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Bastemon!

I just think she's neat! I love Bastemon's design and thought it would be fun to paint her in my own style~

Will be available as a sticker & print this Friday 3/14!

#Digimon #Bastemon #beastmon #watercolor illustration #watercolor painting #watercolor

DigiMonday - BASTEMON (aka Beastmon/Persiamon)

(Perfect Level/Virus Attribute/Beast Man Type)

You may already know that cats were historically held in high regard in Egypt, but do you know why this was the case (gremlin charm and loveable toe beans notwithstanding)? In addition to (and likely at as a result of) the role that Domestic Cats served in protecting crops and stored grains from rodents when they were first domesticated in northern Africa cats were associated with several gods and other mythological figures, and were particularly associated with the goddess that lends Bastemon her name, 𓎯𓏏𓏏𓁐 (Bastet!)

(Gunawan Kartapranata's depiction of Bastet, image source here.)

Also known as Bast, Bastet is believed to have originated as a local deity worshipped in the ancient city of Bubastis (located in northeastern Egypt, near where modern Zagazig stands today) over 4,000 years ago, but her influence slowly spread and by around 3,500 years ago she was widely worshiped. A daughter of the sun god Ra and the goddess Isis, she was described as providing protection to both her father and those who worshipped her, although exactly how she was imagined to do this (as well as how she was depicted overall) interestingly changed over time; earlier depictions showed her as a fearsome lioness-headed warrior, but over time she was gradually transformed into a more of a gentle, comforting guardian figure and came to more often be shown with the head of a Domestic Cat to reflect her more approachable theological rebranding. With its apparent ferocity in battle Bastemon seems to draw more from the original formidable, leonine early depictions of Bastet, and while the prominent rosettes on its arms and lower body are clearly more leopardy than lionish, it could be worth noting that Leopards and Lions are relatives (both belonging to the genus Panthera), and that one of the many dubious claims of the ancient scholar Pliny the Elder was that Leopards were the hybrid offspring of a Lioness and a "Pard" (a cat-like critter of unknown identity, possibly a Serval or Cheetah.)

Bastemon debuted in 2002 (being a rare example of a Digi debuting in the original Digimon Card Game,) but is better known among Digi-enjoyers for its role in 2010's Digimon Xros Wars, where a Bastemon makes repeated appearances as a member of the main characters' extended Digimon army.

Favourite Bastemon Art: This card from the Digimon TCG. I'm not a huge fan of Bastemon's design overall (its feels just a little too stereotype-adjacent) but the colours on display here are very pretty, and the inclusion of what appear to be mallows, hibiscuses, laburnums and Papyrus Sedge (all of which are native to, or at least cultivated in, Egypt) is a nice touch!