Bulfinch’s Mythology · Chapter
Aristaeus, the Beekeeper explained
Aristaeus, son of the water-nymph Cyrene, loses his bees and seeks his mother's aid.
What happens
Aristaeus, son of the water-nymph Cyrene, loses his bees and seeks his mother's aid. She instructs him to capture the sea-prophet Proteus, who reveals that the bees died as punishment for causing Eurydice's death. Aristaeus must sacrifice bulls and cows to appease the nymphs and honor Orpheus and Eurydice. He obeys, and after nine days finds a new swarm of bees born from the carcasses.
Themes in this chapter
Hubris and Divine Retribution
Aristaeus's pursuit of Eurydice leads to her death, and the nymphs punish him by destroying his bees, requiring atonement.
Mortality and Immortality
The death of Eurydice and the bees, contrasted with the miraculous rebirth of the swarm from the carcasses, explores the cycle of life and death.
Characters to notice
- Orpheus
Mentioned as the shade to whom funeral honors are paid; his death is avenged by the nymphs.
- Proserpine
Not directly present, but referenced through the context of Orpheus and Eurydice's story.
Key passages
“Aristaeus hardly allowed him to get fairly asleep before he fixed the fetters on him and shouted aloud.”
Aristaeus chained Proteus as soon as he was asleep and yelled to wake him.
Key moment of capture leading to the revelation of the cause of the bee plague.
“You receive the merited reward of your deeds, by which Eurydice met her death, for in flying from you she trod upon a serpent, of whose bite she died.”
Your own actions caused Eurydice's death; she stepped on a snake while fleeing from you.
Proteus explains the divine punishment and its origin.
“Select four bulls, of perfect form and size, and four cows of equal beauty, build four altars to the nymphs, and sacrifice the animals, leaving their carcasses in the leafy grove.”
Choose four perfect bulls and four cows, build four altars, sacrifice them, and leave the bodies in the grove.
The prescribed ritual to appease the nymphs and restore the bees.