Ainkhürn

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The Ainkhürn in the Viennese treasury

Ainkhürn (literally "one-horned, horn of the unicorn") is the name for the narwhal's tusk , insofar as it was used as a handcrafted material or material with an allegedly magical protective effect. The name has its origins in the fact that in the Middle Ages and early modern times the tooth was thought to be the horn of the unicorn . It was therefore valued as one of the most valuable materials of all and was mainly used for rulers' insignia.

mythology

The mythical unicorn could not be grasped by the hunter, but placed his head trustingly in the lap of a virgin. Hence, he was seen as the symbol of Mary , the Virgin , innocence and the immaculate conception . The horn became a symbol of divine power, to which the greatest salvific effect was ascribed.

Examples

Objects from Ainkhürn worth mentioning are the throne of the kings of Denmark at Rosenborg Castle in Copenhagen , the scepter and orb of the Austrian Empire (see Austrian Imperial Crown ) and a sword from the possession of Charles the Bold , which is kept in the Vienna Hofburg .

There is also a whole narwhal tooth in the treasury of the Hofburg, which is simply called "Ainkhürn". It is a gift from the Polish King Sigismund II August to the Roman-German King and later Emperor Ferdinand I from 1540. Together with the agate bowl , it is one of the “inalienable heirlooms of the House of Habsburg ”. When the estate was divided after the death of Ferdinand I, it was agreed that these two objects should remain in the joint ownership of all lines and that they should not be given away or sold.

Also in St. Mark's Basilica of Venice , there are two Narwalzähne that during the Fourth Crusade from Konstantin Opel were brought.

Healing effect

The high value of the Ainkhürn - at times ten times that of gold - is not only explained by its rarity, but primarily by its supposed property as a means against poisoning, an omnipresent threat in ruling houses. It was believed that the unicorn's natural abhorrence of impurity caused the horn to sweat in the presence of poisons. Therefore, before serving the food, servants had to touch them with the ainkhürn, the bezoar or the adder's tongue , which were said to have the same effect. In order to achieve the poison-neutralizing effect, centerpieces and drinking vessels were made from narwhal tooth. For fear of being poisoned, Emperor Rudolf II had his court goldsmith Jan Vermeyen made a drinking cup from Ainkhürn, which is preciously set with gold and precious stones, which is now part of the Kunsthistorisches Museum Vienna .

literature

  • Philippe Cordez: Material Metonymy. Thomas of Cantimpré and the first horn of the unicorn. In: Imagery of Knowledge. Art history yearbook for visual criticism. Vol. 9, No. 1 = Preparations , ISSN  1611-2512 , 2012, pp. 85-92.
  • Guido Schönberger : Narwhal unicorn. Studies on a rare material. In: Städel yearbook. Vol. 9, 1935/1936, ISSN  0585-0118 , pp. 167–247, here pp. 173ff., Fig. 190–192.

Web links

Commons : Ainkhürn  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. Louis Lewin : The poisons in world history. Toxicological studies of historical sources in a generally understandable way. Parkland, Cologne 2000, ISBN 3-88059-972-6 , pp. 43-44.