Bees are intelligent little insects, crucial for the environment and present in mythology, folklore, customs, and literature. Here we propose a recount of some interesting stories, traditions, and symbolism surrounding these little yellow and black insects.
Telling the bees
Among the many traditions of the world, one of the most interesting involves keeping the bees informed of all events to ensure their productivity and even good luck.
The so-called Telling the Bees is an old Western European custom in which bees are told of important events, including deaths, births, marriages, departures and returns in the keeper’s household. According to the tradition, if the housekeeper or servant forgets to inform the insects they would go “into mourning” consequently refraining from honey production, leaving the beehive, or dying altogether.
Little is known about the origins of this practice, although there is some unfounded speculation that it is loosely derived from or perhaps inspired by ancient Aegean notions about bees’ ability to bridge the natural world and the afterlife.
One of the oldest literary reports of this practice dates back to 1901 in Samuel Adams Drake’ book New England Legends and Folklore:
Respecting bees, one very old superstition among others is, as I can strictly affirm, still cherished, surviving, apparently […] This is the common belief that bees must be made acquainted with the death of any member of the family, otherwise these intelligent little creatures will either desert the hive in a pet, or leave oil’ working and die inside of it. The old way of doing this was for the good wife of the house to go and hang the stand of hives with black, the usual symbol of mourning, she at the same time softly humming some doleful tune to herself. Another way was for the master to approach the hives and rap gently upon them. When the bees’ attention was thus secured, he would say in a low voice that such or such a person — mentioning the name — was dead. […]
Bees’ symbolism
Bees buzz with symbolic meaning – mainly representing prosperity, wisdom and fertility. Their symbology is rooted in the animals’ impressive natural talents like pollination, honey-making, and hive teamwork. Their spirituality stems from communication, rejuvenation, and the mysteries of nature and has therefore found space in many cultures around the globe, each with unique bee symbolism based on region and history.
Due to the global presence of the insects, most cultures have come in contact with them, attributing different meanings: for many Native American tribes they represent reward and the dangers of greed; in many African traditions they are related to human creation, in Egyptian tradition they are benefactors of life, birth, death and resurrection.
In witchcraft they represent companionship, guidance, and communication with supernatural forces when kept as pets and are associated with black magic practices.
Their products too are strong in symbology: propolis for instance represents health and protection; honey represents richness, life’s reward, and the sweetness of Christ in Christian traditions.
Bees in folklore
Since the beginning of our existence, animals have significantly impacted the way we live. In particular, myths and folklore surrounding animals and the roles they play have become a significant part of many cultures.
While bees embody similar ideas in most cultures, each folklore is unique to the culture’s region and religious history (take the tradition of Telling the Bees mentioned above). For instance, bees have also symbolized love, wisdom, resurrection, or even fertility across different cultures and civilizations.
African bees: aid, wisdom, and strength
In some African genesis legends, Mantis (the trickster god) asked the Good Bee to carry him over a flooding river. Despite Mantis being nearly twice her size, Bee took him on her back and flew across the gusting water. Once they met the land, Bee was exhausted and died; from Bee’s dead carcass, the first human was reincarnated.
The Baganda people of Uganda tell the legend of Kintu – the first man on earth. Kintu lived alone with his cow. One day he asked Ggulu – a man who lived in heaven – for permission to marry his daughter, Nambi. In order to prove his worth before allowing him his daughter’s hand, Ggulu sent Kintu five tests to pass. For the final and most complex of these, Kintu was told to pick Ggulu’s own cow out from a group of cattle. Nambi aided Kintu in this final test by transforming herself into a bee and whispering into his ear to choose the one whose horn she landed upon helping him pass the test and earning Ggulu’s permission to marry Nambi.
In Egyptian folklore, bees represent the driving force behind life, death, and rebirth. For monastic communities, they symbolize pollination enabling communal flower and honey production.
Asian bees: aid to the gods and humans
According to Hittite mythology, Telipinu, the god of agriculture, went on a rampage and refused to allow plants and crops to grow and animals to reproduce. The gods, worried, went in search of Telipinu to make him reason, but they each failed. Then the goddess Ḫannaḫanna sent forth a bee to bring him back. The bee found Telipinu, stung him and smeared wax upon him. The god grew even angrier but now the other gods knew where he was. The goddess Kamrusepa then used a ritual to send his anger to the Underworld so that Telipinu was calmed and crops and animals could grow and reproduce.
In Hindu mythology, Bhramari was summoned by the gods to kill the demon Arunasura who took over the heavens and the three worlds. To kill Arunasura, she stung him numerous times with the help of black bees emerging from her body. The gods were finally able to take control of the heavens and the celestial worlds again.
Lastly, in mythology found in Indian, ancient Near East and Aegean cultures, the bee was believed to be the sacred insect that bridged the natural world to the underworld. This connection has been brought up recently, after the release of the hit Netflix series Bridgerton where (spoiler alert) Lord bridgerton – the father – dies of a bee sting. The insects are present in many more episode as a common thread or, as many have proposed, as a symbol of Lord Bridgerton’s presence, protecting and accompanying his children even after his death – a very bee-like behaviour.
Conclusion
Many branches of anthropology, theology and philology have shown their interest in bees due to their widespread presence in human culture. Their peculiar lifestyle and abilities have inspired us and our ancestors since the beginning of time and it is only fair that we learn more about the shared symbology and the differences of the customs involving these insects.
RESOURCES
Culterate Blog 
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