NURSED BY THE NYMPHS

IN the ancient Greek religion, Melissa (Μέλισσα, honey-bee) was a nymph, who helped to nurse the baby Zeus in his infancy! 

Zeus had been hidden in a cave in Crete by his mother, the Goddess Rea. Rea had resorted to this desperate measure to save the baby from its own father, Cronos. Cronos was a powerful God, but had the ugly habit of eating his own children. Zeus, however, survived, and eventually dethroned his father to become king of all Gods.

Back to the cave in Crete, though. As a baby, Zeus was nursed by the nymphs Melissa and Amalthea, who fed him with honey. The nymphs (Νύμφες) are beautiful, semi-divine women in the Greek religion, who often reside in forests, mountains, rivers and brooks. 

In another version of the myth, Melissa was a real swarm of bees, that brought honey for the divine child, and Amalthea was a goat with supernatural powers, who gave the baby her milk. "Amalthea's horn" (το κέρας της Αμάλθειας) is a synonym for plenitude in the Greek language. 

Honey is truly a magical ingredient. It is antiseptic, probiotic and anti almost everything which is bad. You can apply honey to a wound. It doesn't even have an expiry date, for honey found in ancient Egyptian tombs was perfectly edible!

Beauty and honey are inextricably intertwined: we literally use honey in cosmetics, and metaphorically to denote someone we love, or someone with a pretty face.

Have a good Friday afternoon and be well! xxx