, Arps ‘Fabia ehtenllen sae on tmnt he Vas M ee 3 Sfny a NE Se Ps Car es DN (9829) oe Mion aveca aaron a ave ware sn Tee Rene RE GSR Tsai Mat hg pte a a seems tenis ferksa te Clo Roxana Leet an EEG eis ee ere eta h chen Mane Bene "Anan Se 1 (6 ad Be 16 ae rs Or emer 96 88 FEE Bayle Net out Pa PG 901958 351 siti, ata as sy sa nm Mint ee190 noe eeise doughy hunters of mice and other vermin dheeaenig the stored ean, ‘at could be hep iad around the granares. Tecan hardly be actin {al that ins grave a Ben aan (e200 8G) a cat sdepicted oppor "The pont is hat its only in fgypr char we can show a progressive domestication othe cat from guardian ofthe granary, postion hardy Tighe han ha ofan lyn, pet ofthe mstes of he house The Cannot be found elewhee inthe Ancient Near Fast sch an exe, I ie gnicane thatthe eatin ot eve mentioned anywhere in the Od ‘Testament. The erie seprewntation of casting under the chair of ter minress dates om the Ith dynaty. but the rest of the kono: raphe material showing the cat under her mistress ese dates Sry evsccond haf of the second milenniam B.C. The cat i then 9 pet ial ike the dog and the monkey snd, be ico a eser degre. the fille, the ex ad the goon. Complete demenication i not > [every condition for th status of pt is evident rom the rae othe fgache and the ibex hich were sem-domesticated™ whereas the monkey mas specially imported fom southern pats. Atchaologcl smoteril supports the sconoraphic mater: ma toml at Abydos dating {orn the 12th dynasty 17 skeletons of eat were fund provided with snl pot that acorn to the excavator Petrie must have contained ik Ror nase we omni o mention the ext sscophagas™ ofthe 1th century B.G., that was made for the pet cat of Prince Tathmns, probably the ‘ler brother of Aenaten, According to tex and representations on this arcophage, ee eat was mamma rtwall buried, so tha ike human being it became an Oni. The mumeation of tis ‘hou be distinguished fromthe lrge-cae murmmieaton of eas art {many other Kind of animal that becsoe fein the last milan B.C "The depiction of eats in bunting ssenes show more variation i the IN.K. than in an eater period, when the cat was not yet in such se featact with man at 4 pet. I not only creeps upon bird along the Papyrus Hema the ineuron does but say also ace ther with ‘wath muse te nwt thi]. Vander aan, ren aes Dt sede tp 30 mB On erp seein Ta pes Pog nd Rad Dm 188 ‘osetia ae Eo or Shae at pc J a 00) TM ii ig oF eon ati 1 sandaenny ushers tis, ieee TW Met Taf Cotan and Onde, London 1905, 1 fechas KS 46 (1507) 97 sO, Wing Cer Pas, Min, 1978 ‘mouth and claws On a wal painting in 8 Teban tomb transite by ‘Wilkinson in an one drvring, the eat standing ont ind kegs in the umes boot tod lays it ron paws alectionstely onthe leg the ‘owner ofthe tomb, Hee theca no longer att of ature oa hawk ‘ioe bu thos a special ink with man ofa quit diferent kind from ‘hav ofthe wit animals Ax we Raw, the hunting senes in tombs also ave a eligi sigiicance."The presence of wile and chien the ‘ort i notable: Ths fact alone points to the ceremonial character of he hunt. 'The owner of he tomb, ae hunter, susdves and dominates the haotc ie ofthe wid nial in the presence of is amily ad the cat ‘The eat ass hin, Pethpa the mere presence of the cat may bea sm bl showing that chao x eurbed and tured to lic peae. "The same meaning secs fasta {othe at under the chair of ie snstress Ths point wil be rnboraed farther on when we consider the tole ofthe cat in Egypiin mythology and parser Oe myth of the uns eye, which changes frm raging io to peacefulent. Tn any case the cat under the chat not merely pctoesgue detail showing that, gypian ladies were cavlovers I it. component clement ia aeger twhole Ladies and gentlemen are ating on chairs enjoying the hie of Duradze, They are anointed clothed ip white, raise the deinking-up, Bly the sene game and listen to the song ofthe hares. Already on the Enlest, fragmentary peetrved, depiction fom the 11th dynasty ofthe {at unde theca we can read he expression gon day” (hw that ie being celebrated, In al he caves I was abe to check the cat sting ‘under women’s chair, When thre ian aia! Under man’s cha isome other animal, uch as 4 monkey ora dog. The ats sometimes ‘ating fh o gnawing bone, but oFen jut quel iting Once the Taster of the house has «Keno his np we a ullrown cts i (Gog unde the chai the tress, We re ol surprised that theca is Tinted with be woman, for we comet the eatlike withthe female sphere Manca 3 camaap Sg, Meas Cts nin ps (Bin oF hee fone Mon Tapia Aap F, at Than sey 0), 0 0, 385, Say BO, TR OL Ohh asaya a ts scan nied Absa Mahe The EMT te ir tar chi eee Seance fw te dai Ro Da sh Smt, Sry 108. viper ctoebnogn be tw nailnp 9) Chen Bee NT heehee, he BSE ye se Gat Bean ‘ee iat cy tl A, Ret on12 reve [Bu what applies in oe culture need nr be the same in anotter, The phi or nsance who bce the Grecia female symbol or Us a8 Fredominanity mae syinbol for the Egypiae, In the Egyptian eligion Thevear was connected with variour goddesses who tay Be called (Glaghter of Re or eye of the sum Inthe Eng srmary of his Bre ‘imertton J, Zande rmated: "The name eye o RE reminds us of the myth ofthe sagingsun-ye bic comes back to Egypt afer having anguished the enemies of the sun which eye is Wenifed with aging (Poidestes a Samet Batt, Mort, Having been appeased she setts ixthem, the hey pond of Thebes." Yoyore aendy sugested thar ‘here nas connection between the representation of he eat under the ‘hae and the geese Mut” “That the giiese Mut was connected wih the eat was nor realy ‘unknown, even if there isnot shh tobe found abot iin handbooks thar give a schematic piette of the 40 variform religious reali Barguet wrove in a paragaph onthe goddess Mut. "Son anal se’ Gat nchate" He elereed to an offen repeodaced sea, Cai 27820 of the 2th dynasty," which shows goowe anda cat withthe insertions “goose of Amon (am sm” anette mites of heaven mie Oe Avie tins, Hopes” digpted Grdbous view that hie in ‘iat Mur, maintaining tat ease animal of Re, because Rei he {ovr of tonsa combate he Apopi snake i the vignete to BD 37. He fomsidered thatthe gonse and the cat represented Aron Fe Yer thi in terpettion does not sem acceptable, since in the tex his tela Mut = tentone! by name: To give priv to Aron to Kiss the earth before ‘Me ( ae Ine onh St). "The Egypiansconneced the word for ea (als em) and the name of Mut. On the sate of Ded-Hier or Teusle-Sauvear a seated cat fepentely shown amidst many Figuer of gods. The inscription Sometimes "Sut (writen with vulture and breads) mites. Isheru” and sometimes "AG (ete withthe sented eat, E13, andthe tread) ensrens of her.” Tn any eave the seated cat i here the tlh eat cme Haag Lae (99 en 2 Se SM Noe rae nee FS areny, ASAE 18 (1918), 31, 142, 168 wie ioe a design andthe eh Sonos ede Fata 12 Fp ng Pars 188018 gest Mut with her fiir epic. fate te prio the normal ay ‘String the name Mut wih he ware could be replaced in personal ‘ames by the sig mf (19), bic war often used rite the word ea, (thn the personal name Murda eg. could be understond a "Mut fs given her,” But alo "The at ae given be" “asl fom Deir et Medine, dazed in the 19% dynasty and now in the Ashmolean Museum of Oxford, two eas are represented (i Sind an the veto he hyn" upon thse, however, ti Bot Mucor se other goddess nbo irae, but Re, a ei alled Tom fat (nfs), “Ta give praise tothe great tor-at, wo Kiss the earth tefove Re. © peaceul on (iy who tur 0 peace, Tho etn me 06 dskness through what ehow fast done. Make ight for me that T may techold thy beauty. Turn unto me, 9 peaceful one, versed in forgiveness ‘= Ie, prosperity and Health ote ha of” A srking feature of thie prayer ithe light symbolism. Perhaps the two eats may be a theriomerphous form the ees he um god, eat i Yo ay the mer {Sul (ip) eyes ofthe nem-rd. The angry eve of Reis aot a ct, but Tones, In the Destruction of Mankind’ Re sends forth his ee, his daughter Hathoe asthe lin- godess Sakhmet to say mankind Tihs sty of BD 17 Herma van Vast” har demonstrated with com siderable mera tht te eat aed the tomcat pera othe sola apere ‘Many acat ttt shows thinly, the maker having placed the solar Gk and uraeus pon the animal's how, oe upon ft the case ‘of bronzes there ioften a searab engraved upon the hed, neck or chest {Cats may figure in amulets representing the wedjt eye “Thediference between act and atncat, which ta rule snot eas: ty see, nee not form much problem. The anita that delat the “Apopisanake at the hed rei sual called tomcat ond epresea Re, Sometime the conqueror af the Apops sak snot om, but a cat ‘vith clearly vibe tata The de hat nat omy Re hime, bu alo Hsdaghter can defeat Apops. Goddenes associated with cats ae com monly given the epttts “daughter of Re” and eve af Re.” Ta the Signet of BD 17 is always ane tora-ct (ar shea) that poses a on ‘queror. [may be imagine, however hat Re snd his daughver fought the bate gether This i evidet fom 4 patage in the rita of Mut Gi, de Meena, MDAIK. (130 252 who ger mare rapes SP Ate ape eit, Zak ohn 975 os fe ons ues on eet 7, den 1963, 1 ip mein ae «a8, NV 12 Lien tc ee J wan aig pects pal ein wi ai ota heeLet us dance and shout for ov Mises in er form in which she wax ‘when she was found a the split of the be re together with Re in Fetiogoite The form in wbich Mut thn was, was undoubted he cat fe the was together with Re "The vepreenatons showing not single eat of tom, but to cat Aang no the inhe-re but the emblem of Hathor. have been exten ely weated by Wander * Te wl have tobe enguied nt i how far {herein eonnettion ete the here and the emblem of Hathoro Revaterum, A wellknown ‘cooographial mat is Hathor ax tce iPades, Vansir connect the eats to either side ofthe Hathor emblem {ith the children of Atnn-Re and fis hand, the godess Haor-Neber Hetepee, Shu and Tefout Tn'atr times there are inks between these eats and Bastt. Bur 3 encrl connection between Batt and the cat cannot be proved beloe 1000 BC” Tein intreting o note that the ats anking the Hathor emblem may ta oped by spines. Ths real the eat shown in che ow ower the door in Theban graves Aled Hermann who bas studied thee eprescntatons, thought H was the intention to depict what was fo be con in everyday lieve. at theca ike to sce down there so ha {hey could goin and out and enjoy the sun. Hornung” bas oie ‘hough that sometnes these were sphinses over the dor ited fe, fad that both phinses and eats stand aa singe context with de plas, Fateon head, wet eyes et. Thome are not jus realistic representations ‘of everyday things, but have « symbolic vale which fe Binks wit the Fignibeane of the or inthe vm a a pasenge froma tis world 10 he ‘On the north wal of the shrine of Mur in the triple shrine of the “Theban iid om the court ofthe Lunor temple two sovalled decorated ‘sel are depicted, that hada Tancion in te cult of te godess. To {Cat areiting a theft of one of the ves, one an ee side, wile two ions arena sia poston atthe Rot ofthe ether, Above the was trove: int als papyrus ad the Hathor cow. In rea tse mots wll "J Vande, RUE 05), 768; So no ae, D, Wn, Zan Ha 2 ap le deren bea 9. 284 ao SE pap eee re ‘Ri Henmana, Die Katey Fo rd Ta, ZAS 7 (887), 5076 ale ming el Sr aay ecg * ee ttle fend ta Reine” eRe BI“ Beets have ben engraved upon the vases thrrtves. On the sethern wall f| the ame afne nly ome such vane decorated with Hath emblems and atin tube seen Aisin representations claewhere” The vase decorated ‘i Mator cmb an eat n-treglar er the cuit of Mar, but The vere mith be on i elt ov, a hit were less portant that the tae with cts inte eal of Mut ven though she aference beeen Cas {iu lins is sometimes not very stele in Egyptian conography. vet inthe case refered 0 sove si eler thatthe amas are hos, a hey Ick the erect ear characteriatic feats In the ul these decorated ves til have bee filed nth nonsating liquor Festal of Egypian (deste could be celebrated exuberant an feasts of Mt Formed mo ex eplion tthe rule, From the Beri papyrus ofthe Mut ial that dates from ibe Intermediate Perio, it viet tha he cult of Mut was Founded ujon the myth of the wear of he sun's eye, hic i hi {nwa fom the Gree Roman period “Around the ee of he sun or the daughter of Re a varied mythology developed” A ingortan point ins astetion of eon in which he Shs eye Beenme infuriated ad departed the south. A male divinity ‘Shu the twin brother ofthe nuns eye whichis often called Tefnet, oF (nurs othe mediating figure Thoth, or sometimes her father who i falled Pa whe the ges then called Uio or Mot, goes ovis he Shapy gocdeos who has retired to soltage in the shape of aroun "Th ale gl rings abot the reeaeiiation with the eye of the sun ‘no is the fit emale being, The raging sodden hen takes the shape of ‘Tpeacefol ca. As soon a her anger Hes up agai, however, she again comes a savage Fon, Bat finally she veturne t Eqype unde the {uidance of Thoth or sane ober god. Her return and the reeoniton ‘withthe goddess wh was grin at ist the oeeasion in Egypt fore Uberant fetes i aud aroued the temples of the various goddesses tno resume thei lace in the comvminityofgeds and men ater confit Tndscconcaton, Hemever diferent the names and the variant these fnythe ofthe u's eve es am ineresing poi that whem the goes Frc broken with the community abe isa raging lioness, but when she returns tot she has the shape of a hariess and peaefl cat. The ex proves to bea therioneephois embodiment ofthe reconciled eye ofthe SR Reamste raceme ete gc STIR neti ee rece A i eis oe eta RU bo fur nr Tes Naa AAW tT, De Oman Wen 17. rere ESC Asun, The manifetation ofthe fst feral being 0 enter int x place in the cownic onder. A Weilhnown text runs Sh i fous (3s) Stkbme {be nes) sd shee contend (ip) Baste (the ex) > Be ing contented i connected nti text mh Bas, peal ca oes inthe late ered frm which this tex cores, At lready indicated above Mut sone ofthe many nates af the sun's eye, and hence the eat eould bent sated animal ad could Be the sym! of syle peace and haemo. “Ofte monkey, hat as we have sen could alo be sete under aca jneliae the et, Derchaio remarked tht it isoften "porteurd une cn poration értique,” This erotic aspect atarlly alo inched in the a that as eye ofthe sun could be Brought home as abide by a wale ed urther research would be needed tos in how fa the myth ofthe “daughter of Rey the fit feral being, wh sechades ers fom society nd aflerwar ceturms, and from a hones becomes = cal, contains Cements symbolising woman's menstrual period. The oflring of the pede? to lon godderes “marguat le retour d Péquiibe et 3a égularté congue apres une période trouble" I is hardly o be ex fered, however that wil be posible to dermonstate hat the at wider ‘he woman's chain ert signal that this wornan iss hampered by menstrual period, Hornung and Stackelin™ have drawn atenion 10 the "Regenratinmaapehe” cf the cat, and Herma van Vow hod ‘Steady remarked hat because of ie fecundity and is destruction of ‘erm hi animal wa rogerded ara renewer and protector of ie." The peace (ip) sybolized by the eat provers, eomfema and renew ie Tnibivnrle upon the ct the scr animal fhe goddess Mut, we must finally remember te votive allering ofa brome eat othe Gzeck ffddets Hera of Sates. Morene realy pointe out that Hera i the Greek name. of Mut. His interpretation: "Mut aber it sere rccinige Gat, che ee Katze Baste Und die Lowin Sacre in ih ‘Wevensufgencmien hat So sind Mit und Katze verbunden und Hera die grchische Mu eric eine Kate als Weingerchenk nach Samo" “Should be sead with some diseiminaton: Mut comnetion wt theca sy sttregeretnge eco SHAR Windom, ps dante, SAK 7 (870,73, re oar an aacnbo ANTAL OF THE conDeSS MT 137 ix equally origina and according othe data known at present ven oer than the cmaction of Bott wit the ca ‘rsa bes mina tough eating his mnt to np with uestont of pony and erga. Al goers who wee on gdh ‘Socer und represented the ye ofthe san wil have been connected with thecat in pcp. depen largely apn such mater a happens 0 ve been preserved wheter cant proved Wt mght wel be that the Eayptons and others kept cats as pets s0 that they could sroke Hone witout dangers or to expres thie upon the religious lve: 0 find peace Un seconllaon wi am angry dviniy. This nostalgia forthe mes SE king where te wl shall i down wh he lam 2 bua ienging that no cafe othe Eayptian care and religion Rijksunversit Groningen, Hite Veuve Egyptolgieh Instat “Wen hati ay ey inthe pes chat be ati hers eer Te a al thee es (gong 1