History

How, and for what purposes, the symbol of the bee has been used in history.

Alexandra Down, Imen Ait Medjane, Ben Stevens, Jerry Zhang

Although viewed today as a household annoyance, bees have long been valued throughout history, from the Egyptians to Napoleon’s reign. This article will discuss the importance of bees in some of the most influential civilizations. The Manchester bee is a worker bee, which is said to denote Mancunians’ hard work ethic and the city being a hive of activity.20 The symbol of the worker bee can be seen all over Manchester. The Manchester bee symbol is also included on the Manchester coat of Arms.21 It contains a globe covered with bees, and has been in use since 1842. This is said to represent the city’s “industriousness.”22 In general, the symbol of the bee in Manchester can be traced back to the Industrial Revolution, of which Manchester was a leading city, the bee representing all of the workers. This view of the bee symbol in Manchester was introduced when the Freemasons governed Manchester. “They believed that the bee was extremely important as it was the symbol of cooperation and societies can only accomplish difficult tasks when everybody works together.” Therefore, the sources outlined suggest that the symbol of the bee has been used to represent industriousness and workers in Manchester.

20 Manchester City Council, “The Manchester Bee,” Accessed at: manchester.gov.uk/info/100004/the_council_and_democracy/7580/the_manchester_bee#:~:text=The%20Manchest er%20worker%20bee%20is,unity%20in%20our%20great%20city on 26.09.22. 21 Source 1, The Manchester Coat of Arms. 22 BBC, “The antelope, the lion and the bees,” Accessed at: bbc.co.uk/manchester/content/articles/2009/02/11/110209 _manchester_coat_of_arms_feature.shtml on 26.09.22. 15

Bees represent a very important role in ancient rituals and Egyptian life. For example, Egyptian priests took part in a ceremonial ritual known as the “Opening of the Mouth,” which involved using special tools to put honey into the mouth of a statue of a God, great noble, or the mummy of a priest. Another ritual in the Salt Magical Papyrus wrote that bees were made of the tears of Ra the Sun God, creator of the Earth and Sea.23 So bees must have been very important to the Ancient Egyptians, due to their association with Ra, a God often called “God of all Gods.”24

This is a scarab seal with the inscription, “Mayor, Chief Beekeeper, King’s Acquaintance Intef.” The fact that Chief Beekeeper Intef was an acquaintance of the King makes him an important person. Ancient Egyptians specialised in honey, so much so that they created a value system for it. “White” honey from the Delta was considered the most valuable, reserved for the Kings and temples. This virgin honey could only be extracted by the most experienced beekeepers. “Red” honey was brought from the desert expeditions from Northern Egypt, and was less valuable.25

The first documentary evidence of beekeeping is from the Anglo-Saxon period. The Anglo-Saxons believed that bees were winged messengers between worlds. Bees were not only a mythical figure to the Anglo-Saxons, as “Bees were of great benefit

23 “Tears of Re: Beekeeping in Ancient Egypt,” accessed at: apicultural.co.uk/tears-of-re-beekeeping-in-ancient-egypt. 24 “Deities in Ancient Egypt,” accessed at: egyptianmuseum.org/deities-ra#:~:text=Ra%20was%20the%20king%20of,as%20well%20as%20the%20day. 25 “Bees and beekeeping in Ancient Egypt (A historical study),” accessed at: jaauth.journals.ekb.eg/article_47990_882687660670d76346cdfda54f7b3e20.pdf. 16

to the Anglo-Saxons: their honey was the chief ingredient in mead.”26 Mead is a form of alcohol that was drunk by the Anglo-Saxons. A famous example of the Anglo-Saxon relation to bees can be found in the poem: “Against a Swarm of Bees.” This poem was thought to have been a charm to bees. Clearly, the Anglo-Saxons viewed bees as a mythical/magical animal, one which must be charmed. Finally, the Anglo-Saxons saw the bee as something brave and fearless. This is due to the fact that “the man who guarded the castle gates was known as the Beoward.”27 “Beo” means “bee,” which therefore shows that since the Anglo-Saxons named their castle guard after a bee, they believed that bees were the symbol of bravery and fearlessness.

Bees play an important role in mythology, appearing as parental figures to the Gods, initially exhibited in a myth. This is a tale of when Kronos wanted to destroy Zeus, which led Zeus’s mother to smuggle him to a cave in Mount Dicte. Eating the honey from the sacred bees there, Zeus became a strong God, later rewarding the bees by making them gold in colour, signifying their importance to him.28 Furthermore, bees were of value to Zeus’s Roman equivalent: Jupiter. According to mythology, bees did not have a stinger on them at the beginning of time. They had no way of protecting their honey, leading the bees to Jupiter to ask for protection, while giving him honey. Jupiter loved it, therefore deciding to reward the bees. However, he didn’t want to create anything that could cause harm to humans, so he and the bees made a deal, that he would grant them a stinger, but they would die if they used it, meaning the bees have to make a decision.29 These two myths highlight how bees were consistently used as a symbol with regard to Zeus and Jupiter, meaning they played a large role in Greek and Roman societies. Bees’ involvement in maers of wisdom, death, and metaphysical concepts of the body and the soul stands out in Celtic lore. Many believed bees were intermediaries between this world and the next, being the messengers between dead friends and

26 Witches & Pagans, “Against a Swarm of Bees,” Accessed at: witchesandpagans.com/paganstudies-blogs/history-witch/anglo-saxon-charm-for-bees.html on 26.09.22. 27 Druidry.org, “The Very British Beehive,” Accessed at: druidry.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/the-very-british-beehive.pdf on 27.09.22. 28 “The Sacred Bee: Ancient Greece and Rome,” Accessed at: planetbee.org/planet-bee-blog//the-sacred-bee-ancient-greece-and-rome on 27.09.22. 29“Jupiter and the Bee,” Accessed at: rif.org/sites/default/files/documents/2018/04/18/Support_Materials/G2-Romulus-Remus-Medium.pdf on 25.9.22. 17

relatives.30 When a family member died, someone would often inform the bees in a ritual-like process. The crime of stealing a beehive was actually a capital offence.31 Other unverified stories include the beginning of “telling the bees” originating from Celtic areas.32 Nevertheless, bee culture definitely shaped Celtic traditions through lore and metaphysical beliefs. Napoleon chose to adopt the bee emblem instead of the traditional fleur-de-lys, quoting a story of Childeric’s (founder of the Merovingian Dynasty, 437–481 AD) tomb being filled with golden bees. Along with the spread eagle, the bee had been the symbol of Charlemagne.33 Some believed Napoleon's use of the bee was to gain legitimacy by associating with those dynasties. Enlisting the help of Jean-Baptiste Isabey, a more detailed design was put in use. Although it was never announced to be the symbol of the empire, the fact that the flag of Elba (Napoleon’s first location of exile) included bees reinforces how bees shaped Napoleon and his empire.34

Overall, the symbol of the bee has been used widely in history, for the purpose of representing industriousness, fearlessness, caring, protectiveness and wisdom. We can therefore see that bees have been adopted by all cultures mentioned, as good and powerful creatures. In conclusion, the symbol of the bee has been used in history to represent something mythical and powerful.

30 Beegood, the relationship between bees and messengers, Accessed at beegood.co.uk/blogs/news/29744001-the-tradition-of-telling-the-bees. 31 Owlcation, the crime of stealing a beehive owlcation.com/humanities/Celtic-Lore-of-the-Honey-Bee. 32Beepods, The Tradition of Telling the Bees, Accessed at: beepods.com/bee-folklore-for-dark-days/ on 27.09.22. 33 Napoleon.org, symbol of the empire, Accessed at napoleon.org/en/history-of-the-two-empires/the-symbols-of-empire/ on 06/10/22. 34 Geriwalton, relationship between Napoleon and Bees on geriwalton.com/the-importance-of-bees-to-napoleon-bonaparte/ on 25.09.22