Drinking Horn: Important Yule Symbol And Its Connection To Biblical Magi And Christmas

Ellen Lloyd - AncientPages.com - What do the Norse Gods Odin and Thor have in common with the Biblical Magi, the Three Holy Kings? Drinking horns reveal a link between the Yule festival and what we know as Christmas.

 

Left: Medieval drinking horn, mounted in copper gilt. Image credit: British Museum 

Long before the arrival of Christianity, people in Scandinavia celebrated Yule, the winter solstice. This Pagan festival took place on the winter solstice day, around December 21, in the northern hemisphere and lasted 12 days. It was a time when family and loved ones got together and celebrated the rebirth of the Sun.

People loved beer, and the drinking horn became a significant Yule symbol.

The origin of the Christmas holidays can be traced to many ancient Sun cults. These include the celebration of the winter solstice and the return of the Sun.

Several unearthed Bronze Age artifacts reveal the importance of the Sun and beer! Christianity adapted many old customs.

Drinking horns were famous among many different ancient cultures. They were used by Scandinavians, Greeks, Romans, Thracians, Scythians, and people in Africa. People have been drinking from horns for at least 2,600 years.

Vikings produced drinking horns and drank to the memory of their Norse gods, Odin and Thor. In the Prose Edda, a passage describes how Thor drank from a horn that, unbeknown to him, contained all the seas.

Historians haven't been able to find evidence that can be directly linked to Christmas celebrations in pre-Christian times. Still, many artifacts and archaeological discoveries may indirectly be connected to the old Christmas traditions, like drinking beer, bread baking, and festivities in the darkest time.

Early modern drinking horn displayed at the National Museum of Denmark. Credit: Christian Bickel CC BY-SA 2.0 DE

Many Pagan traditions later became part of what we recognize as Christmas traditions. In the Sagas, many stories tell how family members gathered around the table. Delicious food and beer were served.

Several drinking horns have been unearthed in Viking Age burial mounds. Many of these artifacts were found in female graves, perhaps because women were responsible for brewing mead and serving guests.

Odin, Thor And The Three Holy Kings

Several drinking horns were rich in decorations and had runic inscriptions. Runes, Odin's secret language, played an essential part in the lives of the Vikings.

Three Wise Men following the Bethlehem star in the night. Credit: Adobe Stock - Dmitry Rukhlenko

Drinking horns from the late Middle Ages are usually well preserved because they were inherited instead of buried in the soil. Around the mouth is usually a wide brass fitting on these drinking horns, often inscribed in Latin letters with the names of the Three Holy Kings: Caspar, Melchior, and Balthasar.

The drinking tradition changed over time. People continued to drink beer, but instead of honoring Odin and Thor, they celebrated the arrival of the magi, three Holy Kings who came to baby Jesus.

Beliefs changed, but many traditions remained the same.

Written by  Ellen Lloyd – AncientPages.com

Updated on December 23, 2023

Copyright © AncientPages.com  All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in whole or part without the express written permission of AncientPages.com

Expand for references