The Creation of Bes
One day, the great creator god Amun-Ra called upon the Council of Neteru, and said to them: “As the people of Kemet bear children, and their children bear children, the populations grow. The people pray to us for protection, for guidance, and for prosperity. Responding to the people’s prayers consumes all of our attention and we have less and less time to preserve ma'at across the cosmos. I ask you, my great council, what is the best way to manage our many divine responsibilities under such conditions?”
Tehuti pondered Amun-Ra’s question, and he restated the problem, as was his habit: “O Amun-Ra, grandest creator, it is true that as the population of man grows, the faithful demand more of the Neteru’s time. This does present a problem, since more time spent helping humans results in less time spent maintaining the cosmic order.
“I propose the following solution to the Council,” continued Tehuti. “Ask Khnum to create a body from the Nile’s clay. Have the air god Shu breathe life into the lifeless form and order the deities of the great Council each to infuse this new body with a portion of their power. Thus, will a new deity be formed, and he shall be charged with answering mankind’s petitions for protection. And this new deity shall be named Bes, from the word ‘besa’ which means ‘to protect’”.
Amun-Ra agreed, and he ordered it so. Khnum fashioned a body from the fertile Nile clay. Then Shu breathed life into the body. Amun-Ra then ordered each of the Neteru to place a portion of their power within the new deity. Sekhmet placed a portion of her power in the form and its face turned into a lion’s; Min placed a portion of his power in the image and its phallus grew; Hathor infused him with a portion of her power and it absorbed her gentle spirit; and so on. As each of the gods and goddesses placed a portion of their power in the newly created body, it took on attributes of the contributor.
Finally, Amun-Ra granted a portion of his power to the body and grand plumes grew out of its crown. The creator god then said to the new deity, “You will forever be known as Bes, the protector. Your charge shall be to answer the prayers of the Kemetic people, and to use the powers with which the Neteru have infused you to grant them divine protection. Wherever your image appears and wherever your name is invoked, evil men and malicious spirits shall flee.”
Bes’s full height stretched from the sands to the sky, but each of the deities had granted only a small portion of their powers to Bes, so his legs were dwarven in nature, and he was forever known as the dwarf-lion god. After Bes was created, the people invoked him as a personal and household protector for their families and homes throughout the land.
