So awhile ago, I made a journal asking if I should change my adopted character Bastet's name to something a little more unique, since Bastet is the name of a goddess and therefore widely used in all kinds of media. Easy to get your character lost in the mix that way. Well, this was even before I'd gotten much art of her or paid her much mind. Since then though, she's really grown on me. I've thought of lore surrounding her, gotten more art of her, and had friends comment that they like her quite a bit. She's really the only other character I've had that's stood alongside Talii for me, so I think she's here to stay. That being said, yeah she needs a new name.

However, I didn't want to totally do away with her link to Bastet. So I began thinking that maybe a proper Pharaoh's name for her would be great, since to me she's an empress/pharaoh. So then the pain began. I have been wracking my brain and pulling out my hair studying Pharaoh names, trying to figure out the language as best I could, trying to find the perfect name for her. Sometimes I'd come up with a name that had a perfect translation for what I wanted, but it didn't sound good. It was hard to say or stilted. Sometimes I'd come up with a name that sounded good but its translation was bad (yes I'm that picky about some things.) One name I kept returning to, however, was "Neferubast" which means "Beauties of Bast". I tabled it for awhile since "Nefer" is a really common name for pharaohs and is even used somewhat in media and the fandom itself. There's even a rather popular egyptian intersex character already called "Nefer". Ultimately, though, it's really the best choice. It sounds good and it's pretty accurate. So, after all that work, ultimately Bastet's new full name is: "Neferubast Hatshepsmau" which means "Beauties of Bast, foremost of the noble cats" (you know, assuming that she comes from a royal cat family or something.) Mainly, both names were inspired by two other female pharaohs of note from history. The first being "Neferusobek" or "Beauties of sobek" and "Hatshepsut" which means "Foremost of noble ladies." The two of those were a really nice template for me.

Of course, I won't be using that whole name for tagging and referencing purposes. That would be annoying. So, it'll simply be "Neferubast" for all intents and purposes. The throne name "Hatshepsmau" will really only be a lore thing. I know I could probably keep studying and find a better sounding, less common, cooler name for her, but ultimately I can't stand constantly reciting names under my breath all day until I get it right. I could totally come up with a fake egyptian sounding name for her, or bend the grammar rules to make something work better (Like I wanted to use Kheperubast, which sounds cool and is less common than "nefer" but it translates to "Forms of bast" which doesn't make a whole lot of sense. Kheperbast, which would be the accurate "Form of bast" doesn't sound as good ) but I know that my stupid afflicted brain wouldn't let me. So, without any more fussing about it, my gorgeous empress kitty cat will be "Neferubast"

Cheers,

SymbolicSongbird