Wouldn't it be interesting to share a bottle of mead with Odin?

From marshallindependent.com 

By Ron Skjong

Wouldn’t it be interesting to share a bottle of mead with Odin? Yes, I mean the old Norse god, Odin, and not some family member of mine. Old Norse legend tells us that mead was the drink of the Norse gods, and it symbolized wisdom, poetry and the divine connection between heaven and earth. The same Norse stories tell us that Odin, the King of the Gods, drank mead to gain his immense wisdom.

I like Norse mythology. The old legends might be part of the past, but the aspect of life that was and is a major influence in the making of mead is still with us today — bees. Science tells us that bees have been on earth for over 100 million years. By way of comparison, humans have occupied earth for about 6 million years. It would seem we could learn something from them, and bees deserve our respect.

Christianity has a saint who is considered the patron saint of bees — St. Valentine. Yup! That same patron saint of Valentine’s Day is not only the patron saint of lovers, people with epilepsy, but he’s also the patron saint of beekeepers. Do you see any connection between those three groups? St. Valentine ministered to persecuted Christians, and, perhaps, that is a service we could better respect today.

I was introduced to mead quite sometime ago, and enjoyed it. Heck! What’s not to like? It’s made from honey! Unlike regular wine that gains its sweetness from the sugar in its grapes, mead is entirely honey based. So, let’s always work together to save our bee population.

That is why pollinator gardens are critical in today’s society. Humans usage of pesticides has negatively affected the bee population, and we need to create more of a buzz about saving these little insects.

Yes, they can make life painful at times, but what I’ve learned is that if you respect them, they’ll respect you. I’ve gotten stung by them, and will never forget the bumble bee that taught me to mind my own beeswax by stinging my ear. However, rather than focusing on that stinging story, let’s allow bees to “bee” themselves.

When first introduced to Stinger Mead, I sipped one of life’s sweet moments. If you haven’t had a glass of this mead, I certainly recommend you try a glass of this wonderful sweetness. But, a caveat here! I wouldn’t do that sipping in a pollinator garden. Those bees would love to have a taste of it, and a conflict would soon result.

I was on a walk, and came upon a little pollinator garden. A bench had been placed right in the centre of the garden so I sat down to rest for a bit. Relying on my mantra of “if you leave them alone, they’ll leave you alone.” I settled down on the bench. There were many bees buzzing around me, and an occasional monarch butterfly. Taking a few deep breaths, I relaxed and enjoyed the beauty of the many flowers and the soft buzzing presence of the bees. They were working very hard finding the flower’s nectar and pollen. The flower feeds the bee and the bee pollinates the flower. I wish we humans always had such a symbiotic relationship with each other.

As I sat in the midst of that very bee busy environment, I smiled as I thought of Odin. If he can gain wisdom from mead, shouldn’t I gain such similar insight as I sip mead?

That question remains to be answered, and I’m certainly not a god, so I should just let it go. However, I will always raise a glass to the bees. And who knows? Maybe Odin will smile down upon me, and grant me a touch of wisdom.

May you stick close your honey, and embrace the sweet moments of life.

https://www.marshallindependent.com/opinion/local-columns/2024/08/bees-and-wine/