- See Melissa (disambiguation) for other possible meanings.
In Greek mythology, Melissa (Greek: Μέλισσα) the "bee"-nymph, daughter of King Melisseus ("bee-man"), nursed Zeus when he was an infant, feeding him goat's milk. She later taught humans the use of honey, which could be fermented to form an intoxicating entheogen.
Potnia, the Minoan-Mycenaean "Mistress," was the Great Goddess older even than Demeter, who might sometimes be called "the pure Mother Bee." Winged, armed with toxin, creators of the fermentable honey, seemingly parthenogenetic in their immortal hive, bees were emblems of the Great Mother in other embodiments: Cybele, Rhea, and the archaic Lady of Ephesus, whom the Greeks associated with Artemis. Pindar remembered that the Pythian pre-Olympic priestess of Delphi remained "the Delphic bee" long after Apollo had usurped the ancient oracle and shrine. The Homeric Hymn to Apollo acknowledges that Apollo's gift of prophecy first came to him from three bee-maidens or Melissas. .
Melissa was also used as a title for priestesses of Demeter and Artemis. The Titan Orion had several connections with bee-maidens, including Merope: there are more details at Orion.
Alternative: Melitta
