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Baphomet

Baphomet · Goat-Headed Idol — Symbol of the Occult and Conspiracy

Name of the idol the Knights Templar were accused of worshipping in their trials (1307–1314). The original form was vague, but the 19th-century French occultist Éliphas Lévi codified it as a hermaphroditic figure with goat's head, female breasts, bat wings, and a pentagram on the brow. This image has since become the standard. The most iconic symbol of black magic and occult conspiracy.

Origin

Likely a French corruption of 'Mahomet' (the Prophet Muhammad) — a name shaped by Crusade-era fear of Eastern idols. It rose to infamy when King Philip IV of France destroyed the Templars in 1307 by extracting confessions under torture that they worshipped Baphomet. Éliphas Lévi's 1856 illustration is the prototype of all modern images.

Features

Hermaphroditic figure with goat's head and human body
Pentagram (inverted) on the brow
Two fingers pointing up and down — 'As above, so below'
Bat wings and torch

Stories

Used as the symbol of occult esoteric orders, notably the Church of Satan. In conspiracy theory and urban legend, invoked as the sign of secret societies and clandestine power. Also a philosophical image of Hermetic and alchemical balance — male-female, above-below.