Drinking horns: how to buy one that is safe to drink from

A drinking horn is the most common thing visitors buy at a Viking market and the most commonly regretted. The difference is the inside. Buy from a maker who can tell you what the lining is, keep it out of the dishwasher, and drink cold drinks only.

Did Vikings drink from horns

Yes, at feasts and ceremonies. Horns with metal mounts have been found in high-status graves, and picture stones show them in use. For everyday drinking, people used wooden cups and bowls. A horn was the party glass. That is still what it is: nobody drinks their morning coffee from one.

The inside matters

A cow horn is hollow and porous. Untreated, it absorbs whatever you pour into it and starts to smell within a week. Every horn sold for drinking has a lining, and the lining decides whether it is safe and whether it lasts.

Beeswax. Traditional, food-safe, smells faintly of honey. Melts with hot liquid and wears with use, so it needs renewing every year or two. Most craft horns at Nordic markets are beeswax.

Food-grade resin or lacquer. Durable, tasteless, handles washing better. Ask which product; a serious maker will know.

Unknown. Cheap horns from souvenir stalls and online marketplaces are often sealed with a lacquer nobody can name, or not sealed at all. Some smell of chemicals. Do not drink from a horn whose lining the seller cannot describe.

Buying at a market

Look for a stall where the horns are being finished, or where the maker is present. Smell the inside; it should be neutral or faintly waxy. Check the rim is smooth. A polished horn with a hand-fitted brass or pewter rim from a craft stall costs 40 to 120 euros depending on size and work; plain finished horns from 20. The very cheap ones at 10 euros are decoration.

Size

A 30 to 40 centimetre horn holds about half a litre and is the practical size. Larger ones look impressive and are heavy to drink from and impossible to set down. A small horn stand or a leather strap to hang it from your belt is the usual solution.

Using it

Cold drinks only: beer, mead, cider, juice. Hot drinks melt wax linings and can crack the horn. Rinse with cool water and a little mild soap straight after use, dry upside down, and never put it in a dishwasher. Renew a wax lining when it starts to feel rough or taste of the last drink.

The reenactors’ version

Walk through any camp and you will see horns in use at the evening fire, and wooden cups in use all day. If you buy one thing, a turned wooden cup from the same stalls is more useful. The horn is for the photograph and the feast.

Last updated 2026-09-06. Prices and opening hours change; check the venue before you go. Back to Gear and reenacting or the festival calendar.