Bast's Clique: Household Names

Bast's Clique: Household Names

This group is made up of deities that hang out in the house, to keep it—or the people in it—safe and sound. Bast is a protector of pets and children and has been asked to help women get pregnant. Talk about the warm and fuzzies.

Frigg

The wife of Odin, Frigg (or Frigga) is really a homebody. From her couch, this Norse goddess gives all kinds of advice to wives and mothers, and works on various sewing and spinning projects. Lately, she's working on spinning the white puffy shapes that you see in the clouds.

Hestia (Vesta)

If you think Frigg's a stay-at-home goddess, meet Hestia, who not only tends the hearth-fire: she is the hearth-fire. These days, with microwave ovens and gas ranges, keeping the home fires burning isn't as necessary as it was in ancient Greece and Rome, but Hestia's still in her house. Go visit some time and check out her mad cooking skills.

Bes and Taweret

This pair of gods hangs out in ancient Egyptian houses together, to scare bad dreams and illness away from the kids. You can see them in lion heads carved on beds and other furniture (Bes wears a lion's mask) or in the form of small hippo statues or images kept by pregnant women or babies (Taweret is a hippopotamus goddess). No evil wants to mess with these two.