booze, obviously

A legend which purports to show the origin of these three handled mugs, is that King Edward III when riding through the pottery district visited a wayside tavern and called for a mug of beer. Whilst the landlord - who was also a potter was making his obeisances, his daughter produced some ale in a mug with one handle, which, in her agitation, she grasped tightly. The King suggested to the landlord - potter that he could do worse than make some mugs with two handles, which carried out before he passed again; but the next time the girl took the new style of mug to the King, she took it with a handle in each hand, so he laughingly made a further suggestion that the landlord should make a cup with three handles so that there was one left for him to take hold of. Curiously, there is a similar legend in nearly every European country - France has exactly the same legend about King Henry of Navarre; so have the Germans about a bygone Kaiser; and in Italy it was the Pope who in the same manner invented the three - handled mug.

Posted By: Tombs, Feb 26, 19:16:08