Tiberius Iulius Rufus Primus

Norse Ale Bowl (for the Northern Army)

What is an Ale Bowl?

The ale bowl, or Kjenger, seems to be a wooden or earthenware drinking vessel in

Norway. Ernst, on her blog, notes a museum visit in which she proposes that such
bowls were used for celebrations. I sought to confirm her research, but was unable to
do so with translation software. Though I found numerous images, the Norwegian was
beyond my Roman learning.

Several images of bowls were to be found, but most were from the early 1700’s. A notable bowl
from the Victoria and Albert museum may be an older piece, from within the SCA time period,
but its age is conjectural (“Ale Bowl”).

I studied images of ale bowls and attempted to create one. This is a purely creative
anachronism, and not something that I have found evidence for, outside of the Kjenger, in the
SCA time period. I adapted a witnessed form, for celebratory function, with images of import to
warriors of the East Kingdom’s Great Northern Army.

Creating the Ale Bowl

The bowl was thrown on an electric pottery wheel using approximately 4 pounds of
medium-grog red clay. The bowl was formed, dragons added, and Northern Army Stars
sprigged (appliqued) to the leather-hard dry clay.
Modern glazes were applied to make the bowl food-safe. It was fired to cone 06 (1828
degrees)

Symbolism

The bowl uses dragons for handles. As the history of the Great Northern Army has
pitted it against the soldiers of the Middle Kingdom, the dragons serve as a reference
and celebration of the North’s victories over dragon forces. The Northern Army Stars,
numbering three to a side, show the majesty of the Third Division, the sons and
daughters of the True North.
 Works Cited

“Ale Bowl.” V&A the Collections. N.p., n.d. Web. 7 Mar. 2015.

Ernst, Kathleen. “Ale Bowls: Migration of a Tradition |.” N.p., n.d. Web. 7 Mar. 2015.