Bast

Bast is a panther goddess worshiped in Wakanda. Wakandan tradition holds that in the country's earliest days, when five tribes warred over the land, the warrior shaman Bashenga received a vision from Bast that led him to the Heart-Shaped Herb, a plant granting superhuman strength and senses. By that gift Bashenga united the tribes as the first king and the first Black Panther, founding the line of protectors that continues into the present. Bast stands at the center of Wakandan faith: the mantle of the Black Panther, the herb that empowers it, and the spiritual life of the nation all trace back to her.