Editing Osiris (section)

===Ram god===
{{Hiero|[[Banebdjedet]] <br> (''b3-nb-ḏd'')|<hiero>E10-nb-Dd-Dd-t:niwt</hiero>|align=left|era=egypt}}
Osiris' soul, or rather his ''[[Egyptian soul|ba]]'', was occasionally worshipped in its own right, almost as if it were a distinct god, especially in the [[Nile Delta|Delta]] city of [[Mendes]]. This aspect of Osiris was referred to as ''[[Banebdjedet]]'', which is grammatically [[Grammatical gender|feminine]] (also spelt "''Banebded''" or "''Banebdjed''"), literally "the ''ba'' of the lord of the ''[[djed]]'', which roughly means ''The soul of the lord of the pillar''. The ''djed'', a type of pillar, was usually understood as the [[Vertebral column|backbone]] of Osiris.

The Nile supplying water, and Osiris (strongly connected to the vegetable regeneration) who died only to be resurrected, represented continuity and stability. As ''Banebdjed'', Osiris was given [[epithet]]s such as ''Lord of the Sky'' and ''Life of the ([[solar deity|sun god]]) [[Ra]]''. ''Ba'' does not mean "soul" in the western sense, and has to do with power, reputation, force of character, especially in the case of a god.

Since the ''ba'' was associated with power, and also happened to be a word for [[Ram (sheep)|ram]] in [[Egyptian language|Egyptian]], Banebdjed was depicted as a ram, or as Ram-headed. A living, sacred ram was kept at Mendes and worshipped as the incarnation of the god, and upon death, the rams were mummified and buried in a ram-specific [[necropolis]]. Banebdjed was consequently said to be Horus' father, as Banebdjed was an aspect of Osiris.

Regarding the association of Osiris with the ram, the god's traditional [[crook and flail]] are the instruments of the shepherd, which has suggested to some scholars also an origin for Osiris in herding tribes of the upper Nile.