Celebrations Deserve the Best

Parties are events that many people look forward to and are always planned to the best of abilities. And for those persons over the legal age, one thing many look for at a party is something to “liven the mood”. Yes, it is alcohol that is implied. While many parties today have tequila, wine, vodka, whisky, and beer, back when the Norse people followed pagan beliefs more than a monotheistic religion, they only had a small variety to choose from. Fermented milk, called syra, fruit wines, and ale were the selections the Nords had for their parties. Fruit wines were made from fruits at hand while wines made from grapes were costly due to importing them from what is now known as France and Germany. So to keep costs down, they looked for alternatives closer to home. Stories tell that Odin drank only wine thus making it the “king of alcohols”.

So to make something close, they made a beverage that was sweet and smooth, fermented from something that you may never think of. Honey was in abundance in the forests where the Nords lived. Hive after hive was found in these forests and with all that abundance, the women gathered it and added spices and yeast from their ale brewing. After a period of time, this golden liquid was transformed into a beverage said to come from the gods and flow freely in Valhalla. The myth goes that two factions of gods were at war and when they finally came to talk peace, they spit into a bowl. From the bowl sprang the wisest of men, Kvasir. Mead was born. The beverage was originally found in Crete and China, so while the Vikings were traveling and pillaging, they brought back their secrets and spoils of war. One such spoil was the recipe for mead. The amber beverage became the first alcoholic beverage, pre-dating beer and wine by thousands of years.

Interesting to learn about, right? And it became synonymous with being a poet or scholar and being drunk from horns. This beverage also became intertwined with something people may not know the history of. Married couples spend so much time planning every aspect of their wedding from the caterer, to the venue, to the time of year, and photos. They even plan out their honeymoon now. But why is it called a honeymoon? That dates back to the Nords. When couples were wed they were given enough mead to last a moon and were, for all intents and purposes, locked in their homes to… have a great time. Food would be brought to them and the couple was hopefully adding to the village during that month as mead was thought to increase fertility as it was golden like the fertility goddess Sif’s hair. And we thought we were spoiled with a week away for a honeymoon now. At Birds of Valhalla, we wanted to make a natural soap that represented this very important item to the Nords.

Our Honey Moon bar embodies the beverage without containing any alcohol (we do occasionally spice things up with it, but not this time). A neutral color to represent the beautiful pale color of the honey with ground oats spread through the bar to give exfoliation and, as some claim, add nourishment to the skin, this bar is a new addition to our signature line. Adding some extra oats on top so you can see what is inside as well. Our food-based soap is scented with a pure honey fragrance that is reminiscent of having a pure honeycomb right in front of you. If you’d like your own bar of our newest addition to the signature line, you can grab it right here! Just scroll down below to shop this blog!