| Bes | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 A depiction of Bes based on various sources | |||||
| Name inhieroglyphs |
| ||||
| 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, Ⲃⲏⲥⲁ,Arabic:ويصا,romanized: Wīssa), together with his feminine counterpartBeset, is anancient Egyptian deity, of Kushite/Nubian or NehesiC-Group culture origin[1] worshipped as aprotector of households and, in particular, ofmothers, 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 aMiddle Kingdom import fromNubia[3] and his cult did not become widespread until the beginning of theNew Kingdom, but more recently several Bes-like figurines have been found in deposits from theNaqada period of pre-dynastic Egypt, like the thirteen figurines found atTell el-Farkha.[4]
Worship of Bes spread as far north as the area ofSyria and as far west as theBalearic Islands (Ibiza) in Spain, and later into theRoman andAchaemenid Empires.[5]
| Beset | |
|---|---|
_MET_66.123.3_001.jpg) A Statuette of Beset | |
| Symbol | Ostrich feather |
| Consort | Bes |
People in Upper Egypt started venerating Bes long before people inLower Egypt indicating a Nubian origin. The word “bes” means “cat” in Nubian, suggesting a possible Nubian or southern origin of Bes, the god having regularly been depicted with feline features.[2] Bes's Sub-saharan features also indicate a Kushite orC group origin, as well as The late introduction into egypt during the middle kingdom,The feathered crown was also a common item of dress in ancientKush that bes is commonly depicted with. It is also possible that the name Bes originated from one of two hieroglyphs: "bs", meaning "flame", possibly in connection to Re, and/or "bz", meaning "to be initiated" or "to introduce" possibly in reference to masks apparently used in the cult of the god.[2]
Bes is first mentioned in thePyramid Texts, but seems to have been best known and most widely worshiped in theMiddle Kingdom. Evidence of Bes worship in at least some exists intoCoptic Egypt, with the latest evidence being a jug depicting Bes found inTell Edfu dating to the 10th century CE.[6]
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Bes was ahousehold protector, becoming responsible– throughout ancient Egyptian history– for such varied tasks as killing snakes, fighting off evil spirits, watching after children, and aiding women in labour by fighting off evil spirits, and thus present withTaweret at births.[7][8][9]
Images of the deity, quite different from those of the other gods, were kept in homes. Normally Egyptian gods were shown inprofile, but instead Bes appeared in full faceportrait,ithyphallic, and sometimes in a soldier'stunic, so as to appear ready to launch an attack on any approaching evil. He scared away demons from houses, so his statue was put up as a protector.[2] Since he drove off evil, Bes also came to symbolize the good things in life–music,dance, and sexual pleasure.[2] In the Middle Kingdom, Bes is depicted on a variety of objects, including masks, amulets, infant feeding bottles, and magic knives.[2] In theNew Kingdom,tattoos of Bes could be found on the thighs of dancers, musicians and servant girls.[10]
Later, in thePtolemaic period of Egyptian history,chambers were constructed atSaqqara, painted with images of Bes and his female counterpart Beset, thought byEgyptologists to have been for the purpose of curingfertility problems or generalhealing rituals.[9]
Like many Egyptian gods, theworship of Bes or Beset was exported overseas. While the female variant had been more popular inMinoan Crete, the male version would prove popular with thePhoenicians and the ancientCypriots.[11]
At the end of the 6th century BC, images of Bes began to spread across theAchaemenid Empire, which Egypt belonged to at the time. Images of Bes have been found at the Persian capital ofSusa, and as far away as central Asia. Over time, the image of Bes became more Persian in style, as he was depicted wearing Persian clothes and headdress.[5]
Modern scholars such as James Romano - Egyptologist and former Curator of Egyptian Art at the Brooklyn Museum - claim that in its earliest inception Bes was a representation of a lion rearing up on its hind legs.[12] After theThird Intermediate Period, Bes can be found on a variety of household objects including furniture, toiletries, infant feeding bottles, game pieces, and more beginning in the Middle Kingdom.[2][9]
As mentioned above, Bes is also seen depicted in tattoos. Wall art from the19th Dynasty found at the workman's village ofDeir El-Medina depicts a tattoo of a dancing Bes on the thigh of a female musician playing her instrument.[2]
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Jugs, vases, and other storage containers represent the majority of pottery containing Bes iconography. The depiction of an anthropomorphic head on jugs is a style predominately found in West Asian pottery, suggesting that there may be influence from the Syro-Palestinian region.[6] Further supporting the possibility of West Asian influence is tomb 1300 of the Mayana cemetery nearSedment dating from theSecond Intermediate Period that contains both vases depicting Bes and five small faience jugs almost certainly ofPalestinian origin. This, along with other objects likely of West Asian origin indicates that the occupant likely maintained contact with Palestine, and as such the West Asian style Bes jug may have been manufactured there.[6]
Painted storage jars depicting Bes have also been found in the site ofAmarna dating to the late18th Dynasty, in addition to a multitude of jars found in Deir el-Medina.[6] In addition to these jars as well as aforementioned depictions on bedroom paraphernalia, faience baby bottles have been found inel-Lisht, further showing Bes as a protector of children.[6]
Traces ofPeganum harmala, andNimphaea nouchali var. caerulea were identified in an Egyptian ritual Bes-vase, of the 2nd century BCE.[13]
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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 Kushite origin and may have been imported from Nubia.
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
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