cup-bearer
Sign in to saveAlso known as échanson, cupbearer, cup bearer, bearer of cups, Sâki
thumb|Ganymede and the Eagle, sculpture by [[Bertel Thorvaldsen, c. 1817]] 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. His confidential relations with the king often gave him a position of great influence.
~7 min read
Encyclopedic overview
13 sectionsContents
- In the Bible
- In Greek myth
- In Byzantium
- As palatine officers in Visigothic Spain
- As a Great Office in the Holy Roman Empire
- In Anglo-Saxon England
- In Shakespeare
- In Ireland
- Kingdom of Hungary
- Poland and Lithuania
- See also
- References
- External links
thumb|Ganymede and the Eagle, sculpture by [[Bertel Thorvaldsen, c. 1817]] 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. His confidential relations with the king often gave him a position of great influence.
A9
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “cup-bearer” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.