Matters of Life and Death
Egypt says its archaeologists have unearthed a Ptolemic temple in the Mediterranean port city of Alexandria dating back more than 2,000 years; which may have been dedicated to the ancient cat-goddess Bastet.
This pet urn is a replica of an ancient canopic jar is sculpted in designer resin and is rich in color and detail.
Bastet keepsake urn is perfect for tiny treasures.
The new addition to our bug collection is the Egyptian Scarab keepsake urn. The scarab beetle was of one of the most important religious symbols in Egypt and many of the dead were buried with scarab amulets as a symbol of regeneration.
Our Sacred Scarab keepsake urn comes in green with lined interior and bottom. Perfect size for storing jewelry, a lock of hair, dried flowers, sacred burial ground, or other small mementos.
Our Anubis pet urn is back in stock after a brief absence. This funeral urn is a replica of a canopic jar and holds 90 cubic inches. Too bad these styles are not available in a size to handle adult remains, we get several requests for the larger capacity.
Dog lovers tend to favor this cremation urn style.
Early in Egyptian history, Anubis was a god of the dead. Anubis had three important functions. He supervised the embalming of bodies. He received the mummy into the tomb and performed the Opening of the Mouth ceremony and then conducted the soul in the Field of Celestial Offerings. Most importantly though, Anubis monitored the Scales of Truth to protect the dead from deception and eternal death.
The god of embalming is probably associated with the jackal due to the habits of jackals to lurk about tombs and graves. One of the reasons the early Egyptians sought to make their tombs more elaborate was to keep the bodies safe from the jackals lingering about the graves. It is only natural therefore that a god of mummification would be connected with them. By worshiping Anubis, the Egyptians hoped to invoke him to protect their deceased from jackals, and the natural decay that unprotected bodies endure.
Egyptian god Bastet is also included in our Egypt urn collection.
One of the experiments we conducted in the garden this year was the launch of our Egyptian Collection. We try not to be slaves to our own tastes, but admittedly we’re crazy for all things Egyptian (except for cobras and poison asps) and it seemed like a good fit.
The Bastet and Anubis canopic jar style pet urns have been a popular selection with our families and both styles been sold out for several weeks now. Bastet is now back in stock and appeals to the cat lovers. Makes sense because Bastet was the goddess of cats, fire, home, and pregnant women.
Bastet had a split personality and was both gentle and docile, but could quickly turn into an evil kitty and slaughter her enemies.
According to the Greek historian, Herodotus, festivals for Bastet were held in April and May at Bubastis. Boat-loads of men and women would sail the Nile shaking rattles and blowing horns, dancing, and disturbing the peace. Jeering at the crowds along the banks. When the Egyptians finally reached the festival destination, the party really got started! Kicking it off with sacrifices, massive wine consumption and the largest orgy in the Mediterranean. Herodotus said “more wine is consumed than during the whole of the rest of the year.” Good times!
In addition to Bastet and Anubis, other pet urn styles in the Egyptian collection include a Pharaoh and Horus version.