Who run this mother? Girls, of course, but let's not forget about the bees! According to the latest 'buzz', bees pollinate nearly three quarters of the plants that produce 90% of the world's food (!), but our ancestors already realized how essential these magical golden creatures are to our survival. There have always been Bee Goddesses; voluptuous Anatolian divinities wearing beehive-shaped tiaras and feisty Hindu honey goddesses with a venomous sting. Yet nobody adored them as much as the ancient Greeks who had a cult of bee goddesses, nymphs and priestesses - an entire 'hive'! - all sharing the same name: Melissa.

When Gaia, mother Earth herself, asked a trio of bee nymphs to look after her infant grandson Zeus, the 'Melissae' lovingly fed him plenty of honey, also known as 'liquid gold'. As soon as he became King of the Gods, Zeus rewarded the nymphs by changing the color of bees to a bright gold. Such a perfect color for these royal creatures! I imagine the Queen Bee in her role as messenger, draped in flowy gold robes, busily buzzing back and forth between the gods and humankind. Bringing us the sweet gift of heaven (honey), she carries back our worldly cares to the deities. Oh, how the gods love to listen to Melissa with her honey-glossed lips! Enraptured, they honor her with the gift of dance. And off the Bee Queen goes, shimmying through the sky in a puffy cloud of pollen! (To this day, honey bees are the only insects that communicate with each other through dance).