The Story of the Drinking Horn: Drinking Culture in Scandinavia during the Middle Ages (21)

This book is a broad historical study of the use of drinking horns in Europe, with special emphasis on the Middle Ages. The use of drinking horns was concentrated in Scandinavia, Germany, and England, while the tradition never was resumed in southern Europe after the collapse of the Roman Empire. As a consequence of this, northern Europe is the main field of research in this study. Throughout millennia. the spectacular appearance of these great horns has attracted much attention, and dramatic tales and stories are attached to several of them. Mountings in gilt silver and fanciful supports testify to their high esteem, and they have always been used for memorial events or as an official token of welcome. The book includes written sources and literature, as well as depictions of drinking horns in art. In special focus are the still preserved drinking horns from medieval Scandinavia, of which a large collection is exhibited in the National Museum of Denmark. A catalogue of the drinking horns in the National Museum's medieval collection is printed at the end of the book. (Series: Studies in Archaeology and History -- Vol. 21)