Funny Legend of Beer Tankard With Three Handles

Google Street View

While roaming the Google street in the town of Olen in the Flemish region of Belgium, I came across this strange sculpture/fountain showing three huge beer tankards - One tankard has a single handle, second has two handles and the third has three handles.

A search on the Google, with help and inputs from Hazel aka Noisette (Moderator and Top Contributor in Google Earth Community Forum), revealed a funny legend about these beer tankards. The same is reproduced below;

In Olen there was an inn famed for selling good beer. When Emperor Charles visited Olen on his annual hunting expeditions, he would never forget to partake of a tankard of that good beer. He would canter up to the front door on his horse, order, and wait for the woman to come outside with the foaming brew. But she always held the tankard by its handle, so that the Emperor could never get a good grip of it.

"Woman, by next year, get thee a beer tankard with two handles, for that will make it easier."

"Yes, my lord," replied the woman.

Next year came and again Emperor Charles stopped off at the inn. The woman had indeed bought a beer tankard with two handles, but she held the tankard with her two hands, so that again, the Emperor was unable to get a good grip of it.

"Woman, it is still not good. By next year, get thee a beer tankard with three handles, for that will make it easier."

Next year came and again Emperor Charles stopped off at the inn. The woman had indeed bought a beer tankard with three handles, but she held the tankard with the third handle pointing towards her breast.

"Woman," said the Emperor, "it would be still no easier than last year, were I not to know that a third handle there is."

And so saying, he reached under the tankard and grasped the third handle firmly.

"Behold, a clever trick there is," proclaimed he.

And the inn where this merry story happened all those years ago still exists in Olen. And the famous three-handled tankard is still preserved there too. - Source: From "Van stroppendragers en de pot van Olen" (Of Rope Wearers and the Tankard of Olen) stories in Dutch by Harlinda Lox Davidsfonds via expatpaul.eu

A further search on the WWW shows that there are other variants of this story - though the main theme remains same but the main Character and locations are different. In England it was reportedly King Edward III, while in France it is attributed to King Henry of Navarre, in Germany to a Kaiser and in Italy to a Pope. - Source "Drinking Vessels of Bygone Days" - a book by G. J. Monson-FitzJohn via Vintage Direct.

Hazel has informed me of another variant, in which a fourth tankard with four handles was also built. This story is attributed to Emperor Charles V, but it took place in the town of Walcourt, Belgium. This town also has a fountain which is adorned with four statues of barmaids each with pots with varying number of handles. (Story: English Version) (Google Street View of fountain)

Credits: I am thankful to Hazel for giving me detailed info about this and other related story of Walcourt. Without her help this post would not have been possible - Thank you Hazel.