Long HistoryThe god Bes occurred so early in the human imag-
ination that it reaches back to the earliest of
human settlements along the Nile. But Bes is not
only a name that reaches deep into the past, but it
is also one that has a widespread existence in the
ancient world. In fact, there are indications that
the deity’s image was so widespread that it was
found from Punt (Somalia) to Mesopotamia
(Iraq). Who could contemplate the origins of the
human race without thinking of the black-headed
one that came from the ancient cradles of human
beings? Thus, Bes, many scholars believe, sits at
the door of the beginnings of human involvement
with carving images that reflected the most intense
desires of the human community for communica-
tion with the mysterious.
Various representations of Bes reflect the beliefs
and attitudes of the artists carving the image at the
time. For instance, there are portrayals of Bes with
a cape of lion’s skin, with a very high-plumed
headdress, and with knives and musical instru-
ments. Sometimes he is shown with the SA hiero-
glyphs, indicating his protective powers. Thus,
Bes is a multidimensional god with numerous
functions. He could be called on as an energetic
defender of the community, as the symbol of
majesty, as a hunter or an explorer, or as a musi-
cian. These were just some of the activities for the
awesome powers of this deity.
The fact that Bes is so ancient is not amazing
given the fact that childbirth is at the beginning
of the human race and Bes is the deity of the
birthing houses, the mammisi, throughout
ancient Kemet. Mothers went into labor with Bes
by their sides; when they gave birth to children,
the first deity to bless them was often Bes. One
can still see examples of Bes on the walls of tem-
ples in the Nile Valley. At the great temple of
Kom Ombo, one can see evidence of the presence
of Bes as the deity welcoming the newborn child
into the world. Of course, the carving of the
image of Bes on the walls of the temple simply
reflected the consciousness of the people of the
day about the importance of this deity.
The totality of the Bes experience in the Nile
Valley is enormous. Nothing surpassed the
familiarity that the ordinary ancient Egyptians
felt for Bes. In that respect, he was the earliest
comforter of the sick, the disabled, the per-
plexed, and the birthing mother. The joy with
which the people embraced him furthered his
influence as the merrymaker and the creative
force for good and happiness.
According to the ancient texts, the home of Bes
was Punt, but this is not certain because the evi-
dence shows that his provenance was far beyond
Punt. The fact that the greatest representations of
this well-valued deity are found in Egypt suggests
that he might have been indigenous to the Nile
Valley. It is known that Bes was depicted on statues
and in reliefs with increasing frequency as the
Egyptians found themselves invaded by others.
Could this have been a response to the anxieties
and complexities of life that were brought to bear
on the people by the foreign invaders? Although
this question cannot be fully answered, it is proba-
bly that Bes, with his bowed legs and broad ears,
adorned in animal skins, was also a patron of war
and the protector of hunters, suggesting that he was
ready to join with the people in any eventuality.A God for All Reasons
If the ancient Egyptians could have had an all-
around deity, one to be called on at the moment
of urgent need, one to be available when others
were away performing specific missions, and
when one was alone with individual discomfort,
then Bes was that deity. So ubiquitous was Bes
that, during the Middle Kingdom in the town of
Kahun, there were lion figures associated with
Bes, and in the New Kingdom there were images
of Bes at the Ramesseum. Bes could be called on
during the Middle Kingdom and the New
Kingdom to ward off snakes. In fact, there are
figures of Bes, as the deity Aha, strangling two
snakes with his bare hands.
Therefore, Bes was the deity who comforted
women in childbirth and later oversaw women,
men, and children as they prepared to confront
situations that could bring about their deaths.
Probably no other deity with the exception of
Tawaret was used on amulets for good fortune as
much as Bes. If there were hints of strength,
power, vigor, and cleverness in Bes, there were
also beneficent qualities of sexuality, love, laugh-
ter, and abundance. A deity for all occasions,Bes 121