In Egyptian mythology, Mafdet (or Maftet) was an early panther-goddess, known as a destroyer of scorpions, snakes and other venomous animals. She was associated with cats and mongooses (both of which kill snakes) and was known to protect from the dangerous effects of snakebites. Egyptian mythology (or Egyptian religion) is the name for the succession of beliefs held by the people of Egypt until the coming of Christianity and Islam. ... The word Panther has several meanings: Any big cat with the condition known as melanism (causing black fur), see: Black Panther Leopard Puma Jaguar Any big cat from the genus Panthera, see: Lion Tiger Leopard Jaguar Codename for Mac OS X 10. ... A goddess, a female deity, contrasts with male deities, known as gods. A great many cultures have their own goddesses, sometimes alone, but more often as part of a larger pantheon that includes both of the conventional genders and in some cases even hermaphroditic deities. ... A scorpion is an invertebrate animal with eight legs belonging to the order Scorpiones in the class Arachnida. ... Families Acrochordidae Aniliidae Anomalepididae Anomochilidae Atractaspididae Boidae Bolyeriidae Colubridae Cylindrophiidae Elapidae Hydrophiidae Leptotyphlopidae Loxocemidae Pythonidae Tropidophiidae Typhlopidae Uropeltidae Viperidae Xenopeltidae Snakes are cold blooded legless reptiles closely related to lizards, which share the order Squamata. ... Phyla Porifera (sponges) Ctenophora (comb jellies) Cnidaria Placozoa Bilateria Acoelomorpha Orthonectida Rhombozoa ?Myxozoa Superphylum Deuterostomia    Chordata (vertebrates, etc. ... Cat or CAT may have several different meanings: Animals Cat, the common name for the domestic cat (Felis silvestris catus). ... Genera 17 genera, see text The mongoose is any member of the Herpestidae family of small, cat-like carnivores. ...

Her name means “She Who Runs Swiftly.” Some of Mafdet’s titles were “Slayer of Serpents” and “Lady of the Castle of Life.” A very old deity, Mafdet was believed to represent the rule of law and final judgment; in fact, this goddess’ symbol was the executioner’s staff. Mafdet was said to “rip out the hearts of the transgressors of the Laws of Ma'at and deliver them personally to Ra and the pharaoh’s feet." In the early New Kingdom she was depicted as ruling over the Judgment Hall. Mafdet appears to be associated with the protection of the king's chambers and other sacred places.

She is depicted as a woman with the head of a Cheetah, Lynx, or Panther or as a woman dressed in a cat skin. Mafdet's braided hair sometimes ends in scorpion tails, presumably showing her dominance over venoms. Her cult was eventually replaced by that of Bast. This article is about the plant tissue. ...