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| Bes | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 A depiction of Bes based on various sources | |||||
| Name in hieroglyphs |
| ||||
| Major cult center | Hermopolis, but worshipped everywhere | ||||
| Symbol | Ostrich feather | ||||
| Genealogy | |||||
| Parents | Min (god) (in some myths) | ||||
| Siblings | Taweret | ||||
| Consort | Beset, Taweret | ||||
Bes (/ˈbɛs/; also spelled as Bisu, Coptic: Ⲃⲏⲥ), together with his feminine counterpart Beset, is an ancient Egyptian deity, likely of Kushite/Nubian or Nehesi C-Group culture origin [1] worshipped as a protector of households and, in particular, of mothers, children, and childbirth. Bes later came to be regarded as the defender of everything good and the enemy of all that is bad.[2] According to Donald Mackenzie in 1907, Bes may have been a Middle Kingdom import from Nubia or Somalia,[3] and his cult did not become widespread until the beginning of the New Kingdom, but more recently several Bes-like figurines have been found in deposits from the Naqada period of pre-dynastic Egypt, like the thirteen figurines found at Tell el-Farkha.[4]
Worship of Bes spread as far north as the area of Syria and as far west as the Balearic Islands (Ibiza) in Spain, and later into the Roman and Achaemenid Empires.[5]
- ^ "Bes, the Odd God: Egypt's Nubian Party Boy". 17 November 2023.
- ^ El-Kilany, Engy (2017). "The Protective Role of Bes- image for Women and Children in Ancient Egypt" (PDF). Journal of Association of Arab Universities for Tourism and Hospitality. 14 (2): 19–28. doi:10.21608/jaauth.2017.48140 – via Google Scholar.
- ^ Mackenzie, Donald A. (1907). Egyptian myth and legend. With historical narrative, notes on race problems, comparative, etc. London: The Gresham Publishing. p. 312.
The grotesque god Bes also came into prominence during the Eighteenth Dynasty; it is possible that he was introduced as early as the Twelfth. Although his worship spread into Syria he appears to have been of African origin and may have been imported from Somaliland.
- ^ Teeter, Emily (2011). Before the pyramids. Chicago,Illinois: The Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago. p. 59.
Thirteen dwarf figurines (fig.6.8) were found at Tell el-Farkha, the largest group of such figurines so far discovered anywhere in Egypt (Buszek 2008). Dwarfs played an important role in the culture as indicated by images of them in art, but also by burials of dwarfs found in the immediate vicinity of tombs of the kings and aristocracy. The depictions from Tell el-Farkha attract particular attention because of the high level of workmanship of most of them, as well as the realism of their facial expressions and the representation of their bodies. These are far more skillfully done than any of the previously known early dwarf sculptures
- ^ Abdi, Kamyar (2002). "Notes on the Iranianization of Bes in the Achaemenid Empire". Ars Orientalis. 32: 133–162. JSTOR 4629595.