Ancient legends that span continents and generations insist that a bee’s gifts are not just physical, but spiritual. If we believe the stories (and I think most of us do), then bees are intertwined with all life and death throughout the universe.

Ancient Greece shares this sentiment. According to myth, a bee could manipulate a human’s fate by touch. If it landed on a child’s lips, the child would grow to become a great writer, poet, or performer. If it rested atop their head, the child would become a person of great distinction. And if you felt burdened, a bee atop the hand was a blessing at any age, for it meant that financial abundance was within reach.

Honeycomb and bee drop lariat necklace made from brass.