In my previous article I discussed Baphomet’s possible origins in the Arabic names Bahumed or Bahamut, the latter of which takes its name from the biblical Behemoth and its form from a chymera of the biblical Behemoth and Leviathan, with the connection to the mysteries of the hippopotamus and the elephant that this implies. But more often we associate Baphomet with the goat. For this we have to thank Eliphas Levi, who made an association between Baphomet and the Egyptian god Banebdjedet in his book “Dogmas and Rituals of High Magic”. It would seem that due to a translation error Levi called Banebdjedet ‘The goat of Mendes’. In fact Banebdjedet has the head of a ram. Ba is the ancient Egyptian word for both ‘ram’ and ’soul’, and it seems that the soul of a god was often depicted with a Rams head. In this case Banebdjedet was supposedly the Ba of Osiris, although this varies between different texts, presumably in reflection of the ever changing political and religious climate of the ancient civilisation. In one text Banebdjedet is a form taken by Ptah, and in another concerning the trial of Set and Horus he initially remains neutral and later sides with Set, not actions one would credit with the ’soul of Osiris’.

Levi’s thinking of Banebdjedet as a goat may well have been a result of a mistranslation of the account given by the Greek historian Herodotus. Herodotus also told a story about Zeus appearing to Heracles hiding behind the severed head of a ram so as not to reveal his true face, using it to explain why Egyptians depicted Zeus with a rams head. It seems the Greeks saw Banebdjedet as a form of Zeus. Certainly both gods were associated with prolific sexual verility. The sexual nature of the gods cult was such that it lead to early Christians to demonise him.

Interestingly, some conspiracy sites try to claim that the statue of George Washington by Horatio Greenough was modelled on Eliphas Levi’s famous depiction of Baphomet. However the statue was commissioned in 1832 and completed in 1840, whereas the Elpihas Levi’s book wasn’t published until 1855, fifteen years later. Greenough apparently modelled the statue of the first US president upon the statue of Zeus at Olympus by the ancient Greek scupltor Phidias. In some myths, the infant Zeus is said to have suckled from the breast of the goat Amalthea, whose name is Greek for ‘tender goddess’, and in others he was raised by Melissa on goats milk and honey. Melissa is Greek for ‘Honey Bee’.

Ask people for a god associated with goats and I suspect many would answer ‘Pan’. Whilst the Greek word pan means ‘all’, the name of the god most likely originates in the word ‘paein’ which means ‘to pasture’. Like Baphomet, Pan has the legs of of a goat, although facially he is depicted as a bearded man with goat horns. Generally Pan is depicted in the manner of a faun. His father is said to be either Zeus, Hermes or Dionysus. The latter two being sons of Zeus themselves would make Pan a grandson of Zeus if they were the father. Either way, the theme of highly sexual virile gods is maintained. In some Hellenistic mystery cults however, Zeus, Phanes, Dionysus, Pan and Eros were all considered cognate.

So what mysteries do these goat deities reveal to us about the significance of Baphomet’s goat head and legs? Well the theme of sexual potency is very strong from many of the male gods associated with goats, so this would definitely be a part of Baphomet in that regard. Of course Levi depicts Baphomet as Hermaphrodite so goddesses associated with goats also come into the picture, the most significant of which seems to be Amalthea, the tender goddess who nursed the infant Zeus. According to some versions ambrosia, the food of the gods, came forth from her horns to feed him. This brings to mind the cornucopia, the horn of plenty. So the the divine goat also manifests a strong nurturing aspect.

The goat forms a strong part of Baphomet’s symbolic heritage since Levi, in the same way the elephant and hippopotamus connections via the BHMT link in the name. All this sets the stage for some fantastic symbols in Baphomet’s heritage that I will be tying together in my next article on this fascination deity.

I spent last weekend on camping with friends in Cheddar. It is a place where the real cheddar cheese is produced. Cheddar is a town lying at the foot of the gorge that reaches 120 meters at its peak. The view from the top of the cliff is amazing. You can see the rocks on the other side of the gorge and wild goats feeding on the steep slopes. It is truly impressive.

Spending time in wild places can refresh and empower me for a long time. Being close with nature seem necessary to me to maintain physical and psychical  health.  Contact with nature is magickally empowering in all possible senses. Being in nature can be much more powerful and inspiring than ritual performed at home. That is because in wild places magick just happens before your eyes. You don’t need to imagine, visualize anything. It is all there.

On Sunday we went for a walk to the top of the gorge. We were walking down the cliff to the viewpoint. On the side from the path there was small thicket and in there were goats, lots of them. In front of us there was very old, huge goat with long massive horns!
Absolutely beautiful. We stopped to look at him. He wasn’t bothered by us at all. Being on his own territory he knew we were not a threat. He was lying on the grass, looking at us and smiling.  It felt like being greeted by divine being. This goat is an extraordinary creature and very magickal indeed. I had a strong sense of mutual respect and recognition. We just felt personally contacted by this Spirit.  Unforgettable experience. It was amazing that we all felt totally safe in front of this strong, big wild animal. We felt such a friendliness, kindness and wisdom emanating from him. Very warm, loving feeling. He seemed so proud and confident and incredibly cute in its own way (at least to me).

Anton described this experience from his own perspective in here: audience with baphomet

Here’s Hippi’s photo of the goat:

and more goat….

and some shots of the cliffs and the gorge…

closing, a little goat!

Just enjoyed a magical weekend camping in Cheddar with Lolita Perdurabo, Hippi Condomando and Andy Armour.  The campsite was beautiful, and we managed to get spots by the river for our tents.  Ducks and Geese wondered around, bats flew along the river at night, and at one point as we were sitting outside the tents, a hedgehog ran across Lolita’s boot!

Cheddar is a charming little town with, as you would expect, some very nice cheese.  The early autumn weather meant we weren’t in a Cider mood, and so we mostly enjoyed the Cheddar Ales (Goats Leap being my favourite) rather than the local scrumpy.  And of course one morning we indulged in the obligatory cream tea (although Lolita and I had ours with Coffee, kind of making the ‘tea’ part of the name a misnomer).  The amount of clotted cream served with the scones was a little intimidating to the arteries mind…

And of course, the main attraction of the place is the proximity of the famous Cheddar Gorge.  What a truly magickal place!  We had all recently watch the australian classic ‘Picnic at Hanging Rock’, including the documentary about its filming and one the things the actors and film makers involved in that film all commented on was the faces in the rock and atmosphere this created there.  I couldn’t help but see a parallel in Cheddar Gorge, given the faces apparent nearly everywhere in the rocks and vegetation.  For me this place is enchanted and one of the most magickal places in Britain, or indeed the world.

We saw quite a lot of goats over the weekend, but by far the most spectacular event was on our last day when we came into contact with an old goat that put me in mind of Baphomet.

It sat there serene, smiling at us as we watched.  I felt a strong communication between us and a sense of mutual respect and friendliness.  I had a strong feeling that this goat was Baphomet in manifestation, serene and godly, with a court of younger goats behind it in the trees.  I said the name Baphomet aloud and it looked at me in recognition, similarly when I mentioned the name Pan.  It seemed happy to be recognised by such names.

What is more, this was not just a goat from a farm, but an encounter with a wild goat living on the cliffs of the Gorge.  A wild and wise old goat, clearly sovereign and not intimidated in the least by human presence.  We passed it on the way to the cliff edge were we enjoyed a flask of tea and a stunning view.  When we return, the smiling old goat was gone, our audience at an end.

Update: Lolita has her own account and more photos on her blog: Cheddar Gorge and Goats