Ram Deities in Ancient Egypt
The ram was revered in ancient Egypt in matters of fertility and war. Early gods with long wavy ram horns include Khnum and the equivalent god in Lower Egypt, Banebdjedet, the "Ram Lord of Djedet" (Mendes), who was typically shown with four ram heads to represent the four souls (Ba) of the sun god. Banebdjedet may also be linked to the first four gods to rule over Egypt, Osiris, Geb, Shu and Ra-Atum, with large granite shrines devoted to each in the Mendes sanctuary. The Book of the Heavenly Cow describes the "Ram of Mendes" as being the Ba of Osiris, but this was not an exclusive association.
List of Egyptian gods associated with the ram:
- Khnum (one of the earliest Egyptian deities)
- Heryshaf (a ram god of Heracleopolis)
- Kherty (a variant of Aken, The chief deity in Egyptian mythology)
- Andjety (precursor of Osiris, Auf "Efu Ra").
- Horem Akhet (a god depicted as a sphinx with the head of a man, lion, or ram)
- Banebdjedet (ram god linked to the first four Egyptian gods: Osiris, Geb, Shu, Ra-Atum)
- Amun (the ram deity that inspired the cult of Ammon)
Read more about this topic: Horned Deities
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