Lady with a Mead Cup: Ritual, Prophecy, and Lordship in the European Warband from La Tène to the Viking AgeLady with a Mead Cup is a broad-ranging, innovative and strikingly original study of the early medieval barbarian cup-offering ritual and its social, institutional and religious significance. Medievalists are familiar with the image of a queen offering a drink to a king or chieftain and to his retainers, the Wealhtheow scene in Beowulf being perhaps the most famous instance. Drawing on archaeology, anthropology and philology, as well as medieval history, Professor Enright has produced the first work in English on the warband and on the significance of barbarian drinking rituals. Lady with a Mead Cup will be of interest to students of Germanic or Celtic culture and kingship, anthropology and Dark Age religion. |
Contents
Ritual Group Cohesion and Hierarchy in the Germanic Warband | 1 |
Warlords Hetzerinnen and Sibyls | 38 |
The Liquor Ritual and the Basis of the Lordly Power to Command | 69 |
Copyright | |
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Agilulf Anglo-Saxon appears archaeological Ariovistus Arvernus associated Authari Batavian Beowulf Birkhan bracteates Britain Bructeri burial Caesar Celtiberians Celtic Celts century BC Christian cited Civilis comitatus concept context cult culture demonstrated depicted described discussion drink druids early medieval evidence example feast female Flosi followers Gaul Gaulish Germanen Germania Germanic Germanische goddess graves Hallstatt Hrothgar Hrothgar's husband Ibid Idem important indicate influence inscriptions institutional interpretation Irish Iron Age Karl Kelten king kingship La Tène culture leader linked liquor lord Lübsow magic marriage Medb Mercury Odin offering Old English pagan pattern period poet political present probably prophecy prophetess prophetic queen reference religion religious Rhineland rite ritual role Roman Rosmerta royal ruler saga scholars seems Sertorius significant society sources Stammesbildung status suggests symbolic Tacitus Táin Bó Cúailnge Tène tradition Treveri tribal tribes Unferth Veleda Vries warband warlord warriors Wealhtheow weapons weaving Wenskus wife Wodan woman women