Bes

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For the Roman coin denomination, see bes (coin).

See also BES

Bes (also spelt as Bisu) was an Egyptian deity worshipped in the later periods of dynastic history as a protector of households. While past studies identified Bes as a Middle Kingdom import from Nubia, some more recent research believes him to be an Egyptian native. Mentions of Bes can be traced to the southern lands of the Old Kingdom; however his cult did not become widespread until well into the New Kingdom.

His name appears to be connected to a Nubian word for cat, besa, which literally means protector, and indeed, his first appearances have the suggestion of a cat god^{[citation needed]}. Egyptians kept cats in order to attack snakes, and creatures that might ruin crop stores, such as mice, and so Bes was naturally singled out as worthy of worship in Egypt.

[edit] Iconography

Modern scholars such as James Romano demonstrated that in its earliest inceptions, Bes was a representation of a lion rearing up on its hind legs. Over time, this image became grossly distorted, and he came to be seen as a hideously ugly dwarf, with long tongue, bow legs, and some feline body parts, and sometimes a lion's head.

After the Third Intermediate Period, Bes is often seen as just the head or the face, often worn as amulets. Some also say that the God bes came from the Great Lakes Region of Africa, coming from the twa(pygmee) people in congo or rawanda. The ancient Twa or pygmee were very short in height like the God Bes, they were about they same height as Bes.

[edit] Worship

Images of the god were kept in homes to ward off evil, and so he was depicted quite differently from the other gods. Normally gods were shown in profile, but instead Bes appeared in portrait, ithyphallic, and sometimes in a soldier's tunic, so as to appear ready to launch an attack on any approaching evil.

Bes was a household protector, throughout its history becoming responsible for such varied tasks as killing snakes, fighting off evil spirits, watching after children, and aiding (by fighting off evil spirits) women in labour (and thus present with Taweret at births).

Since he drove off evil, Bes also came to symbolize the good things in life - music, dance, and generic, and sexual pleasure. Later, in the Ptolemaic period of Egyptian history, chambers were constructed, painted with images of Bes and his wife Beset, thought by Egyptologists to have been for the purpose of curing fertility problems or general healing rituals.

Many instances of Bes masks and costumes from the New Kingdom and later have been uncovered. These show considerable wear, thought to be too great for occasional use at festivals, and are therefore thought to have been used by professional performers, or given out for rent.

Like many Egyptian gods, the worship of Bes was exported overseas, and he, in particular, proved popular with the Phoenicians and the (ancient) Cypriots.

[edit] References

• The Complete Gods and Goddesses of Ancient Egypt, Richard H. Wilkinson. ISBN 0-500-05120-8
• The Oxford History of Ancient Egypt, Ian Shaw. ISBN 0-19-280458-8