The 19th century image of Baphomet, created by
Eliphas Lévi. The arms bear the
Latin words
SOLVE (dissolve) and
COAGULA (congeal).
Baphomet is a name of unestablished origin. It first appeared in trial transcripts during the inquisition of the Knights Templar in the early 1300s. Some modern scholars believe the name to have been an Old French corruption and misspelling of the name Mahomet (Muhammad). Nowadays it is generally viewed as a symbol of the Devil.