Symbel

The Sumbel ( an. sumbl; Aeng symbel, AS. Sumbal. ) Was an important ritual drink or a ritual drinking session of the Germans. It was always in the interior, that is, usually held in the nave of a Häuptlinges. A Sumbel was in contrast to the festive or celebratory drink a serious event that followed a strict ritual. Roughly outlined ran a Sumbel as follows: It was generally of a Sumbelgeber (as. symbelgifa ) opened, conducted and terminated. As a rule, had the chief, in which the Sumbel took place, held the position of Sumbelgebers. In the middle of the participants was a boiler, which with Met or elders (beer) was filled. After the consecration of the boiler a drinking horn with the drink from this vessel was filled. Subsequently, this drinking horn circled among the participants of Sumbels where it was (usually the wife of the chief ) passed from one barmaid and replenished as needed. In the first round was performed by the uttering of toasts a Minne drink to the gods. In the second round we thought of the deceased relatives. During the third and subsequent rounds vows were sworn by the participants oaths taken and, songs or poems for the best. Food and festivities were otherwise explicitly separated from Sumbel. There also no libations were offered to the gods in the context of Sumbels.

Mention is the Sumbel including in the Anglo-Saxon Beowulf (lines 489-675 and 1491-1500 ), in the old Saxon Heliand and in the Anglo-Saxon poems Dream of the Rood and Judith. In addition, one finds the ritual in the Edda song Lokasenna, the Heimskringla, the report of the funeral of Sven Forkbeard drink for his father, and in the book of the kings of Norway, the Fagrskinna.

Etymology

Linguistically, the word has seen Sumble collect a common origin with the verb. Etymologically, the term derives from the proto- Germanic * Sumbel sumlan " banquet ", or from the root word * sm -lo, "assembly" from. Orthographic variants are Old English symbel, sumble or symle, Old Saxon and Old Norse Sumbal sumbl.

The Anglo-Saxon symbel

In Anglo-Saxon literature of the host, who is organizing the Sumbel or symbel than symbelgifa ( Sumbelgeber ) was called. A special role in the Sumbels played the so-called Thyle. He questioned or challenged those with ridicule and taunts ( flytung ) out, which boasted in the Sumbelrunden ( gielp ) or swore oaths ( béot, bregofull ). It was the task of Thyle to maintain the salvation of the community. Oaths that you swore on the Sumbeln, were regarded as binding, as they could affect the mound all Sumbelteilnehmer.

In the so-called Scop ( Old Norse skald ) played a significant role in Sumbel. He recited, inter alia, Pedigrees of kings and heroes and alliterative poetry. The mead or beer were usually distributed by women in the function as EALU bora (literally " Älberger "). The first round was usually served by the hostess.

The Scandinavian Sumbel

The name of this vessel occurs in two spellings, which makes the interpretation of the term difficult. The word bragr, which means as much as "Best " or " Most Outstanding " in Old Norse, is based on the first word part. The spelling bragafull can, in contrast to the notation bragarfull, also known as ' Bragi 's cup, ie are translated with respect to the Germanic god Bragi poet, although in the writings of no particular relationship between the god Bragi and the Sumbel or the manufactured bragafull.

Snorri Sturluson describes in his Heimskringla, the Saga of King Hákon the good, the custom of Bragarfull:

Fire ... were lit in the middle of the temple hall and boiler should be about it, and you should reach the full beaker over the fire out. The organizer and director of the festival ( Gode ) but the cup and the whole sacrificial food should bless. First, one should drink the Odinsbecher for the victory and the reign of his king, and then the cup of Njord and Frey for fruitful year and peace. Then some men used to drink the Bragi - cup ( bragafull ). They also drank cup to his relatives, who were already in the grave, and this was called memory cup ( minni ) ...

In the Ynglinga Saga ( also part of the Heimskringla ) writes Snorri following:

... It was at that time the custom that when a Erbmahl should take place for kings or Jarle, the one who is organized and should take the inheritance, sat on a stool in front of the high seat until the cup was brought, the one Bragibecher ( bragafull ) called. He should then stand up to the Bragibecher ( bragafull ) receive, and take a strict vow, but then empty the cup. Then you should escort him to the high seat, which had belonged to his father. Only now he had become full owner of his father's heritage. So it was now here, and came in as the Bragibecher ( bragafull ), King Ingjald stood up and took a big bull horn. He lays out a vow from that he wanted to expand his kingdom by half in all four directions or die. Then he drank from the horn. ...

The Fagrskinna ( A history book about the Norwegian kings from the 13th century ) mentioned in relation to the Danish king Sven Forkbeard a ceremonial drink first to the " largest of its kin ", then the god Thor and ultimately to the other Asengötter. Following was the emptied bragarfull. Had drunk as he swore an oath of Sumbelgeber that had to be done by the others present. Only after that he went to the throne of his deceased predecessor.

In a prose section of the Edda song Helgakviða Hjörvarðssonar states:

Since Hedin drove home alone on Julabend out of the woods and found a Zauberweib. She rode a wolf, and had snakes bridles and offered the Hedin its impact. No, he was talking about. She said, " You shall repay me when Bragi cup ( bragarfull. evening vows were promised and demonstrated the Sühneber, the men laid their hands and Bragi cup ( bragarfull ) made ​​vows Hedin surveyed himself a vow to Svava. Eilimis daughter, his brother's mistress. Thereafter, repented himself so much that he went on wild lands south of the country, where he met his brother Helgi.

The Hervarar saga ok Heiðreks konungs reported that Hjörvard, the son of Arngrim, in his ' bragarfull ' promised the Swedish princess Ingeborg marry. The Saga of Ragnar Lodbrok told that the gutnische Jarl Herraud promised the person to give his daughter in marriage, who could deliver them from a terrible dragon and can speak in his presence with her at Sumbel.

Germanic Neopaganism

The followers of the modern Germanic neo-paganism still maintain the custom of Sumbels, which is one of their most important rituals.

Source directory

Further Reading

• Dwight Conquergood: Boasting in Anglo - Saxon England. Performance and the Heroic Ethos. In: Text and Performance Quarterly. Vol 1 (1991 ), Issue 2, ISSN 0734-0796, pp. 24-35.
• Marie Nelson: Beowulf 's Boast Words. In: Neophilologus. An international journal of modern and mediaeval language and literature. Vol 89 (2005 ), Issue 2, ISSN 1572-8668, pp. 299-310.

• Michael J. Enright: Lady with a Meat Cup. Ritual, Prophecy and Lordship in the European Warband; from La Tène to the Viking age. Four Courts Press, Black Rock 1996, ISBN 1-85182-188-0 ( Nachdr d ed Dublin 1976).
• Stephen A. Glosecki: Shamanism and Old English Poetry. Garland, New York, 1989, ISBN 0-8240-5952-2 ( Garland Reference Library of the Humanities; 905).
• Jeff Opland: Anglo- Saxon Oral Poetry. A Study of the Traditions. Yale University Press, New Haven, Conn. 1980, ISBN 0-300-02426-6.
• Stephen Pollington: The Mead Hall. The Feasting Tradition in Anglo - Saxon England. Anglo- Saxon Books, Norfolk 2003, ISBN 1-898281-30-0.