Dear Alice,
There was also one case where an Egyptian Muslim beekeeper displayed a beeswax formation of the Arabic lettering for "Allah."
It is interesting that Slavic languages have two different words for dying to differentiate between an animal dying and a human being dying.
In the Polish and other traditions, one always uses the latter word when referring to a honey bee dying.
There is also an old Slavic legend that a honey bee rested on the Cross of Christ on Great Friday and soon came to realize that something very wrong was happening . . . When the soldier raised his lance to pierce the Side of Christ, the bee attacked him and stung him. The bee was hurled to the ground and crushed under the soldier's foot.
The legend continues with the myrrh-bearing women, having seen the Risen Christ, rushing to the Apostles. As they went, one of them said, "Did you see that beautiful brooch He wore on His Chest?"
Another replied, "Oh, that wasn't a brooch . . . that was a bee!"
My eyes always well up with tears whenever I recall that story.
Alex
