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The satanic "horned god" symbol known as the baphomet is based on an Egyptian ram deity that was worshipped in Mendes, called Banebdjed (literally Ba of the lord of djed, and titled "the Lord of Mendes"), who was the soul of Osiris.
The Egyptian gods Khnum (Upper Egypt, shown here) were usually depicted with the head of a spiral-horned ram. Mendes is the Greek name for the ancient Egyptian city of Djedet. Lévi equates his image with "The Goat of Mendes", possibly following the account by Herodotus [ 60 ] that the god of Mendes was depicted with a goat's face and legs.
This symbol was later reproduced in A Pictorial History of Magic and the Supernatural by Maurice Bessy. [6] Anton LaVey, founder of the Church of Satan, acquired Bessy's book during his research into the "black arts". LaVey adapted the symbol from Bessy's book, with the "Samael" and "Lilith" text removed.
Typically, the horned god Banebdjedet was depicted with four rams' heads to represent the four Bas of the sun god. He may also be linked to the first four gods to rule over Egypt (Osiris, Geb, Shu and Ra-Atum), with large granite shrines to each in the Mendes sanctuary.
The hieroglyphic symbol hnm (𓎸) often appearing in Khnum's name is derived from the word hnmt, signifying "well", or "spring". His name can also be connected to a Semitic root meaning "sheep". Alternatively, the formation of the name can be interpreted as "the beloved divine being".
The Horned God is one of the two primary deities found in Wicca and some related forms of Neopaganism.The term Horned God itself predates Wicca, and is an early 20th-century syncretic term for a horned or antlered anthropomorphic god partly based on historical horned deities.
This imagery often draws parallels to the Christian faith, where the lamb is a sacred symbol of Christ's sacrifice and redemption. However, lamb (or sheep) tattoos are not limited to that one meaning.
Jupiter Ammon, depicted in a terracotta fragment. A fossil ammonite, showing its horn-like spiral. Ammon, eventually Amon-Ra, was a deity in the Egyptian pantheon whose popularity grew over the years, until growing into a monotheistic religion in a way similar to the proposal that the Judeo-Christian-Islamic deity evolved out of the Ancient Semitic pantheon. [2]