The Hero of the Chalice
Anglo-Saxon Winter Feast
The Mead Hall Feast (Symbel) is the focal point of Pre-conquest Anglo-Saxon society. An entire ritual culture developed around feasting and its significance to life. On the most basic level, the Symbel is a place to see and be seen. More importantly, it is a place that a leader could assess the resources that were at his disposal: manpower, supplies, etc. During this period, rents and taxes were paid in the form of foodstuffs. Often, the leader will accept payment in the form of a feast held in his honor. The guests at the feast are people in service to the leader and those whom he feels should know of his power. By breaking bread with him they offer their pledge of allegiance to his lands and causes. By giving them feasts, the leader literally makes a pledge of support and provision to his men, who in turn will be offered as support to the king. The King, who is often the feast's guest of honor, witnesses the feast and its display of resources and manpower, thus getting a good understanding of how much support the local leader can provide in time of war.
Feasts can last for days on end. Entry to the hall is by invitation only. Not getting an invitation is grounds for a challenge! The guests are summoned to the hall by the sounding of a horn. Upon entering, they take turns washing their hands in a public display of hygiene — very important in this culture! After sitting down, the Lord of the hall welcomes guests of honor and then the Lady of the hall passes around a horn filled with mead. Each person who receives the horn then offers up a toast to the leader, the king, etc. After the toasting ends, the eating begins. Food is served in the order in which it was done, not necessarily in courses. There are special servers for each part of the hall. Some servers, like the Cup Bearer Ladies, are considered part of the decorations for the evening. How richly they are dressed and how pretty they are give direct reflection on the Lord of the hall. The quality of the food and entertainment are also scrutinized for excellence.
The Mead Hall is the meeting place for all levels of Anglo-Saxon society. Kings are served by champions, Ceorls find serving girls to flirt with. Itinerant musicians and poets petition for the right to perform before the high table in the hopes of gaining favor. No matter who you are, you know that you have a specific place and role to play at the Symbel. Symbel guests are familiar with these personalities:
Mead halls are set up with tables in 2 rows along the long sides of the hall. A fire pit is in the central area of the hall; this is the area where all of the entertainments occur. In the center of each row are the High Seats: the places where the regional leader and his guests of honor sit. The leader sits across the room from his guests so that they can have equal access to any entertainments in the central area. Tables are covered with linen cloths. One cloth is just a table covering. The other cloth is a long piece of fabric across the seating edge: a big communal napkin that is replaced several times during the meal.
Some of the food will come in from outside cooking areas and some of the food is served directly from the central fire pits. The high tables get things first, and then the rest of the populace gets their meal. High table of course has the best cuts of meat and the nicest dishes to eat out of. However, the people at high table often send servings "down the hall" for individuals of special notice.
• Our Symbel will be a little different because we don't have the perfect room. The tables will be in rows, but there will be people sitting at both sides of the populace tables. There will be tablecloths laid on all tables, but only high table will have the changing of the big napkin. In front of high table will be a fire dish representing a central fire pit.
Mead halls are big places where many things happen at once. Deals are made, marriages arranged, treacheries plotted. Poets recite their latest works at high table while harpers make music at the other end of the hall. In the middle of all of this, people gossip, flirt, boast, bargain and even argue. That is life. Sometimes, the lord of the hall will challenge guests to riddle contests. Winners receive prizes like arm rings, servings of special dishes, and high praise from the Scop. If necessary, the Lady of the Hall will get a handle on the behavior of the servers. There are very strict rules about interaction: if a guest brings a servant, that servant is to either help serve the hall or sit at the feet of hsi master. If a guest brings along retainers, then funds have to be exchanged to make up for the extra food consumed. If guests get too friendly with the serving girls, they also have to hand over money or supplies to make up for the insult to the Lord and Lady of the hall.
• Your seat may not be front and center at our Symbel. But if you pay attention, you will see that life is going on around you. One end of the hall may have very different entertainment than the other. There is no need to worry about being quiet during performances. But please do be courteous if the Lord or Lady of the hall calls for silence. If you are interested, pay attention. If not, go about your revelry just as the Anglo-Saxons would have done. You can add a lot to the atmosphere yourself by utilizing the Anglo-Saxon English words that you have been taught. You can also have fun with period topics of conversation. These would include local gossip, discussion of the quality of the feast, what your plans are for the New Year, whom you hope to hook up with that night, what your latest shopping finds are, etc. The servers will be communicating with you in Anglo-Saxon and will be especially appreciative if you join them in the spirit of the evening.
The Anglo-Saxon feasting culture is the basis for year round activity. Feasts are held for many different occasions through out the year. Usually, there is a regional schedule so that a particular area knows in advance how to manage resources. A proper feast takes months of planning. Individual animals are selected for fattening. Vegetables and herbs are cultivated and stored until needed. Dairying women prepare cheeses and butter weeks in advance. The Baker is also be hard at work collecting yeast and rationing out grains to make sure that there will be enough for the celebration. In a large community, the Baker man over-sees men and women as they prepare loaves. In a smaller community, the kitchen women take care of the entire loaf making process. Typically, meat butchering and preparation is the work of men in the kitchen. Women take care of the creation of condiments, vegetable dishes, and beverages. The Lady and Lord of the house count on the kitchen manager to plan the feast and collect all of the necessary ingredients from the food rents paid out over the year. It is imperative that the feast be delicious, plentiful, and truly nourishing.
There are many ways of cooking available to the Anglo-Saxon chef. Foods can be spit or over roasted, grilled, boiled, oven or pit baked, and pan fried. The fire pits and fire dishes in the mead Hall provide a lot of heat for cooking. Additional cooking needs can be met in separate areas either outside or in other buildings. A wide array of spices and herbs (cinnamon, black pepper, salt, mustard, to name a few) are combined with products to create simple but delicious meals. The everyday diet is full of vegetables and whole grains. The majority of meals are probably boiled as this preserves as many of the nutrients in food as possible and is an efficient use of heat sources. But, feasts are a time to have special dishes so foods are prepared in less practical ways and the dishes themselves are not always as balanced.
Bread holds a special place in Anglo-Saxon society. The roots of the words for Lord and Lady come from the words for loaf giver and loafmaker. The one thing that a lord should always have plenty of is bread. Bread is eaten with a variety of toppings like cheese, relishes, and fruit butters or purees. On feast days, special breads are made with unusual combinations of grains and seasonings.
• Our Symbel menu will probably seem odd to you. As this is a winter feast, the foods used are those which would have been put away for winter storage or those which are still available at this time of year. There will be a lot of meat and root vegetables, but not much in the way of green leafy vegetables. The cuts of meat have been chosen to reflect the likely butchering styles of the day. (Yes, your food will have bones and fat in it).
The spices enhancing our food reflect the wealth of the Lord of the hall. The combinations may surprise you! Condiments have been created to accent your food. Try them on plain bread as well as on the meats. Cooks have been preparing in advance just for this meal: researching menus, learning new techniques, and even dividing kitchen jobs between men and women. The perfect way to show your appreciation is to try one bite of every dish that you can.
Pass the horn: The Lord of the hall will start a round of libation by passing a drinking horn to the guests. The horn needs to pass from person to person, each who chooses taking a sip, clockwise around the room. The game is to keep the horn from being set down before it gets back to the Lord's table. This game may be played several times during the feast.
Riddles: Anglo-Saxons love riddles! The Scop or the Lord/Lady of the hall will call out the lines of a riddle. The first person to answer correctly will be given a prize. There will be several riddles read during feast.
Challenges and Gaming: Gaming is a big part of any Anglo-Saxon get-together. Board games will be part of the evening's entertainment after feast. Feel free to offer challenges to your table mates for matches of chess in the gaming emporium. Placing wagers on the games is entirely in the spirit of the evening too! Have fun! (An amazing dessert buffet will be served during the gaming).
A big part of an Anglo-Saxon feast is the special ceremony of toasts and greetings that opens up the festivities. In order for this to go smoothly, there will need to be a designated head for each table. This person will be responsible for giving a brief general toast when the Lady of the Hall offers the horn to them.
• In attempt to create a more period atmosphere, benches will be used for seating along the insides of the table rows. The head of the table will need to sit on the bench side so they can make their toast from the center area.
• As you check in on site, please take the time to fill in your name on the table chart. After the Feast Briefing, the populace will be allowed into the hall to layout their gear. Just look for the sign that labels your table and set things up. After set up, the hall will be briefly emptied so that it can be made as special as possible for the feast experience.
Bread, butter, honey, fruit butter
Vegetable and Barley Soup
Roasted Chicken
Roasted Root Vegetables
Roasted Pork
Baked Apples
Cheese
(water and cider)
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