The Sacred Bee in Ancient Times and Folklore
Chapters cover the folklore of bees and bee culture — from Egyptian, Babylonian, and other ancient sources to practices in modern Europe. Rare illustrations of bees, hives, and beekeepers as they appear in paintings and sculpture; on coins, jewelry, and Mayan glyphs; and carved into African tree trunks.
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This is a reprint of a work originally published in 1937 (George Allen & Unwin, London). Ransome examines how the bee and its honey has been an element of myth, legend, superstition, folklore, and ritual in various cultures from ancient times. She finds representations of the bee from ancient Egypt to the indigenous cultures still extant in the 1930s. She finds a remarkable number of similarities in how the bee, or more specifically honey, has become an element of faith, expressing generosity, celebration and supplication. She also finds marked similarities and differences in bee culture across time from ancient Babylon to modern Europe. Annotation ©2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR
I.Early Times19II.Ancient Egypt24III.Sumeria, Babylonia, and Assyria35IV.India and China43V.The Hittites, Western Asia, and Crete55VI.The Hebrews and Mohammedans65VII.Beekeeping in Greece75VIII.Beekeeping among the Romans83IX.Bees and Honey in Greek and Roman Myths91X.The "Ox-born Bee"112XI.Honey in Greek Religious Rites119XII.The Food of the Gods133XIII.Bees and Honey among the Germanic and Slavonic Peoples in Central Europe140Part I.HistoricalXIV.Bees and Honey among the Germanic and Slavonic Peoples in Central Europe155Part II.Myths and FolkloreXV.Bee Folklore in Finland. The Kalevala176XVI.Beekeeping in the British Isles189Part I.Mainly HistoricalXVII.Beekeeping in the British Isles211Part II.Legends and SuperstitionsXVIII.Customs and Superstitions in France233XIX.Folk-stories from Various Lands241XX.The Bee in America260XXI.Ritual Uses of Milk and Honey275XXII.Primitive Peoples of To-day285Index301
