Bee, Rochester Bestiary, c.1230

In this fascinating exploration of bees, we learn that these industrious creatures are named after their habit of clinging to branches or because they are born without feet, later acquiring both feet and wings. Skilled in honey production, bees create intricate nests and honeycombs from a variety of flowers, filling them with countless larvae. They live in well-organized communities, complete with an army and a king, engaging in battles and fleeing from smoke. Many believed bees were born from the decaying flesh of oxen, with larvae transforming into bees from the decayed blood of slaughtered calves. While these bees are strictly called bees, hornets are said to come from horses, drones from kites and wasps from donkeys. The Greeks referred to the larger bees found in the outer parts of honeycombs as kastros, believed to be the kings that lead the hive.

Drones, larger than bees but smaller than hornets, feed on the labour of others without contributing, embodying laziness that Virgil describes as being driven from the hive. Bees share a communal life, from labour to offspring, inhabiting the same space and obeying their chosen king, who leads them with authority yet without force, as they willingly follow out of love. The king bee is selected for his size, docility and appearance: even though he has a sting, he never uses it for revenge. Other bees, if they sting in vengeance, face death. No bee dares to venture out for food unless led by the king, who guides them through fragrant fields and gardens. There, the young bees play, exercise, and work, gathering food and building their hive. The hive itself, a marvel of architecture, resembles a fortified camp with cells that support each other like towers.

Bees work diligently without stealing from others, though they must defend against thieves. Their stings, if provoked, inject venom into their honey but they die in the act, driven by vengeance. The bee is celebrated for its wisdom, diligence and virtue. Even Solomon advised observing the bee’s industriousness to learn from it. The bee's labour produces honey, a sweet and healing substance enjoyed by both the rich and poor, kings and commoners alike. Bees are physically small but strong in wisdom and virtue and they protect their king with their lives, abandoning their duty and even their honey if he is lost.

In addition to their earthly roles, bees are also symbolically linked to evil spirits, representing the turmoil and contrition of carnal desires. The Bible mentions that in times of judgment, the Lord will summon flies and bees, symbols of demons that torment the wicked and those lost in ignorance. Even after being killed in water, flies and bees can sometimes revive, symbolising the persistence of worldly cares and demonic influences. In this rich allegory, bees are more than just creatures of nature—they are reflections of spiritual truths and moral lessons.

Apes dicuntur vel quod se pedibus alligent.
dum ramis dependent; vel quia sine
pedibus nascuntur. Nam postea et pedes et pen-
nas accipiunt. Hec sollertes in generandi mel-
lis offitio. assignatas incolunt sedes. Domicilia
in enarrabili arte componunt. et ex variis floribus
favum componunt. Textisque ceris; innumera prole
castra replent. Exercitum et reges habent. prelia mo-
vent. fumum fugiunt. tumultu exasperantur. Has
plerique experti sunt de boum cadaveribus nas-
ci. Nam pro hiis creandis; vitulorum occisorum
carnes verberantur. ut ex putrefacto cruore. ver-
mes creentur. qui postea efficiuntur apes. Proprie

Bees are so named, for they hold on to things with their feet when they hang from branches or they are born without feet. Later, they acquire both feet and wings. These bees, skilled in the production of honey, dwell in places assigned to them. They build their nests with incredible artistry and create honeycombs from various flowers. They fill these combs, woven from wax, with countless larvae. They have an army and a king, wage battles, flee from smoke and noise irritates them. Many believe that they are born from the corpses of oxen. For the creation of bees, the flesh of slaughtered calves is beaten so that worms are created from the decayed blood, which later turns into bees.

tamen apes vocantur orte de bobus. sicut scrabo-
nes de equis. fuci de milvis. Vespe de asinis. Cas-
tros greci appellant; qui in extremis favorum
partibus maiores creantur. quos aliqui reges
putant dici; quod castra ducant. Fucus autem
est; api similis. sed ape maior. et scrabone minor.
et depascit alienos labores quos ipse non labora-
vit. De quo virgilius. Ingavum fucum pecus; a
presepibus arcent. Sole apes communem omnibus sobo-
lem habent. Unam incolunt mansionem;
Unius patrie clauduntur limine. Communis la-
bor. communis cibus. communis volatus. communis;
fructus. communis generatio. communis virgini-
tatis integritatis(changed to integritas). Communis partus. Non enim
inter se concubitu miscentur. et subito maxi-
mum filiorum examen emittunt. Foliis atque herbis
ore suo prolem legentes. Ipse sibi regem ordinant.
Ipse populos creant. Et licet sint sub rege; tamen sunt
libere. quia regem quem ordinaverunt; diligunt

et ideo ei sponte obediunt. et secuntur. Rex ab illis
elegitur que prestet; corporis magnitudine. et man-
suetudine. et specie. Nam et si habet aculeum; tamen
eo non utitur ad vindicandum. Apes quoque alie /
si aculeo suo utantur ad vindicandum. pro commissi-
pretio; sententia mortis se affligunt. Nulle apes
ad pastum exire audent; nisi precesserit earum
rex. et principatum volatus teneat. Processus est; per
rura redolentia. per hortos floribus redolentes. per
amena riparum. Illic ludus alacris iuventutis. Il-
lic campestre exercitium. Illic; curarum remissio.
Opus ipsum; suave. de floribus et herbis dulcibus fun-
damina prima castrorum ponuntur. Quid enim aliud
est favus nisi castrorum speties. in quibus minute.
et rotunde cellule quasi turres connexione sui invi-
cem fulciuntur. Cernas omnes certare de munere.
alias invigilare querendo victum. alias sollicitam
castris exhibere custodiam. alias futuros explora-
re imbres. et contemplari concursus nubium. ali-
as de floribus ceras fingere. alias rorem infusum

floribus ore colligere. Nullam tamen alienis insi-
diari laboribus et raptu victum querere. Atque
utinam raptorum insidias non timerent. Habent
tamen spicula sua. et inter mella fundunt vene-
num; si fuerint lacessite. animasque ponunt in
vulnere. et spiculum ardore vindicte. Apis
dicitur sapiens et discretus et diligens et
proindus. Unde sapientia salomonis dicit.
Vade ad apem et vide quam operaria est. et eius imita-
re operationem. Operatio enim apis appetibilis est. om-
nibus. tam pauperibus quam divitibus. et cara et
indiscreta sui gracia; regibus pariter ac me-
diocribus equali suavitate dulcessit. et volup-
tati et saluti consulit. fauces obdulcat. et cu-
rat vulnera. Internis quoque sanat viscera. Itaque
cum sit robore infirma apes; valida est vigo-
re sapiencie et amore virtutis. Denique regem
suum apes summa protectione defendunt. et peri-
re pro eo pulcrum putant. Amisso rege. fidem

collect the dew with their mouths. None, however, lay traps for others' labour or steals the food of others. If only they did not have to fear the traps of thieves! Nevertheless, they have their stings, and if provoked, they pour venom into their honey but lose their lives in the act, driven by vengeance. The bee is said to be wise, discerning and diligent; therefore, the wise Solomon says: "Go to the bee and see how industrious it is, and imitate its work." The bee's labour is desirable to all, both poor and rich; its honey is equally sweet to kings and commoners and provides both pleasure and health, sweetening the throat and healing wounds. It also heals the internal organs. Although bees are physically weak, their wisdom and love for virtue are strong. Finally, bees protect their king with utmost care and consider it noble to die for him.

servandi muneris; derelinqunt. atque ipse sua mella
diripiunt. Quia is qui principatum habuit mune-
ris; interemptus est. Itaque cum aves alie vix in anno
edant singulos fetus; apes geminos vel triplices
creant. et multiplici ceteris fecunditate preponde-
rant. Apes iterum dicuntur maligni spiritus vel tu-
multus et compunctiones carnalium desideriorum. Unde
ysaias. In die illa sibilabit d9 musce que est.
in extremo fluminum egypti. et api que est in
terra affur. et venient et requiescent omnes in tor-
rentibus vallium et cavernis petrarum. et in omnibus
frutectis. et in universis foraminibus. Malignienin
spiritus dulcedinem huius vite sequendam suggeren-
tes; animam aculeo peccati et pene eterne transfi-
gunt. Hee musce et apes manent in terra egypti; et
in fluminibus eius et in terra assiriorum; quia demones
luxuriosis et vitiosis et tenebris ignorantie de-
ditis; dominantur. Musce sicut et apes. necate in aqua;
aliquotiens post unius hore spatium; reviviscunt.
Nomine musce aliquando dicuntur demones. vel cure secularum;

If the king is lost, they abandon their duty and even plunder their own honey, for the one who held the position of leadership has been killed. Whilst other birds barely produce a single brood in one year, bees produce two or three, surpassing others in abundant fertility. Bees are also called evil spirits, turmoil and contrition of carnal desires. Hence, Isaiah says: "In that day the Lord will whistle for the fly that is in the farthest part of the rivers of Egypt and for the bee that is in the land of Assyria. They will all come and rest in the desolate valleys and in the clefts of the rocks, and in all the thorns and in all the pastures." Evil spirits pierce the soul with the sting of sin and eternal punishment by offering the sweetness of this life. Flies and bees dwell in the land of Egypt and in its rivers and in the land of the Assyrians, for demons rule over the lustful, the wicked and those devoted to the darkness of ignorance. Flies, like bees, if killed in water, sometimes revive after an hour. The word musca for fly sometimes refers to demons or to worldly cares.

Further Reading

David Badke, The Bestiary Blog: Animals in the Middle Ages, Bee, November 6 2023, https://bestiary.ca/beasts/beast260.htm

Mynott, J, Birds in the Ancient World (New York: Oxford University Press 2018)

Josh Goldenberg (BA 2012) and Matt Shanahan (BA 2014), Logeion, November 2022, https://logeion.uchicago.edu/

Castiglioni, L. and Mariotti, S. (1996). Vocabolario della Lingua Latina: Latino-Italiano Italiano-Latino. Terza Edizione. Loescher Torino

Curley, M. J., Physiologus: A Medieval Book of Nature Lore (University of Chicago edition 2009)

Rackham, H., M.A., Pliny Natural History Volume III, Libri VIII-XI (London: William Heinemann Ltd, 1949)

Collins, A. H., M.A., Symbolism of Animals and Birds (New York: McBride, Nast & Company, 1913)

Henderson, C., The Book of Barely Imagined Beings (London: University of Chicago Press, 2013)

White, T. H., The Bestiary: A Book of Beasts (New York: G.P Putnam’s Sons, 1960)

Matthews, J. and Matthews C., The Element Encyclopedia of Magical Creatures: The Ultimate A-Z of fantastic beings from myth and magic (London: HarperElement, 2005)

Barney, S. A., Lewis, W. J., Beach A., Berghof O., The Etymologies of Isidore of Seville (New York: Cambridge University Press, 2006)

Endnotes

[1] There is no evidence that the Greeks referred to larger bees as kastros. The word κάστρον/kástron means castle/fortress in English. The reference to the larger bees as kastros is probably due to the larger bees leading the hive, figuratively the castle/fortress.

[2] Georgics (Book IV, line 270): "They drive the lazy drone from the hives". Virgil uses the image of bees driving away the idle or lazy drone to illustrate the industrious nature of bees and to convey a moral lesson about hard work and productivity.

[3] Proverbs NKJV 6:6: "Go to the ant, you sluggard! Consider her ways and be wise,"

[4] Isaiah NKJV 7:18-19: "And it shall come to pass in that day That the Lord will whistle for the fly that is in the farthest part of the rivers of Egypt, And for the bee that is in the land of Assyria. They will come, and all of them will rest In the desolate valleys and in the clefts of the rocks, And on all thorns and in all pastures."

KAS