Viking Drinking Horns

16 pieces

Real Viking drinking horns in natural ox horn: carved horn cups with the Valknut, the Triple Horn of Odin or a dragon-prowed longship, a full hand-engraved horn with its own stand, and horn mugs big enough for a proper pour of mead or ale. Every piece is cut from genuine horn, so the curve, the colour and the grain differ from one horn to the next, and no two are alike.

The horn is one of the few pieces of Viking tableware that comes straight out of the sources. On the Tjängvide picture stone from Gotland a woman greets a rider with a raised horn, and in Snorri's Edda Thor tries to empty a horn whose far end, it turns out, lies in the sea. If you want the history behind it, read what the Vikings actually drank out of. If you would rather drink from a handled cup than a curved horn, the ox horn mugs and beer horn sets are gathered on their own page. Our horns ship within the United States.

How to Choose a Viking Drinking Horn

A drinking horn is a simple object, but a few details decide whether you will use it every week or leave it on a shelf.

Horn or horn mug?

A classic horn has no flat base. You hold it until it is empty, or rest it in a stand. A horn mug is cut from the same material but stands on its own and has a handle, so it suits everyday drinking. If this is a gift for someone who will actually drink from it, the mug is the easier choice. If it is for a feast table or a display, choose the full horn with its stand.

How much should it hold?

Our pieces run from 7 oz horn shot glasses, through 6 to 6.5 inch horn cups, to beer mugs of 24 and 30 oz and a 50 oz (1500 ml) horn tankard. Natural horn is never a precise measure, so treat the stated capacity as a guide.

What can you pour into it?

Most of our horn cups and mugs have the inside sealed with a food-grade lacquer, as their product pages say. That lining is what makes horn pleasant to drink from. Every horn and horn mug we sell is for cold drinks only: beer, ale, mead, cider, wine and spirits. Heat can soften the lining and distort the horn.

Care in two lines

Rinse it by hand in cool or lukewarm water with a little mild soap, then drain it open end down and let it air dry. Never put horn in the dishwasher, never soak it and never leave it in hot sun or next to a heater.

Viking Drinking Horns, FAQ

Are these drinking horns made of real horn?

Yes. Every horn, cup and mug in this collection is made from genuine natural horn and finished by hand, which is why each one differs slightly in shape and colour from the photos.

Is it safe to drink from a horn?

Yes, when the inside is sealed. Most of our horn cups and mugs are lined with food-grade lacquer, and their product pages say so. Keep to cold drinks and hand washing and the lining will last.

Can you put hot drinks in a drinking horn?

No. Every horn, cup and mug in this collection is for cold drinks only. Heat can soften the lacquer lining and warp the horn.

How do you clean a drinking horn?

By hand, in cool or lukewarm water with a drop of mild soap. Rinse, drain it open end down, and let it air dry fully before it goes back on its stand. No dishwasher, no soaking and no boiling water.

Did the Vikings really drink from horns?

Yes. Horns appear in Viking Age art, such as the woman holding out a horn on the Tjängvide picture stone from Gotland, and in the written sources: Snorri tells how Thor failed to drain a horn at the hall of Útgarða-Loki. Wooden cups and bowls were in everyday use as well, and glass was a luxury.

Do you ship drinking horns outside the US?

Not at the moment. Our drinking horns and horn mugs ship within the United States only.