Bee was another form of dead man’s resurrected soul.

Abstract:

Bee was considered as the reborn soul of a dead person in the ancient city cultures of the Meditteranean sea. It looks like the same idea was followed in Indus Valley civilization also. Bee symbol appears regularly in Indus seal inscriptions.

Figure 1: Symbol indicating honeycomb.

The above-given symbol indicates honeycomb. What could be the meaning of this symbol? This symbol is much more esoteric than the ordinary meaning of honey. That is the reason that Indus inscriptions have remained undeciphered so far.

In ancient times bees were worshipped as goddesses in the Mediterranean Sea littoral states of Europe. The bee was an emblem of Potnia, the Minoan-Mycenaean “Mistress”, also referred to as “The Pure Mother Bee”. Her priestesses received the name of “Melissa” (“bee”). Also, priestesses worshipping Artemis and Demeter were called “Bees”. Bees also appear in tomb decorations. Mycenaean tholos tombs were shaped like beehives. The Delphic priestess is often referred to as a bee, and Pindar notes that she remained “the Delphic bee” long after Apollo had usurped the ancient oracle and shrine. (1)

Myth

The Homeric Hymn to Apollo acknowledges that Apollo’s gift of prophecy first came to him from three bee maidens, usually but doubtfully identified with the Thriae, a trinity of pre-Hellenic Aegean bee goddesses.

The God Telipinu (Hittite agricultural god), was angry and it wasn’t until the goddess Kamrusepa used a ritual to send his anger to the Underworld. This ceremony shows there is a possibility that Indus priests also could have used similar rituals to send a message to people living in Underworld through bees.

The Jewish historian Josephus noted that the name of the poet and prophet Deborah meant “bee”. The same root, dbr, gives “word”, “indicating the bee’s mission to give the Divine Word, Truth”, observes Toussaint-Samat. Honey bees, signifying immortality and resurrection, were royal emblems of the Merovingians, revived by Napoleon. (1)

The Mother Goddess is arguably the oldest deity in the archaeological record, and her manifestations are numerous, including Bees. In the ancient world, dancing Bees appear to have been exceptional – Queen Bee in particular, for she was the Mother Goddess – leader and ruler of the hive and was often portrayed in the presence of adorning Bee Goddesses and Bee Priestesses. (2)

Figure 2: Bee goddess from the Minoan seal.

Dancing Bee Goddesses, from ‘The Goddesses and Gods of Old Europe’ book of Marija Gimbutas. (3) Reference and picture acknowledgements are due to Andrew Gough (2)

Figure 3: Bee goddess along with ‘fish symbol’.

The above-given figure-3 shows that the ‘bee goddess’ is associated with the ‘fish symbol’. In Indus inscriptions, it is remarkable that the ‘bee symbol’ is frequently associated with the ‘fish symbol’. Both fish and bees indicate the reborn soul of a dead person.

Figure 4: Beehive symbol appears along with ‘fish symbol’.

Picture courtesy – (4)

It is important to understand the ‘the fish symbolism’ represents a dead person’s soul’ and re-birth afterwards. Read my article on ‘fish symbolism’ for more information on the idea of re-birth in Indus culture. (5) Read my article, ‘similarities between Minoan civilization and Indus valley civilization’, to note the similarities between these two cultures. (6)

Figure 5: Beehive symbol with ‘Smasana-cayana’ symbol

Picture courtesy. (4)

The above-given seal inscription shows that the honeycomb symbol is in association with the ‘Smasana-cayana’ logo. This association is found in many Indus seal inscriptions. This relationship indicates that the concept of re-birth as bees after the performance of the Smasana-cayana ritual. Read my earlier article on the Vedic burial ritual for more information on the ‘Smasana-cayana’ ceremony. (6)

Figure 6: Honeycomb symbol in association with ‘fish symbol’.

Seal Picture courtesy – (4)

The above-given seal inscription shows a strong linkage between the fish symbol and the honeycomb symbol. The honeycomb symbol is drawn over the parenthesis sign itself, indicating the dead man’s soul has been transformed into ‘Bee’. The bee symbol is also present in the same inscription.’ Smasana-cayana’ ceremony. (6)

Figure 7: Honeycomb symbol in association with ‘fish symbol’.

Seal Picture courtesy – (4)

The above-given seal inscription shows a strong linkage between the fish symbol and the honeycomb symbol. The honeycomb symbol is drawn over the parenthesis sign itself, indicating the dead man’s soul has been transformed into ‘Bee’. The bee symbol is also present in the same inscription. The Bee in Ancient Egypt

The Bee in Ancient Egypt

The ancient custom of placing a Beehive in a bull’s head was first a domestic exercise and enabled the bull’s head to be purified of all matter before being used for practical purposes. Only later did the tradition morph into a highly symbolic ritual where Bees found on the carcases of dead bulls represented the regeneration of souls. The belief that Bees were born of sacred bulls was especially prevalent in Egypt and Mediterranean cultures such as the Greeks and Minoans. (2)

The ancient Egyptians shared many similarities with the Sumerians, including the veneration of Bees. Sophisticated Apiculture, or the organized craft of Beekeeping, was practised in Egypt for thousands of years.

Egyptologist Wallis Budge translated the Book of Opening the Mouth, and in doing so, provided insight that confirmed the bees’ importance in Egyptian mythology. One phrase read, “The Bee, giving him protection, they make him exist“, while another adds: “Going about like a bee, thou see all the goings about of thy father.” The latter may refer to the ‘Ka’ of an individual’s soul – or double, who is nurtured after death. (2)

Honey bee goddess Melissa

Picture courtesy – Hub pages.com (7)

Minoans and bee worship

The Bee Gods of the Minoans are said to have been transformed out of Bullheads, each one being a “Melissaios”, a Bee Man or Bee God. Many women are said to have been transformed into growing wings and become maidens of the Bee Goddess, each being called “Melissa”, which is another word that loosely translates as a Dancing bee.

Later ancient Greeks transferred the name of “Melissa” to express an ‘unborn soul’, and the fairies became winged maidens who looked after the sacred places where souls had to travel through. Sometimes these maidens are described as nymphs Melissa, the Bee Maidens, the nymphs who guide and protect souls, seem very similar to the Fairies and Faeries of Irish, Scottish and other British myths (7).

Assyrians and beehive ritual

It is said that ancient Assyrians believed that when bees were found on the carcases of dead bulls, this represented a sacred regeneration of souls. Their art included placing a Beehive in the head of a bull as a sign of soul purification (7). The above-given information indicates the ‘beehive’ ceremony was part of the soul re-birth ceremony, which seems to have been a regular practice in Indus Valley civilization.

The regenerative symbolism of bees born from bulls appears to be the aspect the Egyptians revered most, for we are told that an Apis Bull produced 1000 Bees and that the bees represented souls. (2). Bee symbols could be indicating the presence of Oracles and prophesy sayers in the Indus valley civilization. The conclusion is that the bee and honeycomb symbols mean the concept of the re-birth of a soul in bee form.

1. Wikipedia(Bee). Bee(mythology). Wikipedia. [Online] March 2015. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bee_(mythology).

2. Gough, Andrew. articles_bee1/. andrewgough.co.uk. [Online] March 2016. http://andrewgough.co.uk/articles_bee1/.

3. Gimbutas, Marija. The Gods and Goddesses of Old Europe, 7000 to 3500 BC: Myths, Legends and Cult Images. London. : s.n., 1974.

4. Sullivan, Sue. Indus Script Dictionary. s.l. : Suzanne Redalia, 2011.

5. Jeyakumar(Fish-symbolism). Fish_symbolism_in_Indus_Valley_Civilization. academia.edu. [Online] December 2015. https://www.academia.edu/19550772/Fish_symbolism_in_Indus_Valley_Civilization.

6. Jeyakumar(similarities-Minoan-civilization). Similarities between Minoan civilization and Indus valley civilization. www.Academia. [Online] 2020. https://www.academia.edu/44547631/Similarities_between_Minoan_civilization_and_Indus_valley_civilization.

7. Jeyakumar(Smasana-cayana). Evidence_of_Smasana-cayana_Vedic_burial_ritual_in_Indus_Valley_Civilization. academia.edu. [Online] December 2015. https://www.academia.edu/19514513/Evidence_of_Smasana-cayana_Vedic_burial_ritual_in_Indus_Valley_Civilization.

8. hubpages.com. bee-goddess. http://hubpages.com. [Online] http://hubpages.com/religion-philosophy/bee-goddess.