Many
of the god names presented here have several alternate
spellings, pronunciations, and in many cases were known by
different names in various regions.
AMENTI
(ah-MEN-tee; Female): Amenti was the goddess of the land
of the west. To the Egyptians, "land of the west", was
another way of saying "the place you go when you die."
If your cat has a habit of climbing trees, Amenti might
be a good choice since the goddess was said to have lived in a
tree near the World Gates which led to the Western Lands. She
was also said to have had beautiful hair, so this name might be
appropriate for your cat if she has a lovely coat of fur. Amenti's
symbols were the hawk and the feather, and we all know just how
much cats like feathers, especially when they are attached to
birds. Since she was said to be the mistress of Amun (see next
entry) she was sometimes known as "the hidden
goddess."
AMUN
(AH'-muhn; Male): This would be a good name for a
dominant cat; a strong but silent type that may very well have
sired countless offspring. You see, Amun was the god of
fertility, reproduction, and sexual power. Due to this
attribute, he was also considered god of agriculture. His name
signified "the hidden" or secret operations unknown to
man. He was the chief god, King of the Gods, not unlike his
counterparts ZEUS
and Odin. With his ruling might over the gods, Amun soon
became associated with the Pharaohs. With the combined powers of
regeneration and royalty, Amun became linked to the sun
and the great god RA, becoming known as Amun-Ra,
which pretty much consolidated his status as supreme god. As
with many religions, Amun belonged to a trinity, this one
consisting of his wife MUT and their son KHENSU.
If you have a family of three cats, you might consider these
unique and fitting names.
ANUBIS
(ANN-yoo-biss; Male): One of many excellent names for a
black cat. Anubis was the jackal headed god of funerary
rituals and was the protector of the dead as well as the judge
of souls and ruler of the underworld. Since it was his duty to
weigh souls (along with the goddess Maat) as a means of
discovering the content of honesty, Anubis was also the
god of truth. By no means an evil god, his domain of graves and
tombs was nevertheless a frightening one, but then, one that
offered the chance of an afterlife.
ANUKIS
(ann-YOU-kiss; Female): There aren't many cats that enjoy
water, but there are some to be found. If you are the caretaker
of such a cat, then Anukis might be a suitable name.
Anukis was the goddess of the Nile Cataracts, particularly
Aswan, and she was associated with the life giving properties of
water. Her name means "hugging" or
"clasping", so this might also be a good name for a
playful and affectionate cat.
APOPHIS
(ah-PAH-fiss; Male): One mean and nasty god, and another
name appropriate for a black cat, although in this case
temperament should be the primary consideration. Apophis
was portrayed as a giant snake and was the sworn enemy of the
sun, the perpetual foe of RA. Every night, Apophis
would wage warfare upon the sun, causing a period of darkness
across the earth. Fortunately, he was always defeated, and each
morning sunlight returned in all its glory. If your cat has a
sulking, sneaky, at times downright wicked personality, Apophis
might be just the name to give him.
AUF
(Awf; Male): Is your cat the adventurous, nighttime
explorer type, prone to roam the dark outdoors until the break
of day? Perhaps this name, the aspect of the sun god RA
that traversed the Underworld every night, fighting and
defeating various hostile forces as he made his way eastward so
a new day could begin, would be befitting. Auf made his
journey through the rivers of the underworld in the boat of
night, safely guarded by the protective coils of his friend, the
divine serpent Mehen. In fact, it was Mehen who was responsible
for defeating that other serpent we've just discused, Apophis,
who never gave up on his obsession to extinguish the mighty
solar disk, no matter that he was consistently defeated time and
time again throughout eternity.
BANADED
(BAA-naa-ded; Male): The Greeks knew this ram-god by the
name of Mendes, but besides the name, he was basically the same
god. Being a wise, level-headed god, it was his job to act as
arbitrator when his fellow gods got into disputes. He was a
peaceful deity, preferring equal sided discussion to settle
matters rather than open hostilities. If you have more than one
cat, chances are that fights will ensue now and then. If you
notice that one of your cats tends to calm such situations by
the mere fact of his presence, then maybe you should consider
this name for your feline peacemaker.
BAST
A.k.a. BASTET) (BAHST or
BAHS-tet; Female): Mother of all cats, embodiment of the
warmth of sunshine, and goddess of the East, this deity in cat
form was one of the most popular in all of Egypt. Cats of course
were the most sacred of all animals to the Egyptians, but the
black cat was particularly sacred to Bast. As a result,
the physicians of the time would use the icon of a black cat in
their healing practices. She was also considered the goddess of
pleasures, which covered a lot of territory. Among many of the
things that fell under her patronage were: generosity, music and
dance, childbirth, protection against evil, frivolity, and sex.
And this is by no means a complete list of all she covered. Not
only was she the goddess of all cats, but of all animals in
general! If this wasn't enough, she was also the goddess of fire
and of the moon. Several temples were dedicated to her, and each
was home to countless cats which were treated as literal
incarnations of the goddess. It almost goes without saying that
any cat beloved and honored by their caretaker would feel quite
at ease should they be given this honorable name.
Bast
cat
BES
(BESS; Male): Let's face it. Not all things are
beautiful. This is not only true of cats but of gods as well.
However, one shouldn't judge anything by appearance, especially
cats and gods. Consider the god Bes, for instance. Bes
was portrayed as a fat and hairy, rude little midget with bug
eyes and drooling tongue. But as ugly as he was supposed to be,
he was nevertheless the guardian and protector of women giving
birth and of the newborn infants as well. He also protected
sleeping individuals by keeping away the demons of the night.
Lastly, he was the guardian of the dead, making sure they were
safe during their journey through the afterlife. So, should you
come upon a cat that is not exactly the most gorgeous feline in
the world, don't let that stop you from welcoming it into your
life. You may be missing out on the most loyal and loving friend
imaginable. And should you see the beauty and value within the
creature, you might well consider naming him after this
important god.
BUTO
(BOO-toe; Female): This cobra goddess was another deity
of protection and specialized in keeping those she favored
hidden from the sight of evil. She had several titles including,
"Lady of Heaven"; "Lady of the North"; and
"Eye of Ra." This is a good name for a savvy house cat
that makes certain nothing out of the ordinary takes place as
long as she's around.
GEB
(A.k.a. KEB or SEB):
(GEB, KEB, SEB; Male): This Earth god was very similar to
CRONUS
(see entry under Greek section) being the father of all
subsequent gods. He was both brother and husband of NUT
, the goddess of the Sky. Their relationship was often
depicted in paintings with Nut, her body filled with stars and
other celestial objects, arched over her brother/husband Geb,
who takes a somewhat passive role. This is rather unusual in
mythologies since most cultures considered the Earth to be
female. Together, Nut and Geb brought forth the gods, OSIRIS,
ISIS, SET, and NEPHTHYS.
Putting aside all issues of sibling incest, should you have two
cats, brother and sister, why not give the unsavory arrangement
a classical touch by naming them for the gods of earth and sky?
HAPI
(HAPPY; Male). Here we have another fat god. He was the
god of the Nile and had very large breasts, almost feminine in
fact. This was because Hapi was responsible for the
prosperity of the crops which depended upon the Nile's annual
flooding. He was usually shown carrying a huge plate of food,
leaving no question as to the cause of his girth. An obviously
appropriate name for a fat cat who loves food.
HATHOR
(HAH-thor; Female): The goddess of love and guardian of
women, known as the queen of the West and protectress of the
necropolis of Thebes. Hathor was also a very important
mother-figure since it was her nourishing milk upon which the
Pharaohs were said to have nursed, thus partaking the essence of
divinity. So it was that the Pharaohs were considered her
children and therefore gods themselves. A good name for a
protective mother cat.
HEKET
(HAY-ket; Female): Another good name for a mother cat, Heket
was the midwife for the daily birth of the sun. Her sphere of
influence also included resurrection, fertility, childbirth, and
the germination of corn.
HORUS
(HOR-us; Male): You could write a book the size of the
Manhattan Telephone Directory concerning this most complex and
important god, but all you really need to know is: A) He was a
sun god, specifically the god of the NEW rising sun; B) He was
the son of ISIS and her dead husband/brother
OSIRIS (sibling marriages were quite a
common motif as you may have guessed by now); C) He was
associated with cats. Actually, Horus was sort of an all
round hero kind of god with several different names and
attributes such as, "Horus the elder"; "Horus the
great"; "Horus of the horizon"; "Horus who
is ON the horizon"; "Horus the child"; "Horus
of two lands". Horus is a great name for any male
cat, but make sure you stick with plain Horus and not
some ridiculously mixed-up aspect of his name like
Heruhorsaisetkhretemharakhty. If you choose to ignore this
advice, not only will your cat not come when he's called, he'll
probably leave town.
IMHOTEP
(Male): whose name means "He who comes in
peace", didn't start off as a god, but as a mere mortal
just like you and me. But Imhotep was such a wise man and
a skilled architect (said to have designed the famous "Step
Pyramid") that he was made the god of learning and
medicine. Naturally this meant he ruled the field of herbs and
drugs. This being the case, I can't think of a better name for a
catnip addicted feline than Imhotep.
ISIS
(Female): The supreme goddess. Arguably the greatest of
all Egyptian deities, certainly the most influential on
subsequent cultures. She was the ideal figure of womanhood.
Usually compared with DEMETER
and HERA,
Isis nevertheless measured far superior over these pale
imitations. Isis was one element of a Holy Trinity, the
remaining two figures being her brother/husband OSIRIS
and their heroic son HORUS. One of her
sacred symbols was the sistrum, which was a sort of rattle that
was believed to ward off evil spirits. Isis's sistrum was
carved bearing the image of a cat and was representative of the
Moon. She was the High Priestess and an omnipotent magician as
well as the only Being ever to discover the secret name of Ra.
Such a goddess as this epitomizes all the mysteries of divinity
and as such, Isis makes a very special name for your very
special cat.
KHENSU
(KEN-soo; Male): Son of AMUN-RA and MUT,
Khensu and his mom and dad belonged to another trinity
known as the Theban triad of gods. His name means "He who
travels the sky." He was considered the god of the New Moon
and was known as an exorcist, of all things. This might be a
fitting name for a cat that loves to roam the neighborhood at
night, or on a more esoteric level, the name Khensu might
suit a cat whose presence seems to disperse negativity wherever
he happens to be.
KHEPERA
(Male): This third form of Ra was called the god
of the rising sun. He represented reincarnation. Since we all
know that cats have nine lives, maybe Khepera might befit
a cat who has endured more than his share of close calls.
MAAHES
(Male): A minor god that must be included since he was
the son of RA and the cat goddess BAST.
He was depicted as a lion-headed man.
MENTHU
(Male): Sometimes depicted as a bull, and therefore
possessing solar qualities, and sometimes depicted with a falcon
head, in either case, Menthu was a god of war and
retribution. In his bull persona, he represented the powerful
and destructive heat of the sun. If your cat is one of those
tough as nails, street-fighting types with the battle scars to
prove it, perhaps he should try this name on for size.
MUT
(Moot; Female). This goddess was known as the "World
Mother of the Heavens". She was the wife of the great AMUN-RA
and is often associated with the Greek goddess HERA.
The animals under her influence include the cat and the lioness.
This name is suitable for a queenly, spoiled cat that might be
prone to giving one the cold shoulder when she isn't getting her
way.
NEIT
(Night; Female): Known by her title, "The
Huntress". She was said to have been the ruler of the lower
heavens, and was patron to not only the hunt and warfare, but to
the domestic arts and mysticism as well. She was also
protectress of women and marriage. Since her primary
responsibilities were concerned with hunting, Neit is an
excellent name for your fearless nocturnal mouser, particularly
given its pronunciation.
NEKHEBET
(Female): The guardian of Upper Egypt and protectress of
children and mothers. She is often shown as a vulture hovering
over the Pharaoh's children, ever watchful in perpetual
vigilance. Obviously another fitting name for a good mother cat.
NEPHTHYS
(Female): Another progeny of the sister/brother union of NUT
and GEB, who in her parents footsteps,
married her wicked brother, SET. If this
wasn't incestuous enough, she had an affair with her other
brother OSIRIS, which resulted in the
birth of ANUBIS. Nephthys was known
as the "Mistress of the House", and she came to be
regarded as the goddess of the Underworld. Along with her sister
ISIS, Nephthys gave protection and
guidance to the dead. She represented both life and death, and
as such, came to be regarded as the patron goddess of dark
magic, invisibility, dreams and intuition, as well as of the
peace offered in eternal rest. So, how does she measure as a cat
name? How about for a dark, mysterious cat, or perhaps for a cat
that's particularly adept at hiding. Better still, if you've got
a whole slew of cats, all related to one another as is often the
case, Nephthys might not only be a good name for one of
them, but why not name all the cats after the gods of "The
Great Ennead" also known as "The Big Nine"
consisting of the most powerful deities of the Egyptian
pantheon: Ra, Shu, Tefnut, Geb, Nut, Isis, Osiris, Set, and
finally, Nephthys.
NUT
(Noot; Female) was the goddess of the sky, sister and
wife to GEB, god of the Earth. She was the
personification of all things related to the firmament: clouds,
stars, even the weather itself. This might be a good name for
your cat if she enjoys the freedom and fresh air of the great
outdoors.
OSIRIS
(Male): Another one of "The Big Nine." Pretty
much THE name for a fine male cat who bears a rather heroic
stature. Osiris was the brother/husband of ISIS
and was considered the noblest of the gods. He was known by many
distinguished titles such as, "Universal Lord",
"Lord of life after death", "Good Shepherd",
to name just a few. In fact, The Egyptian Book of the Dead
catalogues over 200 names attributed to Osiris. He was
the god of commerce and success, of religion, civilization, and
law. He was believed to have taught the Egyptians the various
arts and crafts necessary to maintaining society. Unfortunately,
his brother SET was a bit jealous of his
popularity and saw to it that Osiris was murdered and his
body sent far away. After a long and miserable search, Isis
found her dead husband and through a miraculous occurrence, was
impregnated by him, by which she gave birth to the new sun god
HORUS
RA
(Male): The Supreme God. The Father of the Gods. The
Creator. The God of the Sun. As far as the Egyptians were
concerned, Ra was all this and more. He was considered
the source of all life and the living power of the Sun. He was
the eternal God without end. He represented truth, right, and
destiny. He ruled over all rituals and spells, and bestowed
prosperity on all he favored. What better name for a comfortably
spoiled male cat, especially one who loves basking in the Sun?
RENPET
(Female): Goddess of youth. She was associated with the
coming of Spring and of new birth. Vibrant and full of playful
energy, this might be just the name for the cat who is still a
kitten at heart.
SEBEK
(Male): This god had nothing at all to do with cats in
even the slightest way. Sebek was a crocodile god and was
said to inhabit the deepest corridors of the Underworld in a
secluded pyramid of complete and utter darkness. A cult
surrounding Sebek developed around the time of the 13th
Dynasty that worshipped this dark god as the guardian of the
royal family. A temple was built in the city of Arsinoe,
adjacent to a lake wherein a real live crocodile was kept and
honored as the manifestation of Sebek himself. The city
was renamed Crocodilopolis (I swear I'm not making this up) and
the crocodile and his temple became one of the hottest tourist
attractions of the ancient world. Visitors would come from all
over the kingdom to present him with gifts of gold jewelry and
other trinkets of their affection. Such a fuss was made over
this spoiled reptile that he was fed only the finest foods and
was even given wine to go along with his dinner. I'm sure it
goes without saying that this name, Sebek, is tailor made
for a spoiled rotten black cat with a nasty disposition.
SEKHMET
(Female): This goddess, known as the "dark sister of
BAST", was represented by a figure with
a lioness's head crowned with a coiled cobra. She was called
"Sekhmet the terrible", for she symbolized the
relentlessly fatal heat of the sun. Goddess of war and battle,
she was nevertheless a happily devoted wife to Ptah, god of the
arts and creativity. A name one might consider for a tough but
gentle female cat.
SET
(Male): We've encountered this bitter god before. There just
isn't a good thing one can say about this guy. He was the god of
hatred, evil, cruelty, murder, and the personification of the
powers of darkness in conflict with the power of light. Why in
the hell would you want to name your cat after a god that went
so far as to kill his own brother, OSIRIS?
Well, Set was also the god of hunger. If you've got one
of those cats that wants nothing more than to eat constantly,
you might consider naming him Set. That is, if you can
get over the other negative connotations attached to this god.
SHAI
(Male); SHAIT (Female):
Now here's an interesting case. Sometimes this deity was a god,
and sometimes a goddess. What was odd was that this god/goddess
was really several individual cells of one central guardian
angel type of Being. Whenever someone was born, a Shai came
into existence with them if they were a boy, a Shait if
they were a girl. This god or goddess, which ever the case might
have been, lived right along side their human, directing their
fate and destiny. When the human died, Shai/Shait stood
by their soul within the Hall of Judgment and gave a report of
the persons good deeds as well as their bad deeds. Although the
god/goddess might have argued in favor of their human charge,
they had to remain impartial, allowing their true account to
stand on its own. Once all the evidence was presented, and the
character of the person was considered fully, the decision of
whether they should receive reward or punishment in the
afterlife was irreversible based on the testimony of the Shai
or Shait. So remember that next time your cat looks at
you in deep thought. He or she might be taking notes.
SHU
(Male): Another of the gods comprising the "Great
Ennead of Heliopolis", Shu was God of the Sky and
the Atmosphere. He is sometimes depicted with ostrich feathers
adorning his headdress. He is associated with sunlight making
his name another suitable moniker for your sunbathing cat.
TEFNUT
(Tef-Noo; Female): This goddess is often compared to ARTEMIS
(see entry under Greek culture). Being an inhabitant of the
Underworld, Tefnut had a limited realm of influence. She
was the goddess of rain, mist, dew, in fact ALL manifestations
of moisture. She was also the sister/wife of SHU.
One very peculiar detail concerning Tefnut was that she
was fed by a group of Underworld gods that ripped apart dead
bodies for their blood. What a nice name for a cat that insists
on bringing you gifts of dead rats and mice.
THOTH
(Toe-th; Male). A.k.a. TEHUTI):
Some cats are extremely smart. Such felines may well be touched
by the spirit of Thoth, the Great and Mysterious god of
secret wisdom, intellect, geometry and other forms of higher
mathematics. He was also the god of books and learning, of
writing and numbers. And above all, he was the god of magic.
Indeed, he was the first and greatest of all magicians, said to
create miracles from nothing by the mere vibrations of his voice
alone. Within his main temple were said to be stored his books
of magic which were open for the edification of all, providing
those absorbing this magic understood its sacred content.
Over
the centuries, these books were said to have been carefully
translated by various priests of secret orders until finally,
the Greeks compiled them as the works of Hermes Trismegistus.
One book most everyone is familiar with which is attributed to
the mysteries of the god Thoth is the "Tarot",
considered to be an unbound book of symbols that may be read in
an endless variety of sequences imitating the random nature of
existence itself. If you detect that glimmer of otherworldly
wisdom in the gaze of your cat's eyes, perhaps the ancient
essence of mystery is reaching you through the memory of the god
Thoth.
