Bugonia
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Bugonia was a folk practice in the ancient Mediterranean region based on the belief that bees were spontaneously generated from a cow's carcass. By extension, it was thought that fumigation with cow d
Bee and wasp mimics are diverse.
Aristaeus
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Aristaeus was the mythological culture hero credited with the discovery of many rural useful arts and handicrafts, including beekeeping. He was the son of the huntress Cyrene and Apollo.
Bugonia
…days afterwards, you will find the house full of bees, hanging together in clusters, and nothing left of the ox but horns, bones and hair. The myth of Aristaeus was an archetype of this practice, serving to instruct bee keepers on how to recover from the loss of their bees. The Greek βουγονία (bougoníā) comes…
Aristaeus by François Joseph Bosio (1768–1845), (Musée du Louvre)