Ba-neb-djedet is a four-headed ram god of Lower Egypt. His cult center Djedet gives rise to tales of satanic goat rituals. He's equated with creator god Khnum of Upper Egypt, also a ram-headed or ram deity, and is considered the ba of Osiris, God of the Dead.
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Mendes is the Greek name for the city Djedet, in the eastern Nile delta of Lower Egypt. In c. 400 BCE the city is called Per-Banebdjedet ("Domain of the Ram Lord of Djedet"). Mendes (Djedet) is a seat of ram worship, similar to the Egyptian Apis rituals.
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Principle deities of Mendes are Ba-neb-djedet and his consort, fish goddess Hatmehit. Known as "Foremost of the Fishes", Hatmehit is associated both with annual floods and the resulting bounty of fish from the Nile.
As Mendes expands as a perfume production center, Hatmehit is associated with pleasing scents and perfumery. Her epithets include "Lady of Punt", "Lady of Myrrh", and "She who creates everyone's scent."
With their son Har-pa-khered (Harpocrates, Horus the Child), they form the divine triad of Mendes. Har-pa-khered or Horus the Child wears a youth lock and represents the newborn Sun.
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As in the hieroglyph for child, his finger is in or near his mouth. The same is seen in youthful god Heka, personification of magic. Due to misunderstanding the gesture, in Greek lore Horus the Child evolves to Harpocrates, god of silence, secrets and confidentiality.
Ba-neb-djedet can appear as a four-headed ram with curled and/or horizontal horns. Two heads face forward, and two face backward in sculpture in the round, or two face left and two right in wall art such as painting and rock reliefs.
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Besides being an aspect of the soul, ba is the Egyptian word for 'ram'. Khnum of Upper Egypt is also a ram-headed god.
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An ancient king of Egypt, who reigns c. 2900 BCE for a short time, is called Ba, Horus-Ba or Horus Bird. The hieroglyph for a ram is part of his name. The image of Ba-neb-djed as a ram, ram-headed man or “sacred ram” may be related to the obscure rule of Ba.
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Osiris is first mentioned in Egyptian literature c. 2300 BCE. He's sometimes shown with horizontal rams' horns at bottom of his Atef crown, showing his connection to the ram and ram headed gods. In the Myth of Osiris, he's murdered by Set.
As Osiris is dead despite a brief resurrection to father Horus with Isis, he lives in the Duat or Aaru, the afterlife. Thus Ba-neb-djedet is the embodiment of Osiris in deific life, having contact with the mortal world.
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Often portrayed as a man-headed bird, the ba is the only part of a person's soul with the ability to leave the tomb. The ka departs the body but remains in the tomb. Sometimes a special ka room is built, with a false or hidden door, where the ka can receive offerings.
The ba bird can go out for a while but must occasionally return to the tomb to revitalize itself. Pharaoh's spirit is thought to manifest in ba form so he can enjoy the sensory pleasures of mortal life - taste, scent, etc and perhaps visit those he left behind.
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The name Ba-neb-djedet means, “the ba of the lord of the djed”, referring to Osiris. The ba is the part of the soul representing the personality. Ba relates to power, effectiveness, reputation or charisma.
Banebdjedet is an aspect of Osiris, who must remain in the Afterlife. As time goes on dieties form multiple ba and ka facets. From the Gods the Pharaoh receives them and soon they become popular, represented by amulets and figurines, for the average person.
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The symbols of Banebdjedet include the ram or ram's horns, the was scepter and the djed, or pillar of stability. Considered sacred animals in the city of Djedet rams are mummified at death and placed in their own necropolis or burial center.
A religious phenomenon “The Goat of Mendes” is linked by some historians to Baphomet or the false god of the Templars. Others see the "goat" as a satanic symbol or embodiment of demonic powers. A number of factors contribute to the confusion.
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In his Histories, Herodotus states the Mendes ram deity is represented with the head and fleece of a goat,
"... whereas anyone with a sanctuary of Mendes or who comes from the province of Mendes, will have nothing to do with (sacrificing) goats, but uses sheep as his sacrificial animals ..."
In Greek legend Herakles yearns to see Zeus, who prefers to remain unseen. Herakles continues pleading and Zeus decides to compromise. He cuts off the head of a ram and skins the animal. Wearing the fleece and false head, he shows himself to Herakles.
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Herodotus continues,
"That is why the Egyptian statues of Zeus have a ram's head, is why rams are sacred to the Thebans, and they do not use them as sacrificial animals.
However there is just one day of the year - the day of the festival of Zeus -when they chop up a single ram, skin it, dress the statue of Zeus in the way mentioned, and then bring the statue of Herakles up close to the statue of Zeus ...
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... then everyone around the sanctuary mourns the death of the ram. Finally they bury the ram in a sacred tomb."
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