History Main / SkullCups

* Wiki/TheOtherWiki has an article about these [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skull_cup here]]. They range from the classical "barbarians drinking from the skulls of their enemies" (the 5th century BC Roman historian Herodotus cites the Scythians as doing this) to Indian and Tibetan ritual goblets.

* ''Main/BluesBrothers'' 2000: After the titular characters rudely interrupt the funeral of a Russian mobster's nephew, an associate assures that they will become this. Filled with vodka, of course.

* TheOtherWiki has an article about these [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skull_cup here]]. They range from the classical "barbarians drinking from the skulls of their enemies" (the 5th century BC Roman historian Herodotus cites the Scythians as doing this) to Indian and Tibetan ritual goblets.

[[folder: Anime And Manga ]]

* In the ''SengokuBasara'' anime Oda Nobunaga is depicted drinking from a skull, which leaks from the eye sockets.
* In Manga/{{Drifters}}, Nobunaga admits to Olminu that he enjoys drinking in his spare time using mugs fashioned from the skulls of his dead enemies. Needless to say, this admission left Olminu scared of him.

[[folder: Comic Books ]]

* ''ComicBook/RexMundi'': The HolyGrail turns out to be the skull of [[spoiler: John the Baptist.]]

[[folder: Fan Fiction ]]

[[folder: Film Live Action ]]

[[folder: Legend ]]

* In the legend of Wayland the Smith, he is imprisoned by a king to work only for him, having his hamstrings cut to prevent escape. As part of his revenge for this and other slights, he tricks the king's sons into visiting him, kills them, and makes their skulls into ivory goblets, which he gifts to the king and queen. (And as a nice bonus, Wayland set the kids' teeth into brooches which he also gifted to the royal couple.)
* ''History of the Lombards'' by Paul the Deacon relates that the Lombard King Alboin, after killing the Gepid King Cunimund in battle, had Cunimund's skull turned into a drinking cup, then married Cunimund's daughter Rosamund whom he had taken captive. The marriage had already lasted several years when Alboin at a royal banquet, being somewhat tipsy, had Rosamund served wine in Cunimund's skull, inviting her to "drink merrily with her father". In revenge for this humiliation, Rosamund had her husband murdered in a palace conspiracy.
* According to the Russian ''Primary Chronicle'', the skull of [[UsefulNotes/KievanRus Grand Prince Svyatoslav I of Kiev]] was turned into a drinking cup by the victorious Pechenegs after they had killed the Prince in an ambush at the lower Dnieper.

[[folder: Literature ]]

* In the ''Literature/OurDumbCentury'' article "Christian Right Ascends To Heaven," Creator/CarlSagan's eternal punishment involves having his skull made into {{Satan}}'s drinking gourd.
* In the Literature/XWingSeries novel ''Iron Fist'', a reference to Skull Cups is used as a LastSecondWordSwap. Undercover as a SpacePirate, Face Loran is about to wish his comrades "May the Force be with you," but thinks better of it.
-->'''Face:''' And may... we drink from the skulls of our enemies tonight!

[[folder: Live Action TV ]]

* Karl Tanner in ''Series/GameOfThrones'' drinks from the skull of his slain boss [[spoiler: Lord Commander Mormont]].

[[folder: Video Games ]]

[[folder: Web Comics ]]

[[folder: Western Animation]]

[[folder: Real Life]]

[[folder: Real Life ]]

* TheOtherWiki has an article about these [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skull_cup here]]. They range from the classical "barbarians drinking from the skulls of their enemies" (the 5th century BC Roman historian Herodotus cites the Scythians as doing this) to Indian and Tibetan ritual goblets.
* Blackbeard's skull ended up plated to use as a drinking cup.
* Possibly the most famous (allegedly) historical instance of this is the story of how the skull of the [[UsefulNotes/TheByzantineEmpire Byzantine Emperor]] Nikephoros I ended up lined with silver and presented to the Bulgar Khan Krum as a drinking cup after Nikephoros was killed at the Battle of Pliska in 811.

* Possibly the most famous (allegedly) historical instance of this is the story of how the skull of the [[UsefulNotes/TheByzantineEmpire Byzantine Emperor]] Nikephoros I ended up lined with silver and presented to the Bulgar Khan Krum after Nikephoros was killed at the Battle of Pliska in 811.

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[[AC:Live Action TV]]
* Karl Tanner in ''Series/GameOfThrones'' drinks from the skull of his slain boss [[spoiler: Lord Commander Mormont]].

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[[AC:WebComics]]

[[AC:Real Life]]

* In a variant, Belkar of ''Webcomic/TheOrderOfTheStick'' once turned the skull of one of the kobolds in the Linear Guild into a litter box for his cat.

* Played for laughs in the ''Webcomic/{{Oglaf}}'' strip [[http://oglaf.com/skulls/ "Skulls!"]]. A king calls for the skull of an enemy to drink from. The wine runs out of the eye holes, so the king tries to find an enemy with no eyes. [[spoiler:He eventually kills a giant worm that fulfills the requirement, but it turn out it has no skull either]].

* Played for laughs in the ''Webcomic/{{Oglaf}}'' strip [[http://oglaf.com/skulls/ "Skulls!"]], which provides the page image. A king calls for the skull of an enemy to drink from. The wine runs out of the eye holes, so the king tries to find an enemy with no eyes. [[spoiler:He eventually kills a giant worm that fulfills the requirement, but it turn out it has no skull either]].

* Played for laughs in the ''Webcomic/{{Oglaf}}'' strip [[http://oglaf.com/skulls/ "Skulls!"]], which provides the page image. A king calls for the skull of an enemy to drink from. The wine runs out of the eye holes, so the king tries to find an enemy with no eyes. [[spoiler:He eventually kills a giant worm that fulfills the requirement, but it turn out it has on skull either]].

* Played for laughs in the ''Webcomic/{{Oglaf}}'' strip [[http://oglaf.com/skulls/ "Skulls!"]] A king calls for the skull of an enemy to drink from. The wine runs out of the eye holes, so the king tries to find an enemy with no eyes. [[spoiler:He eventually kills a giant worm that fulfills the requirement, but it turn out it has on skull either]].

* Played for laughs in the ''Webcomic/{{Oglaf}}'' strip [[http://oglaf.com/skulls/ "Skulls!"]] A king calls for the skull of an enemy to drink from. The wine runs out of the eye holes, so the king tries to find an enemy with no eyes.
* In Webcomic/StickInTheMud they are used by the demon lord.

* Karl Tanner in ''Series/GameOfThrones'' drinks from the skull of his slain boss [[spoiler: Lord Commander Mormont]]. It's [[SlaveryIsASpecialKindOfEvil not even]] [[RapeIsASpecialKindOfEvil the worst thing]] the writers have him do to [[ViewersAreMorons make sure the audience understands]] that he's a Very Very Bad Man([[TradeSnark TM]]).

* The Thuggees in ''Film/IndianaJonesAndTheTempleOfDoom'' have a skull filled with "The Blood of Kali". They force their prisoners to drink it and it immediately induces a FaceHeelTurn. [[spoiler: Fortunately, burning the victims with a torch undoes the effect.]]

-> '''Timandahaf:''' Now for our national beverage, apple brandy drunk from the skulls of our enemies! It's a very heady liquor.
-->-- ''Asterix and the Normans''

[[AC:{{Webcomics}}]]

When a fierce, trophy-collecting warrior wants to be practical, he won't just make the remains of his enemies into a fetish. He'll make them into something usuful. Like a cup.

* In ''ComicBook/Asterix'' series the skull cups are used by Normans.

* In ''[[ComicBook/Asterix Asterix and the Normans]]'' the skull cups are used by Normans.