Ptah-Patek
Egyptian deity
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Through Metallurgy
Origins
The name "Pataikos" comes from Herodotus who, in his Histories, refers by this name to the figureheads of Phoenician ships in the form of a protective dwarf. Herodotus described Ptah-Patek as a son of or a manifestation of Ptah, and thus calls him "Pataikos", which means "little Ptah".
The deity's connection with Ptah comes from the dwarves who, in Egyptian Antiquity, were generally associated with experts in metallurgy.
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Attributes and representation
Ptah-Patek is generally represented as a deformed, naked, green dwarf with a potbelly and a head disproportionate to his body. There are, however, rare cases where he is adorned with a necklace and a crown that surmounts his skullcap. Unlike Ptah, he possesses neither the Djed pillar, nor the Was scepter, nor the ankh, nor the false beard symbol of royalty. Their only similarity lies in the wearing of the skullcap atop their heads. He frequently wore a scarab on his head, which was a symbol of solar creation and regeneration.
During the Late Period of Egypt, Ptah-Patek was often shown with characteristics of Harpocrates, Bes, and Horus, including holding either serpents or knives in his hands, falcons sitting on his shoulders, and standing on top of crocodiles.
As a protector
Ptah-Patek was frequently represented in the form of a faience amulets that protected its wearer from evil forces, dangerous animals, and chaos.
Along with Bes, Ptah-Patek was an assistant of Taweret during childbirth, and was associated with women and children. In spells to speed up childbirth, a figurine of Bes or Pataikos would be placed on the forehead of the pregnant woman.
Cult
The Late Period is the period when its popularity grew among the Egyptian people, who, associating it with the god Bes from the 22nd Dynasty of Egypt onwards, exported it throughout the Eastern Mediterranean in the Hellenistic period.