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up to ward against the evil eye. Among the Merovingian kings of early France, the bee was the ultimate emblem of kingship, and honey bees made of garnet and set with gold have been found in their hundreds in the burial of such kings as Childeric in the 5th century.

      In Middle Eastern lore, the bee and the lion are frequently connected. This may have been because it was thought that bees were born from the carcasses of lion or oxen: this erroneous belief was based on the false observation that maggots in carcases become bees not flies. We find this belief echoed in the biblical story of Samson, where a dead lion yields bees and the saying ‘out of the strong came forth sweetness’, which is still quoted on containers of Tate and Lyle’s Golden Syrup. For early Christians, the bee was an emblem of Christ’s death and resurrection as well as the symbol of monks and clerics who gather about their abbot, bishop or pope and do his bidding with perfect obedience and industry.

      BEETLE

      Many species of beetle have legends and beliefs told about them.

      In the North American south-west, Beetle was the animal to whom Utset, the creatrix of the Sia people, entrusted the bag containing all the heavenly stars. Beetle’s curiosity got the better of him. As he peered inside, the stars began to tumble out of the bag and could not be restrained or recaptured. But Utset was upset with Beetle and struck him blind which is why beetles have no eyes. The accidental manner of their escape is why stars seem to be set in the heavens in no particular order. However, there were a few stars left in the bag, and Utset placed these in the sky as the Great Bear, Orion and the Pleiades, so that people do not become entirely lost.

      The Lengua of South America believe that the giant Beetle created the Earth. Man and woman were created from the grains of earth that were discarded and they were joined together until Beetle separated them. (See Scarab Beetle.)

      BEFANA

      In Italy, Befana is the old grandmother who neglected to offer hospitality to the Magi when they called on their way to Bethlehem. She was too busy with her housework when they called and so she followed them. Every Twelfth Night (6 January), on the Feast of Epiphany, she prepares a welcome for them. Because she could not give her own gift to the Christ Child, she now fills the shoes of children with gifts. She has the status of a gift-bestowing fairy in Italian tradition. She corresponds to the Russian character, Babouschka.

      BEHEMOTH

      Behemoth is a monstrous creature said to be the male mate of Leviathan in the biblical books of Enoch and Job. So large is it, the bones of its upper body are the full extent of the Dendain desert. In one gulp it can swallow acres of land and the river Jordan itself. On the Day of Judgement, in Jewish tradition, the coming of the Messiah would herald the combat of Behemoth and Leviathan to the death. The flesh of their corpses would become the food for the righteous after the judgement. In medieval Christian tradition, Behemoth was understood to be in the form of an elephant who was under the command of the devil; he tempted humans into the sin of greed. In Muslim tradition, Behemoth is cognate with Bahamut, the monster that supports the Earth.

      BEIGAD

      In Icelandic myth, Beigad was a wild boar which attempted to master the sows of Ingimund. After a long and exhausting hunt, the hunters drove him to the edge of the sea, whereupon Beigad leapt into waves and swam towards a nearby hill. His great feat exhausted him and the hunters speared him to death. (See also Twrch Trwyth.)

      BEIGORRI

      In Basque folklore, the Beigorri is a red cow which guards the deep caves and gorges of the Pyrenees mountains.

      BEISHT KIONE

      On the Isle of Man, a Manx myth speaks of the sea monster, Beisht Kione (‘Beast with the Black Head’), that lives in the Irish Sea. It was a scourge of fisherman, who were forever fearful of the beast raising its head above the waters.

      BEITHIR

      According to Scots Highland tradition, the Beithir was a huge monster, very like a wingless dragon or serpent, with a long thick tail. It haunts the corries and mighty mountains of Glen Coe. It is now spoken of as a kind of Fuath.

      BELI

      This Norse Hrimthursar or Frost Giant will fight with the god Freyr on the day of Ragnarok when the world ends. Freyr has to fight him without any weapon save an antler and will afterwards be given the title, Beli’s Killer. Beli may be the brother of the giantess Gerthr.

      BEN VARREY

      This is the name for the mermaid in the Manx language of the Isle of Man. Her male counterpart is the Dinny-Mara or merman.

      Tales speak of the two natures of the Ben Varrey who can enchant fisherman into dangerous waters with her singing, or can help them find lost treasure.

      A young man called Evan was tending his croft while his brothers set out fishing. He heard a melodious voice calling him and saw a Ben Varrey seated upon the rocks with her fish-tail a-swishing. She asked kindly after his old father who had recently fallen sick. Evan ran home to ask his father how he came to know a mermaid. His father related that he had met her many years ago and that she was fond of apples, a bag of which he always took to give to her. Since he had fallen sick, he had not given her any and this was why their prosperity was waning. He told Evan to take some apples to the Ben Varrey who was delighted to receive again what she called ‘sweet-land eggs’. Things began to look up for the family and Evan spent more time with the Ben Varrey, delighting in her conversation. He planted an apple tree on the cliff above her bay where the apples could drop right into the sea when it grew big enough. Although his intention was good, the Ben Varrey began to lose interest in the family because the apple tree was slow to mature.

      BENDITH Y MAMAU

      Literally ‘the Blessing of the Mothers’, the Bendith y Mamau is the name given to the fairies in Glamorganshire, South Wales. This euphemistic title was used to prevent the fairies stealing children away, but it also connects them back to earlier Celtic beliefs. From the Romano-British era onwards, in the depiction of native deities, we find the Triple Mothers, goddesses who are frequently accompanied by smaller beings attired in a hooded cloak, usually called genii cucullati (‘hooded spirits’). These are the Bendith y Mamau who come and go at the bidding of the Triple Mothers, whose blessing they bear. It is as well to be careful when speaking of them, for they cannot tolerate any disrespect towards themselves or the goddesses whom they serve. Instead of bringing a blessing, they may actively remove those things and people we love.

      BENNU

      The Egyptian Bennu is a bird. In the age of the pyramids, it was represented as a yellow wagtail, but it later became very like a heron with red legs and two long feathers growing from its head. Its name comes from the verb weben meaning ‘to shine’ or ‘to rise brilliantly’. A papyrus of the 21st dynasty says of the Bennu that it is ‘the one who came into being by itself’. It symbolizes the anticipated rebirth of the soul in the Underworld and was carved onto the backs of scarab amulets buried with mummified bodies. This ensures that the heart does not fail the test of the deceased’s past deeds in the Judgement Hall of the Two Truths. It is also a symbol of the sun god Ra, celebrating the sun’s rebirth every dawn. According to legend, the Bennu arises from a burning tree, singing such a melodious song that the gods are transported by its sound. Its legend informs the legend of the Phoenix, as related by

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