Bes, Aesop and Morgante: reflections of achondroplasia

The past perception of achondroplasia is reflected in art, beginning about 2000 B.C. Achondroplasia is thought to have provided a model for the representation of a series of figures including the Egyptian god Bes, the Greek teller of fables Aesop, and the Renaissance giant of fiction Morgante. Since these figures were basically viewed as good, the hypothesis is advanced that achondroplasia was perceived as a positive, not a negative, condition during at least part of the past four millenia.