190 the ancient egyptians. chap. xiv. 



Goat. Ibex. 



According to Herodotus*, the Goat was sacred 

 in the Mendesian nome, where great lionours 

 were paid to it, particularly to the male. In that 

 province, even the goatherds themselves were 

 respected, notwithstanding the general prejudice 

 of the Egyptians against every denomination of 

 pastor. The same consideration was not extended 

 to these animals in every part of the country ; 

 and some of the inhabitants of Upper Egypt sa- 

 crificed them ; as the Mendesians offered to their 

 God sheep, which were sacred in the Thebaid.t 

 -Pliant states, that at Coptos the she-goat was 

 sacred, and religiously revered, — being a favourite 

 animal of the Goddess Isis, who was particularly 

 worshipped there ; but this feeling did not prevent 

 their sacrificing the males of the same species. 



Herodotus also tells us that the goat was sacred 

 to Pan, who was worshipped in the Mendesian 

 nome ; but he appears to have confounded that 

 Deity, who in reality corresponded to the Khem 

 of Egypt, with Mandoo, and to have described the 

 God of Generation under a form which was given 

 to no one of the Egyptian Pantlieon.§ 



When a he-goat died, the whole Mendesian 

 nome went into mourning ; and Strabo || and 

 Diodorus^ also mention the veneration in wliicli 

 it was held, in some parts of Egy})t, as the emblem 

 of the generative principle. It is, therefore, sin- 



* Herodot. ii. 46, f Herodot. ii. 42. 



t TElian, x, 23. 



§ Vide siiprd, .32. ; and Vol. I. (2d Scries) p. 200. 



II Strabo, xvii. p. 559. f Diodor. i. 88. and 84. 



