Mead is an alcoholic drink made from honey, and is the oldest alcoholic drink known to mankind, said to date back more than 10,000 years, older than wine and other alcoholic drinks. It is also said that mead is the origin of the word "honeymoon." Honeymoon means "one month of honey" in English. Honey has a tonic effect, and bees are prolific, so in order to take advantage of this, brides of the Germanic peoples of Europe, especially from ancient times to the Middle Ages, would make mead for a month immediately after marriage and give it to the groom to drink in order to encourage them to have children. There was also a legend that said there was a high probability that the first child would be a boy. For these reasons, it is said to be the origin of the word "honeymoon."