Inspired by one of our readers, Torkild Waagaard, The Viking Herald investigates the custom of the beer bowl and other drinking habits of the Viking Age.
Read on to find out why the beer bowl was preferred to the cup, the Old Norse drinking request that still persists in Scandinavian society, and which Viking leader made drinking beer compulsory.
Sharing the wealth
"In early Norse tradition, communal drinking was an integral part of social gatherings and rituals," explains Torkild Waagaard, a master at producing replicas of Viking Age objects, including beer bowls.
As he tells The Viking Herald, bowls were actually preferred to cups or other containers in many Norse households.
"Rather than each person lifting their own mead or beer glass to make a toast, a large mead or beer bowl was passed around, and everyone drank from the same vessel," Torkild explains.
"Horns were also sometimes used. This practice not only made practical sense during feasts but also symbolized unity and a shared bond among those present."
Like most societies in the early Middle Ages, the Vikings often drank beer and mead instead of water, as alcohol prevented the growth of certain bacteria.
Mead was a sweet fermented drink made from honey, water, and spices. Beer was made from barley and typically came in a stronger and weaker version, with the latter suitable for children, too.
- READ MORE: Why did medieval Swedes prefer beer to H20?
Torkild Waagaard's family beer bowl, carrying on a tradition that goes back centuries. Source: Torkild Waagaard
Plenty of cause for celebration
Perhaps unsurprisingly, given their ready access to beer and mead, the Vikings found plenty of excuses to celebrate.
In most cases, these celebrations were related to the passing of the seasons and guided by observation of the heavens.
For the summer solstice, for example, priests or other learned members of the community are thought to have tracked the movement of the sun across the sky to determine when the longest day of the year was imminent.
The date of Ostara, the spring festival, is thought to have been determined in a similar fashion. Mabon, on the other hand, celebrated the harvest in the fall when the crops were ripe for picking.
As Torkild indicates, the practice of drinking alcohol at these celebrations had ancient roots.
"Archeological finds of large piles of brewstones – used for heating – indicate that this tradition of beer and mead drinking at celebrations stretches back more than 1,500 years," Torkild tells The Viking Herald.
Then, of course, there was Yule or Jól. "Christmas was originally a pagan celebration of midwinter in the Nordic countries," Torkild explains.
"It began on January 12. But in Norway, Håkon the Good decided that the pagan sacrificial celebration should be held at the same time as the Christian holiday, December 25. In this way, he hoped to stop the pagan framework surrounding the holiday."
Beer brewing started with a hand mill, grinding grain to release fermentable sugars. Source: Alexey Medvednikov / Shutterstock
Drink beer or face the consequences!
During his reign (920–960 CE), King Håkon not only rescheduled Christmas but also decided to impose a surprising rule.
"Håkon was a wise man and took care of a lot of legislation," Torkild informs The Viking Herald. "He decided that every man should drink one measure of beer at the celebration, or they would be fined."
"He put together the Frostating Law with his good friend, Sigurd Jarl from Lade. One part of the Frostating Law states that '...every farmer should drink a two-measure (rommål) beer at Jonsvaken [...]. Everyone should do it, otherwise a fine of three øres will be imposed on the bishop if it is not done before Christmas.'"
Rules may change over the centuries, yet some things remain the same. As Torkild informs us, some old customs are still going strong in modern Norwegian society.
"This shared drinking tradition – passing around one bowl for all to drink from – was a practice that endured for centuries, well into the Middle Ages, underscoring the importance of community and togetherness in Norse culture," he adds.
"Even today, we use a small wooden cup to drink hot coffee, tea, or water instead of plastic. And in Norwegian, we still use the same phrase: 'Pass the beer bowl!'"
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