A ritual drinking ceremony in which oaths, memory and words of honour were exchanged.
Sumbel was a sacred feast in Germanic and Norse culture in which a drinking horn was passed around the table in a fixed number of rounds. In each round gods, heroes or ancestors were honoured and oaths were sworn.
Words spoken at sumbel were considered binding before gods and witnesses. Beowulf contains one of the most famous descriptions of the ceremony. Similar drinking ritual moments appear in Norse sagas.
Attestations
- Beowulf, rad 489-498
- Description of sumbel in the Old English epic.