With the recent passing of Queen Elizabeth, I was very intrigued by the folklore tradition of “informing the bees of the Queen’s passing.”
1 “When the Queen or King of England dies, it sets in motion a series of events. The Prime Minister is told with a phone call that "London Bridge has fallen” – code to let them know the monarch has died – before 10 days of official mourning take place, packed full of ceremony and process. At some point during this time, the bees are informed.”
Apparently "Telling the bees" is a custom not just limited to the Royal Family, but a long-held beekeeping tradition found throughout Europe and even in the USA. Superstition dictated that the bees be told and put "into mourning" following the death of someone in the owner's family.
If bees were not informed of the death of a family member, it was thought that they would die off or produce less honey.
When we think of folklore tales, we probably think about our grandmothers or grandfathers sharing bits of folklore they attest to, to carry onto younger generations. Oftentimes, there is some wisdom gleaned from them. Superstitious beliefs also make up a big portion of folklore and with them usually comes an important moral or core message that inevitably focuses on how to cope with life and death.
A large portion of the population still believe these ancient stories are still important to society today.
2 “They belong to our history, they are part of our culture and thus should be preserved in order to understand our past properly.”
Over the centuries, the art of storytelling created community, passed on from elders to their offspring. This is still very evident in the indigenous sharing of their historical past that has created a sense of belonging and identification for their people.
With the onset of the digital age and although we claim to be more connected with others, face-to-face communication is evidently lacking. Therefore, the art of storytelling started dying out as was noted by the German-Jewish intellectual Walter Benjamin.
In the article, The Wisdom of Myth and Folklore: Why we need stories to keep us alive as a society, the writer says, 2 “Retell and remember them, to honor your ancestors, to discover deeper parts about yourself, to create unification with your community and to give you guidance when you need it most.”
Transcending to today’s world, folklore still seems very relevant.
When I started to examine my context of folklore, I remember numerous words of wisdom deemed folklore or old wives' tales that my folks instilled in me. One I still adhere to is planting the garden in spring by the moon’s phases.
Other examples that come to mind pertain to much of the country:
- The recognition of Groundhog Day, when, according to folklore, if a groundhog doesn't see his shadow on Groundhog Day, spring-like weather will soon arrive.
- Forecasting the weather by certain traits found in nature or animals. A local weather prognosticator forecasts the upcoming winter weather here in Saskatchewan according to evidence found in a pig’s spleen. More to come in the future.
- A robin brings good luck, according to some.
- Video games are often crafted in historical traditions of folklore creating fictional universes.
These are just a few examples but the list is almost limitless, as we deal with different cultures and traditions over the centuries that have passed on their own myths and folklore to their offspring.
Believe what you will, but hold fast to storytelling and keep your culture alive.
1. https://www.iflscience.com/the-royal-bees-have-been-informed-of-the-queens-death-really-65290
2. https://theconsciousclub.com/articles/2019/10/9/the-wisdom-of-myth-and-folklore-why-we-need- stories-to-keep-us-alive-as-a-society#:~:text=Myths%20and%20stories%20connect%20us,needs%20as%20we%20do%20today.
