Aristaeus, the God of Bees (and Orpheus and Eurydice)

Bees! They’re an amazing species, and we dive into the importance of bees in the ancient world, discuss the mythical god Aristaeus and his ability to restore bee colonies in the carcasses of cattle, and the tragic story of Orpheus and Eurydice.

Aristaeus’ role as the god of bees and other important agricultural practice is literally all over the map—unexpectedly since every town and city would want to be attached to this important god. Here is a map of the important places mentioned in the podcast, as well as other locations of importance.

In Ephesus, the bee was used as a symbol of the city, likely because of the importance of the cult of Artemis of Ephesus. There, the chief priest was called an ἐσσήν, identified in a later encyclopedia as meaning “king bee,” and the priestesses were called melissai. Hence the coinage of the city.

If you want to know more about bees in ancient literature, we invite you to read Rachel Carlson’s 2015 PhD dissertation on bees at the University of Washington. Enjoy the episode!

Credits:

Script: Charlie Bijesse

Narration: R. Scott Smith

Voice Acting and Sound Engineering: Jackson Scheele

Music: Jared Sims