Athenian Bee
Preserved but no longer current.
Plato (429-327 B.C.), a native of Athens, was so called because, according to tradition, when in his cradle a swarm of bees alighted on his mouth, and in consequence his words flowed with the sweet- ness of honey. The same tale is told of St.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “Athenian Bee” mean?
Plato (429-327 B.C.), a native of Athens, was so called because, according to tradition, when in his cradle a swarm of bees alighted on his mouth, and in consequence his words flowed with the sweet- ness of honey. The same tale is told of St.
Is “Athenian Bee” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.