Kvasir’s Blood
"Kvasir’s Blood" was written on 8 and 9 February 2020. With the article only halfway written on the 8th, I sipped Dansk Viking Blod mead in the evening. It served as a worthy and useful inspiration. May all find inspiration through Grimnir’s gift.
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When Germanic Heathens gather, there is typically mead about. The newcomer to Ásatrú has likely read that mead plays a significant role in many of its rituals. It may be splashed with an evergreen sprig upon those gathered or it may be sipped or even quaffed from a hefty drinking horn. But what is this drink, sometimes called the oldest alcoholic beverage?
Despite various reports about the growing popularity of mead, it can be somewhat difficult to find locally.[1] I recall walking into a fairly well-stocked liquor store and asking if they sold mead. “What is that, beer?” I was asked in response. I tried again in an upscale winery. With an air of snobbery, the proprietor replied, “Wine made from honey? Some people will ferment anything.” I had a modicum of success in a liquor store that specialized in craft beers. They actually sold mead – but it was what I have come to call “hipster” mead. Rather than using any sort of traditional recipe, several meaderies have decided to capitalize on the ever-growing craft beer craze by utilizing unusual ingredients. The store offered several different flavored meads including one made with agave and lime called “Tuco Style Freakout” after one of meth-dealer characters from television’s acclaimed series Breaking Bad. Traditional mead may seem too simple for meaderies and distributors attempting to market their brands —its most basic recipe —simply a mixture of water, honey, and yeast.
While mead seemed to be a rare commodity in the shops I visited, it is always available in abundance at Heathen gatherings that I attend. Heathens tend to seek out the more traditional flavors – and through word of mouth, the stores that stock their shelves with the stuff have a consistent and loyal customer base. In fact many Heathens consume such substantial quantities (not necessarily on their own, but with those gathered) that they turn to making their own.
My first attempt to brew mead was when my daughter Jess returned from an event held by the Society for Creative Anachronism (SCA).[2] She had purchased a do-it-yourself mead-making kit. Essentially this kit contained a variety of spices, some yeast, and a recipe that explained how much honey to add to a gallon-sized jug of water. The mead that resulted is called “short mead.” It is short in the time that one needs to wait for it to properly ferment before it should be consumed. Short meads are generally ready in a matter of a couple of weeks. Most of the mead makers that I’ve encountered however normally allow their meads to ferment for a year – or even longer.
By now it should be clear to all that mead is a tasty beverage. The alcohol content can vary, but it ranges similar to many wines- from about 6% on the low end up to as much as 20% on the high end. But why did this beverage become so important to Heathenry?
The references to mead are frequent and rich in our lore. Perhaps foremost among these is Snorri Sturluson’s story in his Skaldskaparmal.[3] Snorri begins his tale by recalling the war between the Aesir and Vanir gods and the truce that followed. As part of the procedure to bring peace, representatives from each of the warring factions spit into a vat. The spittle-filled vat became a symbol of the truce. Ultimately seeking something more permanent, the gods made Kvasir who would become known as the wisest among them. It was said that no one could ask him a question that he could not answer. He traveled broadly and taught people wherever he roamed. Ultimately he arrived at the home of the dwarfs, Fialar and Galar. The dastardly dwarfs killed Kvasir and poured his blood into three vats. They then mixed honey with Kvasir’s blood and created the first batch of mead. Mead was said to have amazing properties such that whoever drinks it would become a poet or scholar.[4]
The dwarfs would end up giving up their precious mead to the giant Suttung. Suttung sought compensation for the death of his father and murder of his mother by the two scheming dwarfs. Suttung stored the mead in a place called Hnitbiorg and placed his daughter Gunnlod in charge of guarding it. This turn of events led to Odin himself developing a plan to recover the mead in order to return it to Asgard.[5]
Ultimately Odin, through disguise, deception, and even shape-shifting made his way to Hnitbiorg. Disguised as Bolverk (evil-doer), he turned on his charm and slept with Gunnlod for three nights – in exchange for three draughts of mead. With each of his mighty draughts, Odin drained one of the three vats. With all of the mead inside him, Odin transformed himself into an eagle and began a furious flight back to Asgard. The giant Suttung too was able to shape-shift and also took on the form of an eagle in order to pursue the god and his beloved cargo. The Aesir placed large containers in Asgard’s courtyard into which Odin could spit the mead. With Suttung in hot pursuit, Odin’s aim was a bit off and some of the mead fell to Earth and to any who wanted it. But most of the mead was returned safely to the Aesir.
The richness of these tales of a golden beverage—sought by dwarfs, giants, and gods alike clearly reveal the legendary value of mead. One might still ask how mead came to play such a significant role in Ásatrú ritual. As modern-day Heathens we recognize that the holy ritual of blót was often performed with a blood sacrifice during the years of pagan rule. Today, many Gothi or Gythia perform the rite of blót by splashing mead with an evergreen sprig on those gathered while blessing in the names of our gods. Each time we participate in blót, we would do well to think of Kvasir’s blood.
The explanation of its part in sumbel seems even clearer. There can be little doubt that many a mead-filled horn was raised during such celebrations throughout the ages. We recall the ancestors and the gods themselves each time we perform sumbel with our kindreds and tribes. When we raise a drinking horn, we are not merely drinking with friends, or drinking to become intoxicated—but rather consuming Kvasir’s blood – filled with legend, wisdom, and life-essence—a magical gift given to the people of Midgard by Odin himself.
Notes:
1. Adam Chronister, “Mead Popularity Growing Faster than Craft Beer,” Jan. 29, 2017, https://www.hiddenlegendwinery.com/mead-popularity-growing-faster-than-craft-beer/
2. The SCA is not a Heathen organization. They describe themselves as an “international living history group.” They essentially recreate pre-seventeenth century crafts, arts, and combat.
3. Snorri Sturluson, Edda, trans. Anthony Faulkes (North Clarendon, VT: Everyman, 1995), 61-62.
4. Mead was so associated with poetry that Snorri reveals that “Kvasir’s blood” was a kenning used to refer to poetry. See Sturluson, 70.
5. Sturluson, 62-63.
*********
When Germanic Heathens gather, there is typically mead about. The newcomer to Ásatrú has likely read that mead plays a significant role in many of its rituals. It may be splashed with an evergreen sprig upon those gathered or it may be sipped or even quaffed from a hefty drinking horn. But what is this drink, sometimes called the oldest alcoholic beverage?
Despite various reports about the growing popularity of mead, it can be somewhat difficult to find locally.[1] I recall walking into a fairly well-stocked liquor store and asking if they sold mead. “What is that, beer?” I was asked in response. I tried again in an upscale winery. With an air of snobbery, the proprietor replied, “Wine made from honey? Some people will ferment anything.” I had a modicum of success in a liquor store that specialized in craft beers. They actually sold mead – but it was what I have come to call “hipster” mead. Rather than using any sort of traditional recipe, several meaderies have decided to capitalize on the ever-growing craft beer craze by utilizing unusual ingredients. The store offered several different flavored meads including one made with agave and lime called “Tuco Style Freakout” after one of meth-dealer characters from television’s acclaimed series Breaking Bad. Traditional mead may seem too simple for meaderies and distributors attempting to market their brands —its most basic recipe —simply a mixture of water, honey, and yeast.
While mead seemed to be a rare commodity in the shops I visited, it is always available in abundance at Heathen gatherings that I attend. Heathens tend to seek out the more traditional flavors – and through word of mouth, the stores that stock their shelves with the stuff have a consistent and loyal customer base. In fact many Heathens consume such substantial quantities (not necessarily on their own, but with those gathered) that they turn to making their own.
My first attempt to brew mead was when my daughter Jess returned from an event held by the Society for Creative Anachronism (SCA).[2] She had purchased a do-it-yourself mead-making kit. Essentially this kit contained a variety of spices, some yeast, and a recipe that explained how much honey to add to a gallon-sized jug of water. The mead that resulted is called “short mead.” It is short in the time that one needs to wait for it to properly ferment before it should be consumed. Short meads are generally ready in a matter of a couple of weeks. Most of the mead makers that I’ve encountered however normally allow their meads to ferment for a year – or even longer.
By now it should be clear to all that mead is a tasty beverage. The alcohol content can vary, but it ranges similar to many wines- from about 6% on the low end up to as much as 20% on the high end. But why did this beverage become so important to Heathenry?
The references to mead are frequent and rich in our lore. Perhaps foremost among these is Snorri Sturluson’s story in his Skaldskaparmal.[3] Snorri begins his tale by recalling the war between the Aesir and Vanir gods and the truce that followed. As part of the procedure to bring peace, representatives from each of the warring factions spit into a vat. The spittle-filled vat became a symbol of the truce. Ultimately seeking something more permanent, the gods made Kvasir who would become known as the wisest among them. It was said that no one could ask him a question that he could not answer. He traveled broadly and taught people wherever he roamed. Ultimately he arrived at the home of the dwarfs, Fialar and Galar. The dastardly dwarfs killed Kvasir and poured his blood into three vats. They then mixed honey with Kvasir’s blood and created the first batch of mead. Mead was said to have amazing properties such that whoever drinks it would become a poet or scholar.[4]
The dwarfs would end up giving up their precious mead to the giant Suttung. Suttung sought compensation for the death of his father and murder of his mother by the two scheming dwarfs. Suttung stored the mead in a place called Hnitbiorg and placed his daughter Gunnlod in charge of guarding it. This turn of events led to Odin himself developing a plan to recover the mead in order to return it to Asgard.[5]
Ultimately Odin, through disguise, deception, and even shape-shifting made his way to Hnitbiorg. Disguised as Bolverk (evil-doer), he turned on his charm and slept with Gunnlod for three nights – in exchange for three draughts of mead. With each of his mighty draughts, Odin drained one of the three vats. With all of the mead inside him, Odin transformed himself into an eagle and began a furious flight back to Asgard. The giant Suttung too was able to shape-shift and also took on the form of an eagle in order to pursue the god and his beloved cargo. The Aesir placed large containers in Asgard’s courtyard into which Odin could spit the mead. With Suttung in hot pursuit, Odin’s aim was a bit off and some of the mead fell to Earth and to any who wanted it. But most of the mead was returned safely to the Aesir.
The richness of these tales of a golden beverage—sought by dwarfs, giants, and gods alike clearly reveal the legendary value of mead. One might still ask how mead came to play such a significant role in Ásatrú ritual. As modern-day Heathens we recognize that the holy ritual of blót was often performed with a blood sacrifice during the years of pagan rule. Today, many Gothi or Gythia perform the rite of blót by splashing mead with an evergreen sprig on those gathered while blessing in the names of our gods. Each time we participate in blót, we would do well to think of Kvasir’s blood.
The explanation of its part in sumbel seems even clearer. There can be little doubt that many a mead-filled horn was raised during such celebrations throughout the ages. We recall the ancestors and the gods themselves each time we perform sumbel with our kindreds and tribes. When we raise a drinking horn, we are not merely drinking with friends, or drinking to become intoxicated—but rather consuming Kvasir’s blood – filled with legend, wisdom, and life-essence—a magical gift given to the people of Midgard by Odin himself.
Notes:
1. Adam Chronister, “Mead Popularity Growing Faster than Craft Beer,” Jan. 29, 2017, https://www.hiddenlegendwinery.com/mead-popularity-growing-faster-than-craft-beer/
2. The SCA is not a Heathen organization. They describe themselves as an “international living history group.” They essentially recreate pre-seventeenth century crafts, arts, and combat.
3. Snorri Sturluson, Edda, trans. Anthony Faulkes (North Clarendon, VT: Everyman, 1995), 61-62.
4. Mead was so associated with poetry that Snorri reveals that “Kvasir’s blood” was a kenning used to refer to poetry. See Sturluson, 70.
5. Sturluson, 62-63.
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