Английская Википедия:Bes

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Шаблон:Ancient Egyptian religionBes (Шаблон:IPAc-en; also spelled as Bisu, Шаблон:Lang-cop), together with his feminine counterpart Beset, is an ancient Egyptian deity, A Deity likely of Kushite/Nubian or Nehesi 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 or Somalia, 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.

Origin

People in Upper Egypt started venerating Bes long before people in Lower Egypt. The word “bes” means “cat” in Nubian, suggesting a possible Nubian or southern origin of Bes. Bes originally looked like a cat standing on his hind legs, before becoming more anthropomorphic and usually depicted with a leopard skin around his neck and resembling more a dwarf.

Worship

Файл:Flickr - Gaspa - Dendara, tempio di Hator (67).jpg

Egyptian composite capital with a Bes capital above it, in the Dendera Temple complex (Egypt)

Bes was a household 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 with Taweret at births.Шаблон:Citation needed

Images of the deity, quite different from those of the other gods, were kept in homes. Normally Egyptian gods were shown in profile, but instead Bes appeared in full face portrait, ithyphallic, and sometimes in a soldier's tunic, 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.Шаблон:Citation needed Since he drove off evil, Bes also came to symbolize the good things in life – music, dance, and sexual pleasure. In the New Kingdom, tattoos of Bes could be found on the thighs of dancers, musicians and servant girls. Many instances of Bes masks and costumes from the New Kingdom and later have been uncovered. These show considerable wear, thought to be too great for occasional use at festivals, and are therefore thought to have been used by professional performers, or given out for rent.Шаблон:Citation needed

Later, in the Ptolemaic period of Egyptian history, chambers were constructed, painted with images of Bes and his wife Beset, thought by Egyptologists to have been for the purpose of curing fertility problems or general healing rituals.Шаблон:Citation needed

Like many Egyptian gods, the worship of Bes or Beset was exported overseas. While the female variant had been more popular in Minoan Crete, the male version would prove popular with the Phoenicians and the ancient Cypriots.

At the end of the 6th century BC, images of Bes began to spread across the Achaemenid Empire, which Egypt belonged to at the time. Images of Bes have been found at the Persian capital of Susa, 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.Шаблон:Citation needed

Iconography

Modern scholars such as James Romano claim that in its earliest inception Bes was a representation of a lion rearing up on its hind legs. After the Third Intermediate Period, Bes is often seen as just the head or the face, often worn as amulets.

• Amulet depicting the god Bes, blue Egyptian faience, between 1540 and 1076 BC, New Kingdom. Museo Egizio, Turin.

  Amulet depicting the god Bes, blue Egyptian faience, between 1540 and 1076 BC, New Kingdom. Museo Egizio, Turin.

• Amulet of Bes; 1070–712 BC; faience; height: 3.7 cm; Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York City)

  Amulet of Bes; 1070–712 BC; faience; height: 3.7 cm; Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York City)

• Bes and Beset; 664–332 BC; limestone; height: 31.7 cm, width: 22.5 cm; Louvre

  Bes and Beset; 664–332 BC; limestone; height: 31.7 cm, width: 22.5 cm; Louvre

• Cypriot statuette of Bes; late 6th – early 5th century BC; limestone; overall: 14 × 8.3 × 7 cm; Metropolitan Museum of Art

  Cypriot statuette of Bes; late 6th – early 5th century BC; limestone; overall: 14 × 8.3 × 7 cm; Metropolitan Museum of Art

• Statuette of Bes; 525 BC; bronze; Late Period, Dynasty 27 or later; overall: 8 × 3.5 × 2.2 cm; Cleveland Museum of Art (Cleveland, Ohio, USA)

  Statuette of Bes; 525 BC; bronze; Late Period, Dynasty 27 or later; overall: 8 × 3.5 × 2.2 cm; Cleveland Museum of Art (Cleveland, Ohio, USA)

• Cosmetic container; 525–404 BC; faience; height: 9.2 cm, width: 4.4 cm; Metropolitan Museum of Art

  Cosmetic container; 525–404 BC; faience; height: 9.2 cm, width: 4.4 cm; Metropolitan Museum of Art

• Stela of Bes; 4th century BC-1st century AD; painted limestone; height: 38.7 cm, width: 17.7 cm; Metropolitan Museum of Art

  Stela of Bes; 4th century BC-1st century AD; painted limestone; height: 38.7 cm, width: 17.7 cm; Metropolitan Museum of Art

• Bell in the form of Bes; 332-30 BC; cupreous metal; height: 6.3 cm, diameter: 4.6 cm; Metropolitan Museum of Art

  Bell in the form of Bes; 332-30 BC; cupreous metal; height: 6.3 cm, diameter: 4.6 cm; Metropolitan Museum of Art

• Fresco from the Temple of Isis in Pompeii depicting Bes, in the Naples National Archaeological Museum (Italy)

  Fresco from the Temple of Isis in Pompeii depicting Bes, in the Naples National Archaeological Museum (Italy)

• Bes as depicted on a column capital from the Dendera Temple complex, Roman Period

  Bes as depicted on a column capital from the Dendera Temple complex, Roman Period

Popular culture

• Bes appears, as part of the delegation of Egyptian gods, in The Sandman: Season of Mists (December 1990 – July 1991), by Neil Gaiman.
• Bes appears as a trickster in Mummies Alive! (1997) animated series.
• Bes appears as a character in Otherland: volume 3 Mountain of Black Glass (1999) by Tad Williams. His physical description reflects traditional iconography.
• Bes is a friend and helper to the heroes in Pyramid Scheme (2001) by Eric Flint and Dave Freer.
• Bes appears, as a god of love in the Egyptian movie Secret Service Suitor (Aris min geha amneya) (2004).
• Bes is an important character in the books of the saga The Kane Chronicles (2010–2012) by Rick Riordan.
• Bes appears in the video game Realm of the Mad God (2011) as a boss of an Egyptian themed dungeon known as the "Tomb of the Ancients", alongside Nut and Geb.
• Bes appears in “the Nikopol Trilogy” (1980-1992), by Enki Bilal, alongside several of the ancient gods of Egypt, hovering over a dystopian Paris and world.

Bibliography

• The Complete Gods and Goddesses of Ancient Egypt, Richard H. Wilkinson. Шаблон:ISBN
• The Oxford History of Ancient Egypt, Ian Shaw. Шаблон:ISBN

Further reading

• Dasen, Veronique (2013). Dwarfs in Ancient Egypt and Greece. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Шаблон:ISBN