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Ba-Pef means "That Soul", and the demonstrative adjective "pef" has an indication of dread or hostility. This is an old deity, as we learn from the Pyramid Text that the king passes by the House of Ba-Pef where there is pain or woe. From the mastaba tomb of Meresankh III at Giza there is evidence that in the Old Kingdom Ba-Pef may have had a cult with a priesthood
The storm god, Baal, was a West Semitic import to Egypt. Late Bronze Age texts discovered at Ras Shamra (ancient Ugarit) on the Levantine coast, from which his cult spread, indicate that by 1400 BC, Baal had displaced the god El to become the most important god in the local pantheon.
However, the meaning of Baal is "owner" or "lord" and in the earliest of times it is questionable whether the word was used as a title for important local gods in general, or as a proper name to a specific god. Particularly at first, this name was probably given to completely different gods. Over time, the term seems to have been applied to agricultural gods in a variety of locations. There is a great confusion amongst scholars concerning the these deities called "Baal", or sometimes Bel, and their natures and origins. In fact, this god's survival through a vast period of time provides us with a complex trail marked by considerable theological difficulties.
Of the many "Baals" we find referenced, perhaps the most important, or at least the one most associated with Egypt, is the god who dwelt on Mount Sapan (hence Baal-Zaphon) in Northern Syria, and it should be noted that the following discussion relates to him more specifically then to some of his other identities. The equivalent of the Amorite deity Adad, or Hadad, he was a centrally important deity of the Canaanites. He was considered the son of a less well attested god named Dagan (others have identified him as the son of El), who was himself a god of agriculture and storms. Baal was the source of the winter rain storms, spring mist and summer dew which nourished the crops. However, Baal also became associated with the deity of other sites such as Baal Hazor in Palestine, Baal-Sidon and Baal of Tyre (Melkart) in Lebanon.
Baal was known to be a rider of clouds, most active during storms but was also considered to be a "lord of heaven and earth", even controlling earth's fertility. He was the god of thunderstorms, the most vigorous and aggressive of the gods and the one on whom mortals most depended. Some of his other common epithets include " Most High Prince/Master", " Conqueror of Warriors", Mightiest, Most High, Supreme, Powerful, Puissant", " Warrior", and " Prince, Master of the Earth". He is also sometimes called Re'ammin, meanign "Thunderer", as well as Aleyin, meaning "Most High", Mightiest", "Most Powerful", or Supreme and he has many, many other epithets.
Armed with magical weapons made by the craftsman god, Kothar, Baal manages to overcome Yam, who was the tyrannical god of the sea, according to the surviving ancient Near Eastern myths. However, in another story, with the assistance Anat , Ball gets El's approval to build a house. It is Kothar who actually builds the house, and afterwards, Baal celebrates by inviting the gods to a feast. Ball himself was eventually overcome by Mot, a personification of death, after which he descended into the underworld. He then returned to life with the help of his sister and consort, Anat, in a tradition not unlike the death and resurrection of Osiris .
Baal was usually shown in anthropomorphic form depicted as a powerful warrior with long hair and a full, slightly curved, pointed Syrian style beard. He would wear a conical helmet much like a funnel with two horns attached at its base. He is often represented with a straight-bladed sword that he wore on the belt of a short kilt. At other times, he was shown holding a cedar tree club or spear in his left hand while his raised right hand welding a weapon or even a thunderbolt. This theme, which is common to many Near Eastern storm gods, may have inspired the iconography of the Greek god Zeus.
Baal's cult animal was the bull, which symbolized his power and fertility, though at times and in different places he was also associated with goats and even flies. He is sometimes shown in Near Eastern art standing on the back of a bull, and certainly this association would have also contributed to his acceptance by the Pharaohs of Egypt , where bull cults particularly in the New Kingdom were an important aspect of the ancient theology.
In fact, it was in the New Kingdom's 18th Dynasty that Baal's cult became formally recognized in Egypt, though he may have made a much earlier, though perhaps temporary, appearance with the Semitic Hyksos . However, E. A. Willis Budge tells us that here, his name was Bar or Balu and says that he may have been worshipped not only as a primary god of war and battle, but may have also been a personification of the burning and destroying heat of the sun and blazing desert wind. In Egypt, he was most certainly a specific, identifiable god.
An important cult center was established for him at Baal Saphon near Tanis in the northern Delta, and he was also popular at Memphis and in several other areas. The fact that Osiris and Baal have similar backgrounds, though not directly connected, probably aided Baal's acceptance in Egypt. Also, his nature as a storm god naturally meant that he was equated with the Egyptian god Seth , but perhaps also with Montu . Ramesses II was said to appear at the Battle of Kadesh like "Seth great of strength and Baal himself". The war cry of Ramesses III was said to be like Baal in the sky, and therefore thunder which makes the mountains shake.
The Hebrew Bible records the ancient Israelites' interaction with this pagan god, and the remnants of his worship survive in the Jewish prayer book for late spring prayers for dew and late fall prayers for rain.
A Canaanite Goddess connected probably via her responsibility for products valued by the Egyptians with Hathor. Her name means 'mistress' and she is clearly the feminine counterpart to Baal. In her role as Baalat Gebal 'mistress of Byblos', she protects the cedar wood trade between Lebanon and Egypt which goes back to the reign of King Snefru. Her significance parallels that of Hathor of Dendera who is described as dwelling at Byblos.
Babi was a fierce, bloodthirsty baboon god who was ancient even in the realm of Egyptian gods. We find him mentioned as early as the Old Kingdom , when Babi "bull (i.e. dominant male) of the baboons" with his supernatural aggression is an attribute to which the monarch aspires. He controls the darkness and will open up the sky for the king since his phallus is the bolt on the doors of heaven. This virility symbol is carried over into a later spell where in order to ensure successful sexual intercourse in the Afterlife a man identifies his sexuality with Babi. Perhaps it is not entirely fortuitous that the Underworld ferryboat uses Babi's phallus as its mast.
This dangerous god lives on human entrails and murders on sight. Hence spells are needed to protect oneself against him, particularly during the weighing of the heart ceremony in the Hall of the Two Truths. where a person's fitness for paradise is determined. Naturally this hostile aspect of Babi leads to an identification with Seth . Conversely Babi can use his immense power to ward off dangers like snakes and control turbulent waters. Understandably in the Book of the Dead the deceased makes the magical progression to become Babi who in turn transforms into the "eldest son of Osiris ".
Patron of Lower Egypt
Banebdjetet appears as a man with a ram 's head.
Banebdjetet was the consort of the goddess Hatmehit. When Horus battled Set for the throne of the gods, Banebdjetet leaped into the middle of the final battle and demanded a peaceful end, claiming that if the gods abandoned Ma'at , universal disaster would be the result. He advised the rest of the gods to consult Neith and ask for her wisdom. She ruled that Horus was rightly the ruler of the gods, being the son of Osiris , and that Set had attempted to take the throne through treachery, invalidating his claim.
Banebdjetet worship was at his cult center at Mendes
Bast, Perfumed Protector, Cat Goddess...
In early times Bast (written as 'Bastet' by scribes in later
times to emphasise that the 't' was to be pronounced) was a goddess with the
head of a lion or a
desert sand-cat and was regarded as mother of Maahes, a lion-headed god, and
wife to Ptah. She was usually depicted as a cat, or as a woman with the head
of
a cat or lion. She was also connected to Hathor, Sekhmet, Tefnut, Atem (her
father) and Mut. It was only in the New Kingdom that she gained the head of
a
house cat and became a much more 'friendly' goddess, though she was still depicted
as a lion-headed woman to show her war-like side. As with Hathor, Bast
is often seen carrying a sistrum.
Her name has the hieroglyph of a 'bas'-jar with the feminine ending of 't' ,
reading 'She of the bas-Jar'. These jars were heavy perfume jars, often
filled with expensive perfumes - they were very valuable in Egypt, considering
the Egyptian need (with the hot weather) of makeup, bathing, hygiene and (of
course) perfume. Bast, by her name, seems to be related to perfumes in some
way. Her son Nefertem, a solar god, was a god of perfumes and alchemy, which
supports the theory.
Now there is some confusion over Bast and Sekhmet. She is given the title the
'Eye of Ra' when she's in her protector form... but Bast and Sekhmet are not
the
same goddess (unlike Hathor who becomes Sekhmet as the 'Eye of Ra'). This all
gives rise to a lot of confusion about these goddesses. Bast and Sekhmet were
another example of Egyptian duality - Sekhmet was a goddess of Upper Egypt,
Bast of Lower Egypt (just like the pharaoh was of Upper and/or Lower Egypt!)...
and they were linked together by geography, not by myth or legend. These two
feline goddesses were not related by family, they were both very distinct goddesses
in their own rights.
She was one of the older goddesses, mentioned in The Book of the Dead
The breast of this Meri-Ra is the breast of Bast; he cometh forth therefore
and ascendeth into heaven.
Rubric - If this Chapter be known by the deceased upon earth, he shall become
like unto Thoth, and he shall be adored by those who live. He shall not fall
headlong at the moment of the intensity of the royal flame of the goddess Bast,
and the Great Prince shall make him to advance happily.
Even from very old times, as protector, Bast was seen as
the fierce flame of the sun who burned the deceased should they fail one of
the many tests in the
underworld.
Some of Bast's festivals included the 'Procession of Bast',
'Bast appears to Ra', the 'Festival of Bast', 'Bast Goes Forth from Per-Bast
(Bubastis)' and
'Bast guards the Two Lands'. There was even a 'Festival of Hathor and Bast',
showing the connection between the two goddesses.
Herodotus describes the 'Festival of Bast' where thousands of men and women
travelled on boats, partying like crazy. They had music, singing, clapping and
dancing. When they passed towns, the women would call out dirty jokes to the
shore-bound, often flashing the townsfolk by lifting up their skirts over their
heads! When they reached Per-Bast, they made their sacrificies of various animals,
and drank as much wine as they could stomach. No wonder it was such a
popular festival!!
When the people are on their way to Per-Bast, they go by
river, a great number in every boat, men and women together. Some of the women
make a noise with
rattles, others play flutes all the way, while the rest of the women, and the
men, sing and clap their hands. As they travel by river to Per-Bast, whenever
they come near any other town they bring their boat near the bank; then some
of the women do as I have said, while some shout mockery of the women of the
town; others dance, and others stand up and lift their skirts. They do this
whenever they come alongside any riverside town. But when they have reached
Per-Bast, they make a festival with great sacrifices, and more wine is drunk
at this feast than in the whole year besides. It is customary for men and women
(but not
children) to assemble there to the number of seven hundred thousand, as the
people of the place say.
Her cult centre was in Per-Bast (the temple is now in ruins, but it was made
of red granite with a sacred grove in the centre, with the shrine of the goddess
herself... it was also full of cats). An alternative translation of her name
could be 'She of Bast', refering to the city of Per-Bast. She was also worshiped
all over Lower Egypt.
Bat is one of the cow goddesses, particularly of Upper Egypt. She is hardly ever depicted in Egyptian art, though we find her more often in jewelry such as amulets head is human but the ears are bovine and horns grow from her temples. Her body is in the shape of a necklace counterpoise. In fact, the whole iconography suggests the sacred rattle or sistrum, which is fittingly since her cult center is the district of Upper Egypt known as the "Mansion of the Sistrum".
Without inscriptional evidence there must always be an element of caution but it does seem likely, on stylistic grounds, that she was represented on the top corners of the Narmer Palette, rather than Hathor , making her a very old Egyptian deity. Our earliest written evidence for the goddess is in the Pyramid Texts, which would support this view. Here, the king is Bat "with her two faces". Even earlier, she may be the goddess depicted on a palette on which stars are represented at the tips of her horns, indicating that, like most Egyptian cow deities, she has celestial connections.
It is possible that Bat has a presence that maintains the unity of Egypt, both north with south and the Nile Valley with the deserts. In addition to her pre-eminent position on the Narmer Palette, she is represented in the center of a pectoral of the 12th Dynasty flaked by the two protagonists in the struggle for the Egyptian throne, Horus and Seth , in a state of reconciliation. However, her similarity to Hathor, the cow goddess worshipped in the neighboring southern district, was so close that Bat's personal identity was not strong enough to survive being totally assimilated to her by the New Kingdom .
Related to the verb weben (wbn), meaning "to rise", "rise in brilliance" or "shine" as well as ben-ben, the up thrust sacred stone of Heliopolis , benu (bennu) describes a bird that was an important avian deity. Originally of solar associations, the Benu bird came to be connected with three important gods consisting of Atum , Re and Osiris .
As an aspect of Atum, the Benu bird was said to have flown over the waters of Nun before the original creation. According to this tradition, the bird came to rest on a rock from which its cry broke the primeval silence and this determined what was and what was not to be in the unfolding creation .
The Benu, according to ancient Egyptian mythology, was also believed to be the ba of Re, and by Egypt's Late Period , the hieroglyphic sign depicting the bird was used to write the name of this sun god. During the Middle Kingdom , it was said that the Benu of Re was the means by which Atum came into being in the Primeval water.
Like the sun god, the Benu's own birth is attributed to self generation. A mythological papyri of the 21st Dynasty provides a vignette of a heart- amulet and scarab beetle near to which stand the Benu, which is described as "the one who came into being by himself". It was believed to constantly rise renewed just like the sun, and was called the "lord of jubilees". The Benu Bird was said to each morning appear under the form of the rising sun, and was supposed to shine upon the world from the top of the famous persea tree in Heliopolis wherein he renewed himself.
This most likely led to the concept of its long life, later identifying it with the Greek phoenix which also renewed itself from a fiery death like the sun rising at dawn. In fact, it may have been the prototype for the phoenix, and there may well be an etymological connection between the two birds' names, though certainly there are distinct differences between myths surrounding them.
The bird was primarily associated with Atum and Re , but inevitably, its connection with rebirth came to associate it also with Osiris . In quoting from the Book of the Dead , Wallis Budge quotes a passage that reads, "I go in like the Hawk, and I come forth like the Bennu, the Morning Star (i.e., the planet Venus) of Ra; I am the Bennu which is in Heliopolis " and he goes on to say that the scholion on this passage expressly informs us that the Benu is Osiris. In essence, the Benu was considered a manifestation of the resurrected Osiris.
Herodotus tells us that the bird lived for 500 years before building a nest of aromatic boughs and spices which it then set ablaze and was consumed within the inferno. From the conflagration a new Benu bird arose who, after embalming its father's ashes, flew with them to Heliopolis where it deposited the ashes on the altar of the temple of Re. However, this tale told by Herodotus has no foundation in actual pharaonic mythology , where the bird never seems to permanently die. There were, in fact, a number of classical interpretations of the Benu bird which resulted in a misunderstanding of the Egyptian myth, perhaps because of the association with the Egyptian bird and the Greek phoenix.
Iconography
At Heliopolis where the Benu bird first served as a symbol of solar deities, its iconography was probably fashioned from the yellow wagtail (Motacilla flava) which, according to the Pyramid Texts , represented Atum . However, by the New Kingdom , the bird was usually depicted as a gray heron (ardea cinera). At that point in Egyptian mythology, it was usually represented with long legs and beak, and a two-feather crest growing form the back of its head. Typically, the bird surmounted a stylized ben-ben stone as a symbol of the great solar god, but its association with Osiris meant that it was also sometimes represented in the sacred willow of that god. Sometimes, it was also depicted wearing the Atef Crown in its aspect as Osiris. In at least, one the sarcophagus of the Divine Adoratrice of Amun , Ankhnesneferibre, now in the British Museum, the Benu is imagined as perched on a sacred willow tree in the temple. However, the Benu could also be depicted in a hybrid form with the head of a man. Classically, the Benu bird is described as being as large as an eagle, with red and gold (solar or flame-colored) plumage.
The bird was frequently depicted in the vignettes of the netherworld books as well as on heart amulets and other objects, particularly those of a funerary nature. When carved on the back of a heart-scarab and buried with the dead, it is a symbol of anticipated rebirth in the netherworld and ensures that the heart does not fail in the examination of past deeds in the Hall of the Two Truths ( judgment of the dead ). In the Book of the Dead there are formulae to transform the deceased into the Great Benu. Here, the deceased says, "I am the Benu, the soul of Ra, and the guide of the gods in the Duat." In another verse, he says, "I am pure. My purity is the purity of the Great Benu which is in the city of Suten-henen."
Worship
Surprisingly little is known of the formal veneration of this important aspect of ancient Egyptian mythology. However, it is highly probable that it formed the basis for an important role in the cults near Heliopolis , where the cult was first established and probably most important. Wallis Budge tells us that "the sanctuary of the Bennu was the sanctuary of Ra and Osiris , and was called Het Benben, i.e., the 'House of the Obelisk'..." However, almost nothing else is known about the worship of the most ancient of Egyptian icons.
Bes, God-Demon of Protection, Childbirth and Entertainment...
Bes was an ancient Egyptian dwarf god who was a god of protection
against evil with his tambourine or harp, swords, maces and knives. Previous
to
being given the name 'Bes', he was known as the demonic 'Aha' ('fighter') because
of his ferocity - he was thought to have been able to strangle bears,
lions, antelopes and snakes with his bare hands. In this role, despite being
thought of as a demon, he was seen as a supporter of Ra, helping to defeat his
serpent enemies.
Bes ... according to Wiedemann, is derived from besa, a word designating one
of
the great feliæ, the Cynælurus guttatus, whose skin formed his clothing.
He was usually depicted as a somewhat leonine full faced
(unlike the usual profile in Egyptian art) bearded dwarf with his tongue sticking
out (just as the
Maori men stick out their tongues during their war dance), standing on bow legs,
his genitals prominent and often with a lion's tail. He wore a plumed crown
and
a lion or panther skin, which was often worn by the stm priests. In earlier
times, though, he was not a dwarf - he had the body of a normal human, though
he
did sport the lion-like beard and tail. It is unknown why Bes was depicted as
a dwarf. In Egypt, there are examples of dwarfs living in Egypt - from Seneb,
who was rich enough to afford a tomb where he is shown with his normal sized
wife and child, to personal attendants in the
royal family, to entertainers and jesters. Other examples of dwarfs were a predynastic
drawing of the "Dwarf Zer" from Abtu (Abydos) and a 5th Dynasty
statuette of Khnumhotep from Saqqara. It seems that dwarfs were accepted members
of Egyptian society, and they possibly had an important part in the Egyptian
religion, being linked with Bes.
Originally a deity of protection of the pharaoh, he became a popular god of
the every day Egyptian people, and was often depicted on household items such
as
beds, headrests, chairs, mirrors and ointment pots and even painted on the walls
of the house. He was also depicted on various weapons, such as daggers, due
to
his fighter aspect. He was also often depicted of 'magic wands' that the Egyptian
magicians used for their spells or on an amulet to ward off evil. His
use as a god of protection for the daily people came to be a sign of joy and
good humour, because he drove away ill humour and evil. He was thought to also
be able to protect people from dangerous creatures of all types, especially
when he was connected with the child Horus in the story of his growing up in
the
Delta area of Egypt:
You protect me against all the wild beasts of the desert,
All the crocodiles of the river,
All the snakes and scorpions,
All the insects that bite with their mandibles and sting with their tail,
All the kinds of reptiles that attack in their caves.
-- On stela showing a young Horus protected by the face of Bes
He also became a god of childbirth, frightening away all
of the evil spirits that could kill of the baby of newborn child. If problems
arose during labour, a
clay statue of Bes was often placed at the head of the expectant mother while
spells were recited to the god, asking for his help. He was even depicted at
royal birth scenes, especially in later times. He was linked with the hippo
goddess of childbirth, Taweret, as they were both very popular deities of
childbirth. Until Greek times, she was regarded as Taweret' wife. Amulets of
both Bes and Taweret were found even at Akhetaten, the city of Akenaten. He
could not banish these favourites - the Aten was no replacement for these two!
Come down, placenta, come down! I am Horus who conjures in order that she who
is giving birth becomes better than she was, as if she was already delivered...
Look, Hathor will lay her hand on her with an amulet of health! I am Horus who
saves her!
-- Part of the birthing spell that was recited four times over the image of
Bes
His status as a god of birthing became so great that, from the New Kingdom times
he was often represented in the mammisi (Champollion's invented term meaning
'birth house') of temples. The first of these depictions was at Hatshepsut's
(1473-1458 BC) mortuary temple, where her mother is to give birth to the child
who would become Egypt's female pharaoh.
As another form of protection, an image of the dwarf god
was tattooed on some women - different depictions of women, such as girls swimming,
female dancers,
acrobats and musicians, show them with Bes painted on their skin. The women
with the image of Bes tattooed on her upper thigh an around the pubic area might
be sacred 'prostitutes', the tattoo being used to ward off venereal disease.
This was probably because of his association with music and entertainment, as
well as
being a protector of women and children. It could have also been a tattoo relating
to sexuality or fertility.
In the Ptolemaic period, 'incubation' or Bes chambers were built at Anubieion
with figures of Bes and a naked goddess - probably Beset - on the inside walls.
Pilgrims might have spent the night there to have healing - or maybe erotic
- dreams to renew their sexual power.
The Egyptians also saw Bes as one who not only protected but entertained children
- when a child smiled for no reason, it was thought that Bes was
pulling faces at the child to make him or her laugh! He was thought to entertain
through dancing and singing, and so he was also thought to be a god of happiness
and joviality.
Despite his fun-loving nature, he was also regarded as a god of war from early
times. He used his lion-like, ferocious nature to destroy or scare the enemies
of pharaoh, as well as the evil spirits that were thought to plague the people
of Egypt (including sickness, dangerous creatures and other such troubles).
He
was thought to be especially protective of women and children. It was during
the Greek Period that the worship of Bes became wide-spread - the
numbers of amulets and charms, as well as reliefs at the temples show how popular
the 'Great Dwarf' became. There were even oracles of Bes, to whom the
people would ask questions, on papyrus, for Bes to give an answer to their problems.
In Roman times, the god was adopted by the Roman people, and there are
some figurines of him in legionnaire garb!
He was not a god of Egyptian origin. Bes was described as 'Coming from the Divine
Land' and 'Lord of Punt' (perhaps an area in present day Somalia - see
Hatshepsut's Expedition to Punt). He was thus linked to the goddess Hathor who
was known as the 'Lady of Punt' and also a goddess of music. During this period,
he was given a wife, known as Beset - a female version of the dwarf god, presiding
over protection, pleasure and childbirth. The two did not appear
together before the Ptolemaic era.
There is an interesting tale about Bes, still mentioned today:
After the triumph of Christianity Bes did not immediately vanish from the memory
of man; for we are told of a wicked demon named Bes whom the holy Moses had
to exorcise because he was terrorising the neighbourhood. To this day, it would
seem, the monumental southern gate of Ipet-Isut (Karnak) serves as a
dwelling-place for a knock-kneed dwarf whose gross head is embellished with
a formidable beard. Woe to the stranger who, coming across him in the dusk of
evening, laughs at his grotesque figure! For the monster will leap at his throat
and strangle him. He is the Bes of ancient Egypt who, after long centuries,
is
not yet resigned to abandoning altogether the scenes of his earlier greatness.
He had no temples and no priesthood other than his oracle,
but statues or depictions of the god was found in most homes throughout the
land of Egypt.
Although not originally one of the more famous of the gods, Bes came to be loved
by the people of Egypt. It was the dwarf god-demon Bes that they came to call
on for protection in their daily lives.