[Ger-Poland-Volhynia] Re: Life in Volhynia

[Günther Böhm]

GVLESS at aol.com schrieb:

>Dear listserv members - Gee, I was hoping when Jerry Frank introduced awhile 
>back something about a game played in Volhynia and my bit about my husband's 
>family menfolk always playing cards called Schafkopf (Sheepshead) that some of 
>you would have something to add.
>

Hello Virginia,
though I can't tell you anything about the German customs in Volhynia, 
there is something about the history of the "Schafkopf" card game. It is 
the oldest German card game, originates from Bavaria, dates back to 
about 1500, and is still today more common in southern Germany. The 
Schafkopf regulas were first fixed in 1896 and finally in 1989 in the 
Munich "Hofbr"auhaus". So you perhaps can do conclusions about the 
German origin of your Volhynian ancestors. The name is not derived from 
"sheep head" but from the old German word "Schaff" = barrel whereas 
"Kopf" = head means the upper bottom (-> "cover") of the barrel where 
the game was originally played on - and you can imagine how it sounded 
when the cards were smashed on it with enthusiasm. By the way this why 
its name is not "Schafskopf" = sheep head but "Schafkopf" (Schaffkopf). 
Younger derivates of the game are Skat, Doppelkopf and "Wendischer 
Schafkopf".

Guenther
of Hilden, Germany