Bees of Ancient Times: the Story of the San

Bees have long since been a part of our story telling history. Even before we could comprehend the science of pollination, humans understood that bees provided the world with a lot more than just delicious honey. Ancient societies across the globe all had the feeling that bees were involved with the construction of the earth, humankind, and other animals. While every culture has a different story about honeybees, help from bees seems to be an underlying theme in our most ancient myths. Many of these stories are very interesting; and from time to time, I will post a story passed down from an ancient civilization that explains the creation of bees and their importance in the world. I hope you enjoy them!

The first story comes from one of our oldest civilizations, the San people of the Kalahari Desert in South Africa. The San people had a series of stories about how the world came to be. To the San, the bee represented an animal of tremendous wisdom and even a messenger of God. According to San myth, the bee played a huge role in the creation of humans and actually sacrificed himself for us. Here is the story:

San descendent, South Africa. -Lizzie Needham

A long, long time ago, Mantis asked Bee to carry him across the dark, turbulent waters of a flood-swollen river. Bee, known for his wisdom and reliability, agreed and told Mantis to climb onto his back. Buffeted by fierce, cold winds, Bee soon grew weary and searched for solid ground on which to deposit his burden. But the stormy waters seemed to stretch all the way to the farthest horizon. Exhausted and weighed down by the much larger Mantis, Bee sank closer and closer to the lapping waves. But just as he was about to go under, he spied a great white flower, half open and floating on the water, awaiting the sun's first warming rays. Marshaling his remaining strength, Bee struggled towards the flower, laid Mantis down in its very heart and planted within Mantis the seed of the first human being. Then, his task complete, poor Bee died. Later, when the sun had risen in the sky and warmed the white flower, Mantis awoke, and as he did so, the first San was born from the seed implanted by Bee. -Found in Stephan Buchmann's book, Letters from the Hive.



Sun set in the Richtersveld, South Africa, home of the San people. -Lizzie Needham



Cited Sources:
Buchmann, Stephen L., and Banning Repplier. Letters from the Hive: an Intimate History of Bees, Honey, and Humankind. New York: Bantam, 2005. Print.