THE SHRINE OF
BES


Ancient Egyptian God Bes is the patron of women in childbirth, the protector of pregnant women and of newly born children. He was normally depicted as a bearded dwarf with a leonine face, large animal ears and a protruding tongue. The protruding tongue was a sign of challenge, a challenge that Lord Bes sent to the evildoers that would harm young children. A typical representation of the dwarf-god Bes, was found on a relief fragment at the temple of Hathor at Dendara. This relief may have belonged to one of the mamisi or birth-temples at Dendara. Like many dwarfs, his legs were bent and he often had a large belly. He was clothed in animal skins, bore a tail and a feathered head dress. Contrary to the typical manner in which the Egyptians represented people in paintings and reliefs, God Bes' face is almost always shown from the front and only rarely from the side. This strange way in which God Bes is represented has lead some scholars to think that Lord Bes may have been of Mesopotamian origin. Lord Bes was known to the ancient Egyptians from the Old Kingdom on, or before. There are no representations of or references to Lord Bes of non-Egyptian origin found outside Egypt. On some occasions, he was represented as a lion or armed with swords, spears and maces, symbolizing his power and fierceness. In the mamisi of the ancient Egyptian Temples of the Greek-Roman era, he is often shown making music: playing the harp, a flute or a tambourine. These musical instruments were not only necessary to celebrate the birth of the Child-God in the Temple, but also to scare away the demons and monsters that would do harm to the newly born.