Cup-bearer
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A cup-bearer was historically an officer of high rank in royal courts, whose duty was to pour and serve the drinks at the royal table. On account of the constant fear of plots and intrigues (such as poisoning), a person had to be regarded as thoroughly trustworthy to hold the position. He would guard against poison in the king's cup, and was sometimes required to swallow some of the drink before serving it.[citation needed] His confidential relations with the king often gave him a position of great influence.[citation needed] The position of cup-bearer has been greatly valued[citation needed] and given only to a select few throughout history.
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Egyptian hieroglyph for a cup-bearer |
The cup-bearer as an honorific role, for example as the Egyptian hieroglyph for "cup-bearer", was used as late as 196 BC in the
In the Bible
Cup-bearers are mentioned several times in the Bible.
The position is first mentioned in
Cup-bearers are mentioned further in 1 Kings 10:5, and 2 Chronicles 9:4, where they, among other evidences of royal splendor, are stated to have impressed the Queen of Sheba with Solomon's glory. The title Rabshakeh (Isaiah 36:2), once thought to mean "chief of the cupbearers" is now given a different derivation and explained as "chief of the officers" or "princes".[3][full citation needed][4]
In Greek myth
In
The gods were seated near to Zeus in council,
upon a golden floor. Graciously Hêbê
served them nectar, as with cups of gold
they toasted one another, looking down
toward the stronghold of Ilion.
Hêbê's role of cup bearer ended when she was then replaced by Ganymede. She then married the deified hero Heracles, who joined Hêbê among the gods and goddesses and started a family.
The Roman gods are also closely related to Greek mythology, with the Roman goddess of youth Juventas being the counterpart to Greek Hêbê.
In Byzantium
As palatine officers in Visigothic Spain
One of the palatine officers who was in the service of the Visigothic kings was called Comes Scanciorum, or "Count of the Cup-bearers." The count headed the scancia (singular scancium), which in English would be called cellars or buttery and in French échansonnerie, which is a cognate to the Latinized Gothic term used in Spain. The count would have poured the king's wine or drink personally while the other cup-bearers served other distinguished guests at the royal table.
As a Great Office in the Holy Roman Empire
The
In Anglo-Saxon England
The office of butler or cup-bearer (pincerna in
In Shakespeare
Camillo in The Winter's Tale is cupbearer to Leontes, King of Sicily, and Polixenes, King of Bohemia. When Leontes becomes convinced of his wife Hermione's infidelity with Polixenes, he entreats Camillo to use his privileged position as his cupbearer to poison Polixenes:
Ay, and thou
his cupbearer, whom I from meaner form
have benched and reared to worship, who mayst see
plainly, as heaven sees earth sees heaven,
how I am gallèd, might bespice a cup
to give mine enemy a lasting wink
which draft to me were cordial.—Shakespeare, The Winter's Tale(1.2)
In Ireland
Theobald Walter was the first Chief Butler of Ireland. Although the terms "cup-bearer" and "butler" are sometimes used interchangeably, they were two distinct roles at the coronation feast.[6]
Kingdom of Hungary
The pohárnokmester (Master of the Cupbearers), also called the főpohárnok, was the supervisor of the cupbearers at court and across the royal court system, a chief court officer/dignitary. The first mention of him dates from 1148.
Poland and Lithuania
The cup-bearer (
- cześnik koronny – King's Cup-Bearer of the Crown
- cześnik litewski – Grand Duke's Cup-Bearer of Lithuania
- cześnik ziemski – District King's Cup-Bearer
According to the district office hierarchy in 1768, the position in
See also
- The dictionary definition of cupbearer at Wiktionary
- Bartender
- Food taster
- Paharnic
- Pinkernes
- Sommelier
References
- ^ compare Xenophon. Hellenica. vii.1, 38.
- ^ Nehemiah. Book of Nehemiah. 5:8, 10, 14, 17.
- ^ see BDB under the word Rabshakeh.
- ^ See further on cupbearers:
- Herodotus. Histories. iii.34.
- Xenophon. Cyropaedia. i.3, 8, 9.
- Josephus. Antiquities of the Jews. XVI, viii, 1.
- Book of Tobit. 1:22.
- S2CID 159587154.
- ^ National archives
This entry incorporates text from the public domain International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, originally published in 1915.
External links
- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia public-domain article
- Walton, O.F. (2005). The King's Cup-bearer.
- Manguel, Alberto. The Iliad. book IV, 1–5. Atlantic Monthly Press.
- (The Holy Bible: 1 Kings 10:3-7 RSV)
- (The Holy Bible: Nehemiah 1:11-2:6 RSV)
- (The Holy Bible: 1 Corinthians 10:21)
- "Mythography- The Greek Goddess Hêbê in Myth and Art"