God Bes | God of Childbirth | Ancient Egyptian Dwarf God
The God of Childbirth
Egyptian art, which is basically hieratic, adheres to ancestral standards that control drawing and all matters pertaining to the scriptures in order to support beliefs and rituals. Despite the weight of these conventions, Egyptian artists have managed to take advantage of these laws to represent the gods, goddesses and symbols of their mythology with great creativity.
In Egyptian iconography, the gods are generally depicted in a side image. Only one of them escapes this rule: the god Bes. He is almost always depicted from the front, in the form of a dwarf with bowed legs, long arms, and a stocky body. His head is crowned with an impressive crown of ostrich feathers.
Although his appearance may not be very appealing, Bes was a benevolent deity, mainly worshipped as part of the domestic cult, and very popular in ancient Egypt. His grotesquely grimacing face gives him a frightening appearance, intended to ward off evil spirits. Images of the god, like this amulet, thus have an apotropaic function.
He is sometimes depicted with musical instruments, whose sound, accompanied by dancing, wards off negative influences and brings joy and good cheer into the home. He watches over Egyptians in their daily lives, but also during their sleep, a period when they are more vulnerable to evil spirits. It also protects pregnant women during pregnancy and childbirth, alongside the goddess of maternity, Hathor. Currently, the only known temple dedicated to Bes is located in the oasis of Bahariya.
