The usefulness and benefit of the bee to humans was recognized by many ancient cultures. There are particular references to Melissa(bee) in various myths of ancient Greece.
Melissa, the nourisher of Zeus
Jupiter and His Nourishers - Nicolas Poussin (1638)
According to a fairly common myth, Rhea, on the advice of Gaia and Uranus, decided to give birth to Zeus away from Kronos so as not to devour him, as she had done with her five previous children.
Rhea gave birth to Zeus in Dikteo Cave, a cave in the Dikti Mountains of Crete. He then entrusted the protection and upbringing of the infant to the Kourites (chthonic demons) and the Dikti Nymphs.
The nymphs Amalthea and Melissa, daughters of Melisseas, who was king of Crete, elder and leader of the Kourites, fed Zeus with milk and honey.
Melissa raised Zeus with special care, feeding him honey so that he could grow faster and take his place among the gods. Zeus loved honey and in fact one of his names is "Melitteus" in honor of Melissa. It is even said that the bees deposited honey directly into the mouth of Zeus with the grace of Melissa, and from this was named the insect we all know, as well as all the nymph feeders of Zeus who followed her.
When Kronos realized Melissa's role in saving Zeus, he became enraged and turned her into an earthworm. Zeus took pity on her and turned her again, this time into a bee.
Melissas, the priestesses of the goddess Demeter
Demeter and Metaneira - depicted in the Eleusinian Hydria
According to the Neoplatonic philosopher Porphyry, the priestesses of the chthonic Demeter were called Melissas. At one point, the goddess herself decided to personally teach her secrets to one of her most revered priestesses, the old Melissa. Some women tried to find out the secrets of Melissa, but she remained faithful to Dimitra and revealed nothing.
Enraged with jealousy, they killed Melissa and dismembered her. When Demeter noticed this, she sent a plague to the murderers and made swarms of bees from Melissa's flesh.
At the sacrifices in honor of the goddess Demeter, they offered bulls, oxen and honey.
The goddesses and Melissa
Besides Demeter, other goddesses or deities of ancient Greece also called their priestesses Melissas. The bee was one of the emblems of the cult of Potnia.
Potnia theron - Akrotiri Thira 1630 BC
Potnia (Kyra, Despina) was a title given to various goddesses such as Athena, Demeter, Artemis and Persephone in the Minoan and Mycenaean civilizations. The "Potnia Thiron" (Mistress of the Animals), whose ancient fresco was found on Santorini, is Artemis, whose priestesses were called "Melissai". The priestesses of Persephone and Kyveli, who was the Phrygian cult of Rhea, had the same name. Goddess of fertility, and the rebirth of nature.
Mnaseas of Patrae
Mnaseas tells the legend that the nymph Melissa first found a honeycomb in the forest, and after tasting it, she put it in water and made a potion from it. She shared her discovery with the people and so she became the protector of the bee and the people gave the insect the name of the nymph who taught them to eat honey. At a time when people were acting like savages and fighting with each other, Melissa refined their minds and taught them humility.
The role of nymphs like Melissa in mythology and folk myths was very important. Nymphs were credited with important discoveries that contributed to the development of human civilization, such as the domestication of animals. The spread of these myths helped to spread and preserve the values that they espoused. It is even said that the first organized human societies were inspired by the bee society, which for a long time maintained the sanctity of the bee and gave it a special value.
Golden tablets with the Goddess Melissa (perhaps Artemis), Kamiros - Rhodes (7th century BC)
The use of the bee as a cult symbol by the Minoan and Mycenaean civilizations was particularly obvious. Tombs and barns in the shape of a domed cell have been found. Crete was one of the first places where beekeeping existed in Greece, while the technique of making "melinos" (alcoholic drink made by fermenting honey with other juices or water) was known and considered divine knowledge.
The mythology of the bee is almost inexhaustible and each of the myths has different versions. What is certain is that the bee has always been associated with the generative forces of nature.
We now know that 80% of plant pollination is due to these persistent workers who come to life, bring forth life, die to perpetuate life, and never cease to function as one of the best organized societies observable in nature. Perhaps the bees have enough to teach us in the end.
