Behemoth, originally known as Baphomet, is a Polish extreme metal band who began their career in Gdańsk, Poland in 1991. Their genre underwent many changes and can be best described as blackened death metal. They have revolutionized the Polish underground metal scene with bands like Vader, Hate and Decapitated. In the early 1990s they were known for their characteristic blasphemous lyrics and later focused on occult, Thelemic and Satanic motifs. Spearheaded by the lead vocalist and guitarist Adam “Nergal” Darski, their lineup has not stayed permanent through the years. Their current members are Nergal who has been the only constant, Inferno the drummer and Orion the bassist and backing vocalist.
They have enjoyed a celebrated career and long-lasting limelight. Their eighth studio album The Apostasy (2007) placed them second on the Billboards chart for US Heatseekers Albums. In 2010, Behemoth won the Album of the Year award in the Heavy Metal category for Evangelion (2009) at the Polish Fryderyk Awards. Their eleventh album I Loved You at Your Darkest (2018) won worldwide acclaim from critics. To commemorate the band’s 30th anniversary, they are slated to release Opvs Contra Natvram, their twelfth studio album in September, 2022. They have promised to go against the current once more and fan the flame of insurgence in the audience to fight for everything that is wrong in society.
They were at the heart of controversy in 2007 when they came under target for endorsing Satanism and murder in Poland. Nergal has also been tried for desecrating the Bible in the same year. They were banned from Russia for 5 years due to visa problems.
Their sound and style have always been supported by their artistic vision and thought-provoking lyrics that have proved they have not been mindlessly encouraging devil-worshipping. They use nonconformist approaches to examine the morally ailing and traditional world we inhabit. They believe that Satan is the most misunderstood and misrepresented character in history. Their upcoming album will criticize social media, internet’s “cancel” culture and its impacts under the veil of apostate themes.
Their tenth studio album The Satanist (2013) remains a classic due to the band’s unapologetic vision to embrace unorthodoxy. O Father, O Satan, O Sun! is the last song from this album. Let us take a look at O Father, O Satan, O Sun lyrics meaning.
What Does The Title Mean
The title and lyrics of O Father, O Satan, O Sun! pay homage to Satan. Behemoth was inspired by The Bornless One ritual which originates from Western ceremonial magic. It was popularized by eminent English occultist Aleister Crowley and is the most popular version of the ritual which seeks to summon the Holy Guardian Angel. The verses exalt the sacred figure as one who protects the heaven and earth.
In 1852, another version of this text written by English Egyptologist Charles Wycliffe Goodwin invoked the Devil instead. Behemoth’s Nergal has drawn on this version and replaced the verses to deify Satan. Turning the godly symbolism on the head throughout the song, it is an exaltation of Satan as an antithesis to the traditional worship of God. The lyrics act like an incantation that summons the Devil. Nergal has made the line “O Father, O Satan, O Sun!” the title of the song to praise the deadly and catastrophic giver of life. Read on to know more about O Father, O Satan, O Sun lyrics meaning.
Verse 1 – What Does It Mean
“Akephalos
Shine through me
Come forth in war
Come forth in peace
Bring down the sun
Extinguish all the stars
Let me remain
In splendor ov thy light”
The song opens by appealing to Akephalos, a demonic being from ancient Greek texts known as “The Headless One”. Nergal asks the demon to bring with it the annihilating power to obliterate the earth, destroy the sun and wipe out the stars. With the stars extinguished, there would be no light in the world. Poetically, he believes this glorious darkness that the demon will unleash can be viewed as a manifestation of the traditionally holy light. The play on dark and light is also evident in O Father, O Satan, O Sun lyrics meaning as the Latin name “Lucifer” translates to “light-bringing.”
Verse 2 – What Does It Mean
“Bornless one
As darkness bright
Found not in tongues
Found not in light
Bring down the rain
Drain waters ov Styx
Faustian luminary
Redeem
Blaspheme”
The Bornless One ritual refers to the angelic being as the “bornless one” or one whose existence is eternal. Nergal instead draws on Goodwin’s version that aims to summon the “bornless” Devil. The song prays to Akephalos to drain the waters of the Styx. In Greek mythology, this is a river in the Underworld that segregates the land of the living from the dead. This act would release the souls of the dead who would rain pandemonium on earth. This verse idolizes the literary tragic hero and inspirational “luminary” Doctor Faustus who chose the path of damnation. He sold his soul to the Devil for magical power and infinite knowledge. Through an oxymoron, it says redemption is found through the act of “blaspheme” or by speaking irreverently about God.
What Does The Chorus Mean
“Like a day without the dawn
Like a ray void ov the sun
Like a storm that brings no calm
I’m most complete yet so undone”
The chorus continues the theme of juxtaposing paradoxical elements that can be found exemplified in Akephalos, the Satanic figure who is both absolute and “undone”. A day without sunrise, a ray sans sunlight, a storm without an end are all signs of a world plunged in eternal darkness.
Verse 3 – What Does It Mean
“Agathos Daimon
Ov plague and fever
Thy name is nowhere
Thy name is never
Liberate me
Ignite the seeds
Bind not to guilt
Ignis Gehennalis”
In ancient Greece, agathos daemons were noble spirits who were a symbol of good luck and protector of people. They were seen carrying a staff entwined with a serpent. The reptilian symbol is also significant to Satanic iconography. This is the connotation O Father, O Satan, O Sun lyrics meaning was going for when he subverted the meaning of yet another typically holy being. The agathos daemon being invoked here is a harbinger of plague and carnage whose existence contrasts the omnipresence of God. Attaching the qualities of “nowhere” and “never” to it, the spirit is called upon to spark the seeds of chaos. In the Satanic school of thought, Satan is also seen as the liberator of sins. “Ignis Gehennalis” is a fiery allusion to the cursed Biblical city of Gehenna where many children were sacrificed to the “fires of hell”.
Verse 4 – What Does It Mean
“O Father
O Satan
O Sun
Let the children come to thee
Behold the morning star
Akephalos
Shine through me
Come forth in war
Come forth in peace”
The titular phrase in O Father, O Satan, O Sun lyrics meaning is directly lifted from the Bornless One ritual. The ritual is capable of conjuring both Good and Evil beings based on the rendition of verses. The substantial change Nergal has made is highlighting words that become the ultimate appeal to Satan, the supreme being that presides over all things in the universe. His worshippers become the children of Satan, reminiscent of Jesus who said, “Let the children come to me”. “Morning star” is another name for Lucifer. The refrain from Verse 1 is back to convey the vehemence with which the song calls upon Akephalos.
What Do The Spoken Lyrics Mean
“O Lion-Serpent Sun, the beast that whirlest forth
A thunder-bolt, begetter of life!
Thou that flowest! Thou that goest!
Thou Satan-Sun, Hadith, that goest without will!
Thou Air! Breath! Spirit! Thou without bound or bond!
Thou essence, air swift-streaming, elasticity!
Thou wanderer, father of all!
Thou wanderer, spirit of all!”
Most of the spoken lyrics blend words that occur verbatim in both Aleister Crowley and Goodwin’s version of the Bornless One ritual. Satan is hailed as the creator of the world and the spirit which animates all living things. Thunderbolts are taken as a manifestation of his power. Satan is even synonymous to the sun, the giver of life. In Thelemic philosophy, Hadit is a sun deity known as the lord of the sky. Satan is the savior, father, spirit and air that wanders in search of evil and reigns over the firmament with no limit.
“Hear me, and make all spirits subjects unto me
So that every spirit of the firmament and of the ether
Upon the earth and under the earth
On dry land and in the water
Of whirling air, and of rushing fire
And every spell and scourge of god
May be obedient unto me
Thou spiritual sun! Satan, thou eye, thou lust!
Cry aloud! Cry aloud!
Whirl the wheel, O my Father, O Satan, O Sun”
The closing lines pray to Akephalos for unlimited power capable of conquering all known limits of nature. The song asks for a type of divine power that gives the seeker control over the mortal realm, the heavens, land, ocean, wind, and fire. It asks to grant them the magical and punitive powers that are accessible only to God. With an energetic invitation that asks the Satanic being to roar to life, the song concludes asking him to spin the wheel of demonic destruction and devastation.
Conclusion
O Father, O Satan, O Sun lyrics meaning is considered an unforgettable favorite in the blackened death metal scene. The song is especially loved when Behemoth plays it live during concerts. It has received wide acclaim from music critics and even featured on an episode of the American black comedy drama The Righteous Gemstones. The rhythmic guitar riffs and Behemoth’s classic demonic vibes keep the song alive and thrumming in the hearts of the fans.
