Anyone know what images are on this stein and what it says in German? I think it’s antique the imagery is for nibelung?

2 comments

1. No, that has nothing to do with the nibelungen. There is an old drinking song about the roman historian Tacitus meeting old german tribes. He’s drunk under the table by them, gets a bad hangover and writes his history books about Germania. In summary, the song says that he then wrote the following about the Germanic peoples:

   Es wohnen die alten Deutschen
   auf beiden Ufern des Rheins,
   sie liegen auf Bärenhäuten
   und trinken immer noch eins.

   The inscription on the stein more or less quotes this.

   Tacitus actually wrote about the Germanic peoples, and much of it wasn’t particularly flattering. The students who sang (and wrote) these drinking songs, especially at the end of the 19th century, of course knew these texts, since the historical texts were part of the canon. And with this song they made fun of him.

   Steins like this were produced aroung 1900, 1920.

   ETA: Fun fact: Tacitus was never in Germania and his text was primarily intended to be political, not a historically accurate description.

2. “Sie tranken noch ein’s ehe sie gingen die alten Deutschen.” [They drank another one before they left, the old Germans.]

   “Sie lagen auf Bärenhäuten an beiden Ufern des Rheins” [They lay on bearskins, on both banks of the Rhine.]

   It relates to an old folk song that was popular among fraternities: https://www.volksliederarchiv.de/an-einem-sommerabend-tacitus/

   Translated with DeepL:

   On a summer evening
   in the shade of the sacred grove,
   the old Germans caroused
   On both banks of the Rhine

   And look, from afar
   a Roman came on foot;
   who said: “Gentlemen
   my name is Tacitus.

   Of your country’s customs
   I am writing a biography,
   so I wanted to ask you
   explain it to me!”

   The old Germans were silent
   and handed him the jug;
   he drank in short draughts
   soon called out: “Now I’ve had enough.”

   Then the old Germans laughed
   on both banks of the Rhine
   and let him spin and drink
   a glass and another.

   And the next morning
   when he looked at his hangover,
   he wrote out of anger and revenge
   in his Germania:

   “The old Germans live
   on both banks of the Rhine,
   they lie on bearskins
   and always drink another one.”