flipMjöðr — mead from the drinking horns
Mjöðr — mead from the drinking horns
Why this dish? Mead flows "abundantly in the drinking horns" at the feast of the Æsir. During the sumbl, it is the lady of the hall — Frigg alongside Odin — who has the horn brought to the guests. The honey drink seals oaths and alliances: the very domain of marriage that the goddess watches over.
A fermented honey drink, sweet and golden, scented with bog myrtle — the liqueur of abundance shared from the horn during great oaths.
It is I, Odin's wife, who sees that the horn never stands empty when my guests swear oaths. Take the honey of the moors, mix it with spring water, and let the weeks do their secret work, as I keep silent what I know of fates. A sprig of bog myrtle to wake the liquor, and be patient: pressed mead is worth nothing. Raise the horn, speak your vow with a steady voice — for here, under my gaze, what is sworn before the mead is sworn for good.
- •Wild honey — a large part (fermentable sugar)
- •Spring water — three parts (base)
- •Bog myrtle (sweet gale) — a few sprigs (traditional bittering aromatic)
- •Natural yeasts from honey/air — spontaneous (fermentation)
Mjöðr — mead from the drinking horns
A fermented honey drink, sweet and golden, scented with bog myrtle — the liqueur of abundance shared from the horn during great oaths.
Why this dish? Mead flows "abundantly in the drinking horns" at the feast of the Æsir. During the sumbl, it is the lady of the hall — Frigg alongside Odin — who has the horn brought to the guests. The honey drink seals oaths and alliances: the very domain of marriage that the goddess watches over.
It is I, Odin's wife, who sees that the horn never stands empty when my guests swear oaths. Take the honey of the moors, mix it with spring water, and let the weeks do their secret work, as I keep silent what I know of fates. A sprig of bog myrtle to wake the liquor, and be patient: pressed mead is worth nothing. Raise the horn, speak your vow with a steady voice — for here, under my gaze, what is sworn before the mead is sworn for good.
Ingredients (period version)
- Wild honey — a large part (fermentable sugar)
- Spring water — three parts (base)
- Bog myrtle (sweet gale) — a few sprigs (traditional bittering aromatic)
- Natural yeasts from honey/air — spontaneous (fermentation)
Ingredients
- Honey — 350 g (fermentable sugar)
- Spring water — 1.5 L (base)
- Bog myrtle or, failing that, a little lemon zest and thyme — 1 tsp (aromatic)
- Yeast (wine/mead) — 1 packet (controlled fermentation)
Method
- Warm the water (not boiling), dissolve the honey until clear.
- Let cool to room temperature, add the aromatic then the yeast.
- Pour into a clean demijohn fitted with an airlock; let ferment for 3 to 6 weeks away from light.
- When bubbling subsides, siphon off the clear liquid leaving the sediment, bottle.
- Age at least 2 months before serving chilled.
How it was made : Mead was the prestige drink of the Norse world, above everyday barley ale. Fermentation relied on natural yeasts from honey and air; bog myrtle (myrica gale) was used for flavouring before hops. Served in ornate drinking horns, it sealed oaths during the sumbl.
The contemporary twist : A sparkling version bottled with crown caps, served very cold in a small horn-shaped glass — the spirit of the hall, without the intoxication of the Æsir.
Sources : Snorri Sturluson, Edda, Gylfaginning (mead and drink of the Æsir) · Patrick E. McGovern, Uncorking the Past (University of California Press, 2009)
Frigg · Charactorium
