The Minoan Bee Goddess
A figure of a Minoan Goddess in the shape of a bee can be found below.
The carving is assumed to be related to the local Mother Goddess cult and is believed to be a representation of one of the Melissae who were the priestesses of the cult.
Very little is known about Minoan religion on Crete because the civilisation came to an abrupt end - possibly due to a large tsunami from the catastrophic eruption of a nearby volcano on Santorini or Thera in 1,645 BC.
A similar religious structure has been found in Ancient Greece - and it is possible that the roots of the Greek Melissae from Delphi originate from the Minoan bee goddess cult - or that they each shared roots going further back in history.
From: http://altreligion.about.com/library/glossary/symbols/bldefsbeegoddess.htm
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…a Blook about Bees
Here you will find a collection of stories from the world of the honey bee - both past and present. The site’s main purpose is to act as a portal to the stories from the folklore and ancient myth associated with bees - Beelore will guide you to these stories. Bees also have a magical, other-worldly quality about them - and Beetwixt and Beetween covers stories that are perhaps a little mystical, magical or downright unexplainable. There are also some natural Laws that the bees follow - probably not even knowing they are laws! You will find them under Bee Law.
As well as my interest in bee lore, I also find real inspiration from the bees in the present. Keeping them; studying them; harvesting honey from them. Even the name “bee” has such present and direct assocation with the command “BE”! Bee in the present! or Bee in the Now - which is surely one of the basic principles of all religions worldwide. Bee Present will take you to these stories.
I hope that my reflections on bees and life will be interesting both to those of you who know me and those who do not. I also hope that they are also interesting (and reasonably accurate) for the odd beekeeper who ventures onto the site! As a fellow beekeeper, I have classified some under Beekeeping and here I keep a blog for my beekeeping persuits. I know that that bees don’t read - particularly the many books that have been written about their behaviour. But if a bee did take up reading, I hope it would also find the site interesting! There are also a few stories on the biology of the bee - which I have put under the Beeology label.
For those who find inaccuracies in any of the details above or who want to reflect on their own ideas and suggestions - or even steer one of the storylines, please feel free to leave a comment or two!
Although this site looks like a “blog” - but isn’t only a blog. It is really the cross between a blog and a book. There is one STORYLINE or Tag which is better read from the bottom upwards…..or back to front. It will make more sense then! The line for this story is Bylaugh - which is where my fascination for the honeybee all started. So this particular tag is a storybook in its own right. If there are any would-be publishers who like the Bylaugh Storyline - please also get in touch with me on the form below!
