Religion / idea · deity

Bes

Bes was an ancient Egyptian protective deity, shown as a bearded dwarf with a lion-like face, who guarded households, women in childbirth and children against evil. His cult spread across the Mediterranean through Phoenician trade. The Punic city of Ebusus on Ibiza put his image on its coins, and the island's name is often explained as 'island of Bes'.

Bes
Image: Eternal Space · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Cite this entry
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Bes. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/bes
MLA
“Bes.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/bes. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Bes.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/bes.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Bes’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/bes (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻