the harvest myth

A Hindu myth tells us about a handmaiden called Hitam Manis, or “Dark Sweetness”, who fell in love with the son of the reigning Sultan. Although he answered her love, they could not get married because she was a commoner. When the Sultan discovered their love he decided to kill her. She and some other maidens try to escape and ran away, but she was hit by a metal spear, straight into her heart. Hitam Manis and her friends turned into bees and flew away into the forest.

Some years later the prince went into the forest and saw some giant honey combs, high, in a tualang tree. He climbed up the tree, discovering the sweet honey, and called down to his servants for a knife and a bucket. But when they lowered the bucket, they found the body of the prince hacked to pieces. A voice called out from the tree, explaining that he had committed a sacrilege by using a metal implement to cut the comb like that, which had killed Hitam Manis.

Later a “golden shower” made by the bees restored the prince back to life.

To this day no metal is used in harvesting the honey as a sign of respect to Hitam Manis.

At dusk the bees fly from their nests and defecate en masse, showering the surrounding ground and foliage with a golden rain. The nitrogen-rich bee feces fertilizes the tualang tree that hosts the bees, giving it life as it did for the prince.

Here is an incredible video National Geographic made, on how honey is gathered by the honey hunters of Malaysia.