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The Lorsch Bee Blessing (German: Lorscher Bienensegen) is an bee-keeping prayer intended to bring home honey bees in good health to their hives. It is believed to have been written in the 9th century, and was discovered in a manuscript (on fol. 58r of the Pal. lat. 220 in the Vatican Library, a copy of the Apocalypse of Paul) from the monastery in Lorsch, Germany, famous for the Lorsch Codex. Despite being a Christian prayer written in Old High German, it has remarkable similarities to the Anglo-Saxon and apparently pagan "For a Swarm of Bees" (Old English "wiþ ymbe") magic charm, and may reflect a common pre-Christian Germanic cultural heritage.
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Old High German
Kirst, imbi ist hûczeNû fliuc dû, vihu mînaz, heraFridu frôno in munt godesgisunt heim zi comonneSizi, sizi bînaInbôt dir sancte MariaHurolob ni habe dûZi holce ni flûc dûNoh dû mir nindrinnêsNoh dû mir nintuuinnêstSizi vilu stilloUuirki godes uuillonTranslation
Christ, the bee swarm is out here!Now fly, you my animals, come.In the Lord's peace, in God's protection,come home in good health.Sit, sit bees.The command to you from the Holy Mary.You have no vacation;Don't fly into the woods;Neither should you slip away from me.Nor escape from me.Sit completely still.Do God's will.References
Lorsch Bee Blessing Wikipedia(Text) CC BY-SA