SC - Re: now did Vikings drink milk

[Nanna Rögnvaldardóttir]

>
>Well upon reading it a couple of times it appears to me that what upset
>the heroes wasn't the fact that milk wasn't drunk but that they were
>expecting something a bit stronger.
>
>I've seen several sources that the Norse enjoyed milk, either fresh
>or soured, as a beverage but I don't know if the habit extended to the
>lower countries.
>
>Maybe Nanna could give some insight.


Sure. The point here is that Egill was so full of grief after his son
drowned that he decided to starve himself to death, but his daughter
Þorgerður (Thorgerd) tricked him by first convincing him that she wanted to
join him in his plan, then by chewing some dulse (which seems not to have
been eaten in Norway, the Icelandic settlers probably learned that from the
Irish). Egill didn´t consider the dulse to be food (chewing gum, maybe?) so
he also got some dulse, not realising how salty it was. They became very
thirsty and called for some water but were given milk instead (arranged by
Þorgerður before she joined her father, of course). The reason for Egils
anger is that he realises he has been tricked. So he abandoned his plan of
starving himself to death and instead (at Þorgerður´s suggestion) composed
Sonatorrek, one of his mighty poems, in memory of his sons (another one had
died a short time earlier).

The Icelanders did drink milk, and diluted fermented whey (sýra), and thin
skyr (either undrained or thinned with water).

Nanna