Drink Like A Viking
The saga of mead
Dear Drink To That reader,
Mythology and alcohol go hand in hand.
That tends to be the case for pretty much every alcohol category you can think of.
One of my favourite mythological stories has to do with mead and how it’s linked to the creation of poetry in Norse and Viking cultures…
A story from my latest book Norse Fighting Heroes: Kings, Conquerors and Shield Maidens that I’m sharing with you today.
The Mead Of Poetry
At the end of the war between the Aesir and Vanir, the gods sealed their peace treaty by spitting into a large vat. From their saliva, a being formed called Kvasir, who became known as the wisest man alive.
He was so wise that there wasn’t anything he didn’t know, and he travelled the nine realms, spreading his knowledge to whoever would listen.
One day, Kvasir was invited into the home of the dwarves Fjalar and Galar. Wanting Kvasir’s precious wisdom for themselves, they murdered him and poured his blood into a vat which they mixed with honey to make mead.
Whoever drank this mead of poetry would be gifted with Kvasir’s silver tongue and the dwarves drank greedily. When the gods questioned them about what had happened to Kvasir, they answered that he’d choked on his intelligence.
Fjalar and Galar continued their murdering spree by killing a giant called Gilling and his wife. They took Gilling out to sea and sank his boat. On passing on the sad news to his wife, they got tired of her weeping and dropped a millstone on her head. This had consequences for the duo.
Gilling’s son, Suttungr, heard about his father’s murder and confronted the dwarves. Dragging them out to sea and dropping them on a reef at low tide, Suttungr threatened to drown them.
The dwarves begged for their lives and Suttungr agreed to spare them in exchange for the mead of poetry. Coveting the wisdom for himself, Suttungr hid the mead deep in his chambers and instructed his daughter Gunnlod to watch over it.
But there was someone in the nine worlds even more starved of wisdom than Suttungr. This was Odin, whose hunger for knowledge was insatiable and when he heard about the mead being hoarded, he vowed to claim it for himself. Disguising himself as a farmhand, Odin travelled to the residence of Suttungr’s brother, Baugi.
There he found nine slaves cutting hay with their scythes and he offered to sharpen the scythes with a whetstone he took from his cloak. The whetstone worked like a charm and each slave asked to buy it from Odin.
Agreeing to sell his marvellous product, Odin gave one condition: they must pay a high price. And so he threw the whetstone up in the air and in the struggle to take it, the slaves slashed each other’s throats with their scythes.
Then The All-Father went to Baugi’s door and said, ‘Hello there, sir. I hope you’ll permit me to have a moment of your time. I am but a simple wanderer and while I don’t relish the thought of delivering bad news, I see it as my sworn duty to do what others turn away from.
My name is Bolverk and I regret to tell you that as I was passing by your farm, I saw your thralls slaughter each other over a disagreement. I don’t know how it started. What I do know is that I’m capable of filling in to do their work, and in exchange, all I ask for is a draught of your brother’s mead. I’ve heard it’s a wonderous drink and have travelled far to learn more about it.’
Baugi answered that he had no power over his brother’s actions and that Suttungr was a notorious miser. But if Bolverk could truly perform the tasks of nine men then he would travel with him and see if he could persuade his brother to part with some mead.
So, that summer, Bolverk toiled in the fields and by winter, his promise to Baugi had been fulfilled. When they went to Suttungr, the keeper of the mead refused to provide a single drop.
Undeterred, Bolverk convinced Baugi to help him get access to the mead in Gunnlod’s chamber. The giant took Bolverk to a place in the mountain stronghold nearest the chamber and gave him a drill to bore a hole into the rock.
After Baugi drilled through the wall and announced he was done, the High One blew into the hole to check. Rock-dust blew back onto him and he realised the giant was trying to trick him. Bolverk demanded Baugi finish what he had started and the giant drilled all the way through.
With the job done, Odin cast off his disguise, turning into a snake and slipping through the hole. Seeing that he’d been deceived, Baugi tried to kill the god with the drill, but he was too slow.
Now inside the chamber, Odin disguised himself as a handsome young man. He met Gunnlod and managed to seduce her. A bargain was struck. Three nights of sex for three sips of mead and so Odin spent his time in Gunnlod’s bed. But every time he went for a swig of mead, the All-Father drained the vat as much as he could.
When he had what he came for, Odin transformed into an eagle, flying from the wrath of Suttungr, who’d discovered the deceit. The giant also transformed into an eagle and gave chase.
Odin soared back to Asgard and when he was near, the other gods set out vessels at the ready. Flying into Asgard in the nick of time, Odin puked up the mead into the containers.
But Suttungr had been so close that in fear and haste, Odin shat out some of his precious mead and these paltry drops of poetry fell to Midgard below.
Mankind could drink this sullied portion, but they would only ever be bad poets and unoriginal creatives. But the true greats, those poets and storytellers who could make their audience feel something, were given their gifts by Odin.
He shared his original batch of mead with them personally.
Awesome Mead Brands to check out
UK
Nidhoggr Mead - nidhoggrmead.com
Lancashire Mead Company - lancashiremeadcompany.co.uk
The Honey Mead Company - honeymeadcompany.com
Lindisfarne Mead - lindisfarnmead.com
Hive Mind Mead - hivemindmead.com
Cornish Mead Co - cornishmead.co.uk
Chalice Mead - chalicemead.co.uk
Stone Circle Mead Company - stonecirclemeadcompany.co.uk
Bemuse Mead - bemusedrinks.com
Northumberland Honey Company - northumberlandhoney.co.uk
London Honey Co Mead - thelondonhoneycompany.co.uk
Mountain Mead - mountainmead.co.uk
Valhalla York Mead - valhallayork.com
US
Aesir Meadery - aesirmeadery.com
Dragon Meadery - dragonmeadery.com
Mythic Mead - mythic-mead.com
Ragnarok Meads - ragnarokmeads.com
Old Gods Meadery - oldgodsmeadery.com
Panacea Meadery - panaceahoneywine.com
Rebel Hive Meadery - rebelhivemeadery.com
Wyrd Leatherworks & Meadery - wyrdleatherandmead.com
Saga Meadery - sagameadery.com
The Skeptic Meadery - skepticmeadery.com
Two Warriors Meadery - twowarriorsmeadery.com
Valhalla Meadery - valhallabozeman.com
Viking Alchemist Meadery - vikingalchemist.com
What people are saying about Norse Fighting Heroes
“This book is beautifully written and flows very well. The level of detail is awesome! Jamie has brought the lost world of Norse Fighting Heroes to life.
His latest book takes the reader beyond the cartoon-like view most of us have about the world of Norsemen and show us how they really lived their lives.” -Chris F
"This is a solid introduction to the sagas. Ryder’s work is accessible to people who want to be familiar with the stories but not shift through translations.
It also gives far more depth and historical context than the modernised bedtime stories most people are familiar with.” - Justine L
"A fantastic and informative read. Not only has Ryder created a fresh view of old legends he even throws in philosophical nuggets along the way:
"It teaches us that we’re all more than one thing and we don’t have to be defined by what we believe in.” - J V Huddlestone
“An excellent book that is easy to pick up for those unfamiliar with Norse history and mythology, while still offering enough depth for seasoned Norse enthusiasts.
A well-written, easy-to-read retelling of myths and history, presenting a raw and unique perspective on the Norse heroes of the past and their human reflection in the gods, myths, and folklore — while avoiding the romanticised interpretations often seen in modern media. " - Norsegarde.com