More about Mead:
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MEAD
Nectar of the Gods
Or
Fermented Bee Barf
Drinking Mead – Woodcut, circa 1600
Honey is the oldest sweetener known to man. Just when "man" first discovered this delightful treat is a matter of considerable conjecture. However, it is quite possible that Og, son of Ug, was the first to observe an animal raiding a bee’s storehouse. With his native curiosity aroused, he decided to see what was the particular attraction of this golden liquid. A dip… a sip… a lick of the lip… then "OUCH"! Og made his second discovery of the day. Bees have stingers! It wasn’t long before Og invented fire, so he could have smoke to put the bees to sleep, thus avoiding the painful consequences of his honey habit.
One may only guess at how the "invention" of mead may have come about. Personally, I think it was more a matter of discovery! Consider this scenario; the bee tree has been broached and some of the honey drips into a hollow at the bottom. There it mixes with rainwater and sits around for several weeks. By happy chance, Ig, son of Og, son of Ug, sees this spill in the base of the tree and believes this to be more honey. He takes a taste and finds it somehow subtly different from the normal flavor. Maybe not quite so sweet, but with an extra little "tang". Many sips later, the fermented honey is gone and Ig weaves and wobbles his way back to the cave.
Now, you may think I am just making up tall tales, but it is quite likely that this is how man first discovered the joy of mild intoxication. Later, Ig’s great, great grandson would experiment and refine the process under more controlled conditions. Possibly, he started with hollow gourds, filling them with various mixtures of water and honey, and letting them sit at the back of the cave for differing lengths of time. This was sufficient for a small group of hunter-gatherers but, with the formation of clans from related families, there was a need for larger quantities of mead. Thus, pottery was invented. Large earthenware crocks were made for the sole purpose of containing the fermentation process. Now, the whole clan could get high!
Eventually, the news of this remarkable discovery spread. How is that, you may ask. Because there was a need to tell the neighboring clans about the joys of mead, language was invented. By this time, the clan brewer had been elevated to a position nearly equal to that of the chief and the shaman. The language they created was simple at the first, but sufficient to communicate concepts like "Wow! What a blast!" and "Oh, my aching head!". Of course, as mead evolved, so did the language. There came a need for words like, "bouquet", "flavor", and "lingering aftertaste". Words were also invented to facilitate the trade in mead. Much later, money was invented as a means of exchange, so even clans without a competent brewer could enjoy the benefits of mead. Not long after that, taxes were invented as a way for the chief to get a little extra in his own pocket. Somewhere in all that, the wheel was built so large quantities of mead could be easily moved to the market.
You can plainly see from this dialog, that it was mead which started us on the road to civilization. Along that road, mead underwent a number of refinements and modifications. Someone tried adding various spices and flavorings to the basic mix, and "methyglyn" was born. Another experimented with crushed fruits to produce what we call "melomel". Long before the Romans started fermenting their Falnerian, the Celts were adding crushed grapes to their mead and calling it "pyment".
Many ancient texts refer to mead and its making or its use. Plutarch relates the tragic tale of Camma, a fine lady of old Galatia. In old Galatia, there were two Tetrarchs; Sinatus and Synorix, by name, who shared a bond of kinship. Sinatus wooed and married the lovely and virtuous Camma, who was also a priestess of Diana. Synorix, stricken by her beauty, committed murder upon her husband, that he might have Camma for his own. After his kinsman’s death, he plied his own suit and eventually persueded Camma to be his own wife. Finally, she consented and sent for him to sign the marriage contract. Meanwhile, she had discovered the foul deed. At the ceremony, she prepared a cup of mead, a traditions of weddings at the time. Howsoever, she laced the cup with a strong poison. Half of this she drank herself, giving the other half to her betrothed. As soon as he had drunk it down, she cried out to the Goddess that her revenge had been fulfilled. She went down to the sepulchur of her rightful husband, Sinatus, and there she clung to the threads of her life until she heard that Synorix had expired. She then gave up her last breath and passed on with a smile.
One of the earliest tales concerning mead comes to us from the old Irish texts. It is the story of Goibniu, who was of the Tuatha de Danann, the Faery Folk of the old times. Now Goibniu was a smith by trade. Along with his brothers, Credne the wright and Luchta the carpenter, he provided all the weapons for his people in their fight with the Fomorians at the Second Battle of Moytura. With another of his brothers, Diancecht, he invented a mead drink which would grant immortality to the drinker. Mortally wounded soldiers were bathed in a vat of this mead were completely restored and able to fight again on the morrow.
Other people have written about mead. Saint Jerome reported that the Celts of Anatolia were given to excessive drinking of a strong wine made from honey. Caesar claimed warriors of Gaul got their courage from drinking the golden nectar. The "Honeymoon" got its start with the tradition that the parents of the newlyweds were to provide the couple with sufficient mead (honey-wine) to last for an entire month. After that, they were expected to get out of bed and make their own mead!
Now you can truly see why I claim that mead is truly the "Nectar of the Gods". It is the oldest fermented beverage, it is probably the easiest to make, and it is sweet upon the tongue. A pleasant and potent beverage, made expressly for sipping between sweethearts.
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