Melissa
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| Melissa | |
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| Pronunciation | Melissa |
| Gender | Female |
| Meaning | Honey bee |
| Region of Origin | Anatolia |
| Origin | Hittites |
| Related names | Melita, Mel, Melina, Melanie |
| Wikipedia articles | All pages beginning with "Melissa" |
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Look up Melissa in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. |
Melissa is a given name for a female. The origin of Melissa comes from the ancient Hittites word Melita which means honey. The meaning of the word has shifted into honey bee in Greek. Moreover, the pronounciation has changed as Melissa.(Ionic Greek: Mέλισσα).
Melissa was a princess of Ancient Crete who served baby Zeus honey after she learnt how to collect it. Out of appreciation he transformed her into a honeybee, preserving her immortality. However, in the stories of Zeus, transformations take on a sexual implication. Zeus often disguised himself as an animal to beguile goddesses and unwilling maidens and Hera often transformed those of Zeus' conquests that offended or threatened her. Sometimes Hera even changed unwilling maidens into animals or plants to rescue them from Zeus' lasciviousness.
references: Women and Goddesses in Myth and Legend.
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