A fresh look at medieval beliefs on vital fluid
The idea that in the Middle Ages people preferred beer or wine to avoid drinking water is not just a tavern gossip, but it has become one of those assumed truths that not even experts do not question too much. However, digging in the historical and medical records of the time, a much more complex reality arises and, why not, surprisingly more normal.
Water in history: a daily heritage, not a danger
Contrary to popular belief, in the texts of late antiquity and early medievalism, drinking water was not considered a dangerous option in itself, but a usual and accepted practice. The records of writers of antiquity and the Middle Ages often show people simply drinking water from rivers, ponds and fountains, without obvious fear to get sick from it.
Ancient sources and the normality of water intake
Since the sixth century, voices like Gregory de Tours naturally narrate ceremonies in which people drink water from ponds or rivers, even in miraculous contexts. Radegund’s case, which drinks water with honey, or the stories of San Lupicin, which consumes water from nearby rivers in moments of healing, reflect a daily, not superstitious relationship, with the liquid.
And what did the doctors and wise of the time say? Did they recommend avoiding water?
Far from current prejudice, medieval doctors suggest that water, if pure, not only does not represent a risk, but can have beneficial properties. For example, doctors such as Arnaud de Villeneuve in the thirteenth century recommended drinking water from natural sources and considered it healthier than wine to calm thirst.
In addition, medieval laws and customs show that pollution and unhealthy sources were controlled and punished, which shows a practical knowledge of clean and healthy water. Also, recommendations for boiling or filtering water from doubtful sources were the order of the day.
Doctors and recipes to drink pure water
Figures such as Galen, which would influence European medicine for centuries, claimed that excess water could weaken the stomach, but also recognized that cold and pure water was essential for body balance, especially in people of warm temperament. Moderation, more than fear, was the key.
Did alcohol replace the water? The reality of medieval drinks
While the story conquered the idea that beer or wine were the options preferred by an alleged distrust of water, the records show that a large part of the fermented drinks in the Middle Ages had a complementary or conservation character. Fermentation sometimes served as a method to sterilize or improve water, instead of being a substitute.
In fact, in many cultures, including the Gauls and Merovingians, the water filtered through honey or fermented was more a kind of tradition than an intentional escape of the purification of pure water. Beer and wine, on the other hand, were considered more nutritious and fortifiers than water, but not necessarily because they would replace it completely.
Why does the legend persist? Myths and reality around the medieval fluid
When water quality began to debate in later centuries, it was argued that in the Middle Ages people avoided drinking it due to prejudices derived from an alleged ignorance or fear. However, the truth is that practical knowledge, although not always scientific, promoted the consumption of pure and safe water when the opportunity existed.
It turns out that modern perception, influenced by the narrative that alcohol was the ‘safe’ option, does not correspond exactly to historical reality. The evidence shows daily use of water, even in religious, medical and everyday contexts.
Looking forward: What do we learn from the past about the culture of drinking?
Perhaps the most interesting thing about this review is that many preconceived ideas about the Middle Ages around water and alcohol are based more on myths than on facts. History shows that, even in times with less access to modern technology, people valued water purity and used it without as much prohibition or fear as it is normally affirmed.
After all, understanding the complexity of how humanity has treated water through the centuries also helps us to understand how simplified prejudices and interpretations can distort history. The next time someone repeats that myth of the medieval who only drank beer so as not to risk drinking water … You will know what to answer.
