Der doit. |
Death |
Der wirt |
The Innkeeper. |
Bingen is a city along the River Rhine, and this is one of the reasons why this dance of death is also called "Mittelrheinischer Totentanz".
Behind the landlord is the ale stake with a hoop. The stake, which might be the same that had been used for stirring the brew, was a sign that beer and wines were being sold, and it alerted the authorities to come and inspect the quality of the new batch of brew.
The same stake-with-hoop is seen in the manuscript in Kassel, but not in Zimmern's dance of death (picture to the left).
Footnotes: (1)
Duppel . . .:: gambling with dice.
The rules of the game vary from location to location and it's uncertain whether the name derives from "double" or from Latin "tabula". The latter would indicate a board game.
"Duppel" became synonymous with gambling. Take for instance the Danish playact Kort Vending, where "doble" is constantly mentioned along with boozing and womanizing: »Oc dricke och doble oc løbe wthy kroo« (503), »Alltt mitt gotz oc ridder eyge, Som dobler oc drancker gierne pleyge« (975-976), »The haffue saa lenge druckiitt oc dobliitt« (1631), »Ett exempell maa ieg nu andre werre, Theris gods mett dobell oc drick forterre« (2519-2520), »Handtt drack oc bolliitt ßaa lenge mett hinde, […] Saa tog hand tiill att doble tiill mett« (2547-2549), »Lade drick oc dobbell oc skøger fare« (2576), »Ieg drack oc doblett bode dag oc natt« (3039) and »Vortt gods handtt dricker oc dobler bortt« (3207).