The following ancient tale of the magical effects of bees I pass along courtesy of : “The Guide to Beekeeping for Adults and Kids”
Here’s the link to the site. It’s full of interesting links and information on my favorite subject (besides Real Estate)–BEES!
http://www.fragrancex.com/Fragrance-Information/beekeeping-adults-kids.html
The tales usually involve a lovely woman–but don’t ALL good tales begin with a love woman!? Enjoy!
There are similar tales in Indonesia. The Bornean version, quoted in The Mythology of All Races (Vol. IX), is as follows:
A man named Rakian was out hunting for honey, when in the top of a
mangis tree he saw many bees’ nests, in one of which were white bees.
(Several Christian legends allude to snow-white bees producing virginal
honey.) Since white bees were a rarity, he carefully removed the nest
and took it home. The next day he was working in his garden and when he
returned to his house in the evening he found a meal cooked for him. He
was surprised because he lived alone. The following day the same thing
occurred, his meal was again cooked. This continued for some time.
Finally he resolved to investigate the mystery.
He pretended to go to the garden but silently returned, hid himself and
watched. The door of the house soon creaked and a beautiful woman came
out, and went to the river to fetch some water. While she was gone,
Rakian entered the house, and found that the bees’ nest was empty. He
hid the nest and secreted himself again. The woman returned and upon
finding the nest gone commenced to weep. In the evening Rakian entered
the house as was his custom. The woman sat there silent. “Why are you
here?” he asked, “perhaps you want to steal my bees?” The woman
answered, “I don’t know anything about your bees.” Rakian asked her to
cook for him because he was hungry, but she refused, as she was vexed.
The woman demanded her box but he was afraid that she would disappear
into it again. She promised not to, and that she would become his wife
if he would not disclose her identity. Rakian agreed; they were married
and by and by she bore him a child.
One day Rakian went to a feast at his neighbors. All asked him whence
his beautiful wife had come. He evaded the question. After a while, when
they all were intoxicated, he forgot his promise and revealed to his
friends that his wife had been a bee.
When he returned, his wife did not speak to him. Later she reproached
him for having broken his promise and said that she must return to her
home. “In seven days my father will pass here and I shall go with him,
but the child I leave with you.” Rakian wept. He could not change her
mind. Seven days later he saw a white bee flying by, whereupon his wife
came out of the house and exclaimed: “There is my father.” She turned
into a bee and flew away.
Rakian picked up the child and pursued the bees. For seven days he
followed them until finally he lost sight of them. Soon a strange woman
appeared who directed him to his wife’s home. Rakian climbed into the
house and found it full of bees, except the middle room. The child began
to cry, when suddenly Rakian’s wife appeared. Rakian was happy but she
reproached him for revealing her secret. Finally they became reconciled
and all the bees dropped down from the roof-beams to the floor and
became men. Rakian and the child remained in the bees’ village.
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