When the wedding is over, the honeymoon begins. Often a time looked forward to by the exhausted bride and the harried groom. The invitations, seating charts, floral arrangements, and nagging mother-in-laws are left behind so the newly wedded couple can enjoy some “quality time” together, be it in the Bahamas or Big Bear. It wasn’t always the sweetest of escapes though. As it turns out, wedded bliss didn’t make the packing list of the original honeymooners.
Back in the old days (really old days) it was common place for Germanic tribesmen to pillage neighboring settlements, taking their money and their women as spoils. The men and their trophies would then go hole up in some hideaway until the furious victims of the village left behind came to terms with their lot as victims and gave up the search. What would the captors and their captives do to pass the time? They got drunk: on mead (which is, of course, fermented honey). They would stay in their hidey-hole, getting drunk on mead, and wait until they had decided the women’s families had supposedly given up searching for them. This time period would usually average one moon cycle (about a month). After a “moon” the men would emerge with their new “brides” in tow.
While we’re happy that the term has taken on a lovey-dovey connotation, we would also like to celebrate the fact that taking brides by force is no longer the status-quo in honor of upcoming February being Violence Against Women Awareness Month. Consent is sexy, ladies and gentlemen!
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