An ancient drink for modern souls, born of honey, myth, and the sea.The Merfolk Mead Siren
Mead is the world’s oldest alcoholic beverage—older than beer, older than wine. A potion of fermented honey and water, it has sweetened the tongues of pharaohs, druids, queens, and warriors. The history of mead and mead-making, being so long and varied has always been characterized by myth and mystery. At its core, mead is a magical transformation—alchemy of the oldest kind. With evidence going back to paleolithic men and women cultivating the practice of brewing it, most of mead’s role in history and culture predates scientific understanding. Despite modern comprehension of how and why things ferment, there still persists a kind of magic and certainly excitement around the practice. We name our sourdough starters, buy kombucha kits off Amazon and as homebrewers, spend hours marvelling at an airlock as it animatedly chortles the release of CO2 bubbles throughout the day.
An illustration depicting an alchemist combining the philosopher's stone with gold to produce new gold. Source: Britannica Online
The folklore around mead also tells us stories of everyday practices, ritual, tradition and celebration. From mystical medicinal apocathary to the arduous fuel and namesake behind the post-nuptial Homeymoon, mead’s history in folklore is woven alongside our own. The ancient Greeks called it Ambrosia, nectar of the gods, and believed it flowed from the heavens. In Nordic and Anglo-Saxon lore, mead runs deep in the stories of Beowulf and Viking feasts, and in medieval monestaries monks who worked as beekeepers were considered sacred being viewed as divine alchemists.
And so in choosing a name and identity to bring our brewing into a commercial setting, we wanted to be mindful of both these mythical aspects around mead’s procurement as well as its marriage with human folklore across time and place. When ‘Merfolk’ came to mind quite suddenly one rainy Saturday afternoon, we knew instantly that the path forward had been found - Merfolk are mysterious and enchanting creatures appearing throughout human history in various mythologies and, like mead, have endured and moved though time, now also found in modern fantasy literature and media. Where would modern mead be without Tolkien and Skyrim? The sometimes magical and supernatural depiction of merfolk also aligns with the inherent “potion making” and “elixir drafting” of our ancient mead makers. But perhaps most fitting for a meadery in Newfoundland and Labrador is the fact that merfolk are obviously aquatic. Coming from away and as such having to cross the water to reach Newfoundland’s shores, our meads origins come from the ocean like the merfolk who now represent them.
This is not the first time mermaids have come to the shores of Newfoundland
Mermaids, mermen and the sea will continue to inspire our imagery from oceanic waters to the land that bears the fruit and honey of our creations. Our Siren sings to Newfoundlanders and Labradorians of the sweetness of our meads and the beautiful story of their creation on this island. Her femininity is a nod to the mazer producing her bottles and to anyone who delights in and appreciates beauty.
Lastly, we would be remiss to neglect one more happy reason behind our meadery’s namesake: the formidable, elusive and intelligent merfolk of Magic the Gathering. Being acquainted with and charmed by the card game for well over a decade, we could not help but be influenced by the enchanting artwork, clever skills and mystical abilities of these Blue creatures. The artwork in particular has always captivated its players with vividness in colour, attention to detail and a creativity unbridled in a world of magic and wonder. Bold vivacity, consideration for the subtle import of minutia and an uninhibited creativity in crafting are the same tenets that guide our brewing practices.
We hope that our name and identity evoke the romance of the sea, the allure of beautifully made artisanal products, and the ancient craft of fermentation. From the time of ancient civilizations merfolk have enraptured our hearts and minds. In this modern era, and from this wild place, perhaps they will now inspire our tastebuds too.
