A horned deity with a cult in Mendes, he was a sort of Godfather figure to the young Horus (Har-pa-khered), interceding on his behalf when the Horus vs Set battle got nasty.

He asked the Gods to consult Neith on the subject of who should have custody of the Egyptian throne, with Horus coming out tops.

Some sources claim he’s actually the father of young Har-pa-khered with his consort Hatmehit. But the paperwork definitely says Osiris. So far no-one has asked for a DNA paternity test.

There is a strange twisted postscript. In the 19th century, many centuries after the ancient gods had retired into their crumbling pyramids, a French guy called Éliphas Lévi became a little obsessed with this ram-headed deity. He read some seedy tales of ancient naughtiness with goats and decided that Banebdjetet, with his ancient cult and proud ram’s horn, must therefore be the devil himself.

It wasn’t long before Banebdjetet, a perfectly respectable deity, became tangled up in all kinds of bizarre theories associating him with Satan. Like Pan, he was sucked into the world of the occult, producing the cult horned goat character BAPHOMET, star of Tarot cards, Aleister Crowley books, black magic rituals and sordid goings-on behind the curtains at séances.

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Article last revised on November 12, 2018 by the Godchecker data dwarves.
Editors: Peter J. Allen, Chas Saunders

References: Coming soon.

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