Bes (; also spelled as Bisu, , ), together with his feminine counterpart Beset, is an ancient Egyptian deity, of Nubian or C-Group culture origin 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. According to Donald Mackenzie in 1907, Bes may have been a Middle Kingdom import from Nubia 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 Naqa
AI overview
Bes was an ancient Egyptian god, likely originating from Nubia, who was worshipped as a protector of households, mothers, children, and childbirth, and later became seen as a defender of good against evil. He matters because he represents an important religious figure in Egyptian culture whose cult grew significantly over time and whose worship reveals connections between Egyptian and Nubian civilizations.
AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.
Key facts
- Deity.type
- Egyptian
- Deity.name
- Beset
- Deity.image
- Statuette of Beset (Besis) MET 66.123.3 001.jpg
- Deity.caption
- A Statuette of Beset
- Deity.cult_center
- Hermopolis, but worshipped everywhere
- Deity.symbol
- Ostrich feather
- Deity.parents
- Min (god) (in some myths)
- Deity.siblings
- Taweret
- Deity.consort
- Bes
- Deity.hiero
- D58-S29-F28
via Wikipedia infobox
Article
12 sectionsContents
- Origin
- Worship
- Iconography
- Figurines
- Tattoos
- Jugs
- Popular culture
- Gallery
- Bibliography
- References
- Further reading
- External links
Bes (; also spelled as Bisu, , ), together with his feminine counterpart Beset, is an ancient Egyptian deity, of Nubian or C-Group culture origin 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. According to Donald Mackenzie in 1907, Bes may have been a Middle Kingdom import from Nubia 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.
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.