Bast (Egyptian)

Bast (Greek: Bastet)

[Egyptian] Bast, or Bastet, was originally a lion headed goddess.  She was a daughter of Ra, the god of sun and a national deity of protection.

She was the cat-goddess of the delta, sometimes with a lion decorating her breastplate as a reminder of her former, wilder self. Cats were respected and often portrayed as the slayers of evil serpents. She was sometimes fused with the more dangerous Sekhmet.

She was the Egyptian goddess of affection, hearth, home, joy, music, celebration, dancing, pleasure and fertility.

To take part in a celebration at her temple in Bubastis, ensured the mental and physical health of the participants. Also, she was known as the harvest goddess. All cats were worshipped as incanations of her.

Honoring live domesticated cats was also important to Bast's followers.A vast cat cemetery has been uncovered in Bubastis. Mummifying one's pet was considered homage to this playful, free spirited goddess.

Balder (Norse)

Balder

Alternative Names(異名):
Baldr, 발드르, Balder, 발데르

---

[Norse] One of the Aesir, his name means "The Glorious". He was also called the "god of tears" and the "white as". Balder, the son of Odin and Frigg, was described as a very handsome and wise god. Some consider him to be a god of light since he was so bright, light shined from him.

Balder's wife was Nanna and they had a son named Forseti. Balder and Nanna lived in Breidablik [The Broad-Gleaming], where nothing unclean could be and there were "fewest baneful runes". Breidablik had a silver roof on golden pillars.

At one point Balder had a foreboding dream. Odin rode to Hel's realm to wake a volva from the dead to find out the meaning of Balder's dream. She foretold Balder's death by Hod (Hodur), his fraternal twin. Frigg asked all things to swear not to hurt Balder but didn't ask the mistletoe because it was so young. Loki, diguised as an old woman, visited Frigg and found out Balder was invunerable to everything but mistletoe. Loki made a dart out of mistletoe and tricked the blind god Hod into throwing it at Balder -- all the other gods were playing games by throwing various items at Balder --, thus killing him. Hermod rode to Hel's realm and got her to agree to let Balder return to the living if all things would weep for him. One giantess named Thokk, Loki in disguise, refused to weep for Balder, so he remained dead and was cremated on his funeral boat, hringhorni. He is supposed to come back to life after the Ragnarok. A more complete retelling of Snorri's account of Balder's death is available online.

Snorri and Saxo Grammaticus give very different views of Balder and his death. In Saxo's version of this story, Hod (Hother) is alone responsible for Balder's death. Balder's name rarely occurs in place names, therefore, it is thought that not many people worshipped him. It has been suggested that Balder was an ancient hero who was elevated to divinity. The poets used his name to mean warrior.

Balder is also mentioned in the Merseburg charm.

Balder belurer Nanna

Author: Louis Moe (1857-1945)

The scene is described in Gesta Danorum in the following way:

"Now it befell that Balder the son of Odin was troubled at the sight of Nanna bathing, and was seized with boundless love. He was kindled by her fair and lustrous body, and his heart was set on fire by her manifest beauty; for nothing exciteth passion like comeliness."Elton's translation