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 stem 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 Anubieion(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 humor 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. (Source: Crystalinks)
