The Bees in antiquity
Because of their importance in feeding, curing diseases and other uses, hives served as models for various temples of antiquity; the Egyptian temple of the goddess Neith was known as “the house of the bees,” the honey serving as a symbol of protection and used in the consecration of the foundations and in the embalming of the pharaohs. An image of the Goddess Maat represents her as a bee with large wings and holding a jar of honey, augury of rebirth.
The statue of Artemis of Ephesus, considered one of the seven wonders of the ancient world, had numerous protuberances in its body, the nature of which was not elucidated. One of the theories considers them breasts, hence the name Artemis with a thousand breasts, other theories see them as palm fruits, eggplants, bunches of grapes, ostrich eggs, bags for amulets or cornucopias.
But they can also be interpreted as the eggs that the Queen Bee deposits daily in the combs, Artemis being seen as the representation of the Bee Goddess, whose gift was to continually generate life and consecrate death as a stage before the resurrection.
Currently billions of bees are dying worldwide, without a cause or explanation being found, in addition to the evident and growing pollution of the environment and the destruction of plant species. The crisis is a global alert, because without bees, pollination will be less and humanity will be deprived of fruits and vegetables, thus increasing the threats of world hunger.
As women who worship and revere the Goddess, we need to remember and reflect on the mythical and magical importance of honey and bees, consecrated to the Goddess in Her various manifestations of matrifocal cultures. We should honor and invoke the blessings of the Bee Goddess with songs, music, dances, offerings of honey and prayers, asking for her mercy to avoid the extinction of His subjects on planet Earth.
