Bast is a variant reading of Bastet, the Egyptian goddess of cats, fertility, and the sun. The name is an anglicized form derived from the Egyptian bꜣstt, possibly meaning "ointment jar" combined with a feminine suffix. In Egyptian mythology, Bastet was portrayed as a protector of Lower Egypt, initially depicted with a lioness head but later associated with domestic cats during the New Kingdom, while the lioness aspect shifted to the goddess Sekhmet. As an alternate spelling, Bast appears in some English texts, particularly in amateur or older scholarly works, though it is less common than the standard Bastet.