Mistresses of Prophecy
The Thriae (pronounced THREE-eye) are from the Aegean islands or possibly Anatolia. They have bee bodies and women’s heads, and they are covered in pollen.
The sun knew nothing but the time of day, until on a certain island, along a certain mountain slope, beside a certain pond, three powerful sisters emerged. These were the Thriae, the bee maidens, who could read the future in the shapes of clouds, the flight of birds, and the patterns on the water. They could hear the voices of tiny stones. They could read the history of mountains, understand the stories of trees, and decipher the music of insects. By consulting the three sisters the sun could not only measure time but also understand what it contained.
For a long time this remained proprietary knowledge, because it is the nature of the sun to witness but not to speak. But the observant crow, who can steal anything and keeps no one’s secrets, learned about the bee maidens from watching the sun and told anyone who would listen. All the people of the island could now ask the three maidens anything, knowing they would have the answer.
The bee sisters became capricious in response to the crow’s treachery. They told correct answers, wrong answers, conflicting answers. They gave one response in the morning and reversed themselves in the afternoon.
So as with any miffed and temperamental creatures, the Thriae must be approached in the right way, lest they respond in the wrong way. They must be sweetened with presents and kind words, and still they will not favor everyone. The maidens who wallow in the pollen know everything, however, so it is worth your while to coax them into truthful prophecy, if you can.