Study › Runes & Norse › Sumbl and the Oath Cup
The sumbl was a sacred drinking feast in a chieftain's hall. The horn went round in a set order, and over the bragarfull, the promise cup, a man could vow to do a great deed.
What is a sumbl?
The sumbl was a ritual drinking feast, held in the hall of a chieftain or king, in which the drinking itself was sacred. The horn was passed around in a set order, and each toast carried weight: to the gods, to the ancestors, to the honour of the host.
The promise cup
At the heart of it was the bragarfull, the 'chieftain's cup' or 'promise cup'. Whoever drank from it could make a vow, called a heitstrenging, to do some great deed in the year to come. Such oaths were binding before gods and men, and to break one brought utter disgrace. The sagas tell of vows made at Yule over the horn, or with a hand laid on the sacred boar, and of men riding out the next spring to fulfil them.
A king's vow
A new king took his inheritance at a sumbl: at his father's funeral feast he would stand, make his vow, drain the cup, and only then take his father's high seat. Words spoken over the horn were believed to shape what was to come.
Vows were made at Yule; the other great rite is the blót.
Questions
What is a heitstrenging?
A vow made over the cup to do a great deed in the coming year.
What happened if a vow was broken?
It brought utter disgrace.