In Egyptian mythology, Bata (also spelt Bat) was originally a deification of the Milky Way, which, since it was in early times considered a pool of cow's milk, made Bata be considered a cow goddess. She was originally worshipped in Seshesh, the 7th nome of Upper Egypt, where she, as a representation of the cosmos, was thought of as the essence of the soul. Hence her name, which is the feminine form of the word ba, the spiritual element that Egyptians considered to constitute one of the major parts of the soul.