Mead ladles

[Kathleen Evans-Romaine]

Dear Colleagues: 

Below is a request we (and perhaps you too) recently received for
information on mead ladles. If you have any leads for this person,
please contact me off list and I will forward them. Thank you, 

Kathleen Evans-Romaine
Research Administrator
The Melikian Center:
  Russian, Eurasian, &
  East European Studies at
  Arizona State University
Tempe, AZ  85287-4202
Tel. 480-965-5128; Fax 480-965-1700
http://melikian.asu.edu 

--

"I am interested at Slavic and Eastern European drinking vessels, or
bowls in general, with the shape of a swimming bird or a boat. I am
mainly interested at Slavic and Eastern European boat-shaped and
swimming bird-shaped drinking vessels from the 1th century to 15th
century, approximately. And, in relation to this subject, I have found
some references which could be interesting for me:

I have read that there is a type of Russian drinking vessels named
Kovsh. In some places I have read that this object has the shape of a
boat, and, in other places, the shape of a swimming bird. There are some
images of this type of objects at the WEB Page
http://www.novgorod.ru/city/history/ve/pattern_eng.php3?number=25.
According to these images the Kovsh have the shape of a boat. But, by
other hand, in the article "The Peasant House and Its Furnishings:
Decorative Principles in Russian Folk Art", by Alison Hilton, I have
read that the Kovshy are receptacles with the shape of a swimming bird,
with the head and tail forming handles. I think that, anyway, these
affirmations are not contradictory among them.

By other hand, in a forum at the Web Page
http://www.smpub.com/ubb/Forum7/HTML/000302.html I have read that
"special names came into use for the different sorts of kovsh. There
were piti, drinking kovshi, one to each guest; vynosny, larger kovshi
for several persons; khoromnye, which belonged to the Imperial Court and
bore an appropriate inscription. But the most important and best-known
form of kovshi were the zhalovannye, or presentation kovshi which from
the 16th century onwards were given by tsars and emperors for services
rendered".

In relation to the names I also have read that ". The types of kovshi
varied from region to region and had various names (korets, nalevka,
skopkar')".

(But actually I am a little confused in relation to this subject
because, first, I have not been able to find any reference to the terms
piti, vynosny, khoromnyw, zhalovannye, korets, nalevka. And, secondly,
in some places I have read that the skobkar is a bird-shaped bowl too
but different to the Kovsh, and, in other places, I have read that the
skobkar and the Kovsh are the same type of object...).

I am very interested at these boat-shaped and/ or bird-shaped objects
but, unfortunately, the references which I have been able to find until
now, after a long time of research, are very brief. I think that,
perhaps, my searches are not well orientated, and, by this reason, I beg
your help with the hope of being able to clarify these doubts about
these types of objects. 
I know that any word from you will be very important and enlightening
for me, included a negative answer from you could help me.

Please would you be so kind to say to me what you think about these
objects?, please could you say to me if you know this type of drinking
vessels and / or if you know any bibliographic reference about them?

I have read that, in some Scandinavian rituals of Drinking a large bowl
where bird-vessels floated was sometimes utilised. This ceremonial,
generally in relation to the Ale Ritual, usually was celebrated in
Funeral celebrations.

I think that, also in East European medieval culture there was an
extensive use of mead and ale as a religious ceremonial.

Please would you be so kind to say to me if you know if this type of
Slavic and Eastern European bird-shaped vessels were utilised in some
ritual drinking similar to this Scandinavian ritual?. I think that it
would not improbable because to the connections among the Slavic and
Eastern European culture and Scandinavian culture in these centuries,
but I have not been able to find any bibliographic reference about the
Ritual Drinking in Slavic and East European during the medieval
centuries.

Please would you be so kind to say to me if you know any document or
bibliographic reference about the use of boat-shaped and bird-shaped
vessels in Slavic and Easter European countries during medieval
centuries, or about medieval Rituals of Drink where these types of
objects were utilised, or about Slavic and Eastern European medieval
Rituals of Drink in general?.

Please would you be so kind to say to me if you know any specialist in
these subjects, or any Centre of Research, Institute, Academy or
University where I could find any help in relation to that?. I have
written to State Hermitage but I have not received any answer."

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