,
Melissa, 1898
Ancient Greek mythology The name "Melissa" has a long history with roots reaching back to even before Ancient Greece. For this reason, in part, there are several versions of the story surrounding the mythological character Melissa, especially in how she came to care for the infant
Zeus. Melissa is said to be one of the various nymphs who raised the infant Zeus; in one little-attested version, Zeus transformed her into a bee under unclear circumstances.
Nymphs, such as Melissa, played an important role in mythic accounts of the origin of basic institutions and skills, as in the training of the culture heroes
Dionysos and
Aristaeus or the civilizing behaviors taught by the bee nymph. The antiquarian
Mnaseas' account of Melissa gives a good picture of her function as in this respect. According to folklore, as Larson phrases it, "Melissa first found a honeycomb, tasted it, then mixed it with water as a beverage. She taught others to do this, and thus the creature was named for her, and she was made its guardian." This was part of the Nymphs' achievement of bringing men out of their wild state. Under the guidance of Melissa, the Nymphs not only turned men away from eating each other to eating only this product of the forest trees, but also introduced into the world of men the feeling of modesty. In addition, the ancient Greek philosopher
Porphyry (233 to c. 304 AD) wrote of the priestesses of
Demeter, known as
Melissae ("bees"), who were initiates of the chthonian goddess. The story surrounding
Melissae tells of an elderly priestess of Demeter, named Melissa, initiated into her mysteries by the goddess herself. When Melissa's neighbors tried to make her reveal the secrets of her initiation, she remained silent, never letting a word pass from her lips. In anger, the women tore her to pieces, but Demeter sent a plague upon them, causing bees to be born from Melissa's dead body. From Porphyry's writings, scholars have also learned that Melissa was the name of the moon goddess
Artemis and the goddess who took suffering away from mothers giving birth. Souls were symbolized by bees and it was Melissa who drew souls down to be born. She was connected with the idea of a periodic regeneration. '',
Dosso Dossi, c. 1507
Melitta The variant spelling/pronunciation Melitta is the
Attic Greek dialect for Melissa. (Compare the Attic word for sea,
thalatta, with the more common
thalassa.) Within a fragment of the
Orphic poetry, quoted by
Natalis Comes,
Melitta is spoken of as a hive, and called Seira, or the hive of
Venus: Let us celebrate the hive of Venus, who rose from the sea: that hive of many names: the mighty fountain, from whence all kings are descended; from whence all the winged and immortal Loves were again produced. From the works of
Hesychius, it is clear that the word Seira among other interpretations signified
Melitta, a bee; also a hive, or house of
Melitta, "[s]uch is the sense of it in this passage: and [she] was thus represented in ancient mythology, as being the receptacle, from whence issued that swarm, by which the world was peopled". Melissa or
Melitta is also said to be the mother-wife of
Phoroneus, the first that reigned, in whose days the dispersion of mankind occurred, whereas before all had been in harmony and only one language was spoken.
Melitta, being the feminine of
Melitz, the Mediator, consequently signifies
Melitta the
Mediatrix for sinful mortals. ==Poetry==