Arvals

For the Roman Arvals, see Arval Brethren.

Arvals, Arvels or Arthels (Old Norse Arfr, "inheritance", and öl, Old English "Ale", a banquet), primarily the funeral dinner, and later, especially in the north of England, a thin, light, sweet cake, spiced with cinnamon and nutmeg, served to the poor at such feasts. The funeral meal was called the Arvel-dinner. On such occasions, the custom seems to have been to hold an informal inquest, when the corpse was publicly exposed, to exculpate the heir and those entitled to the property of the dead from all accusations of foul play.

References

Attribution:

• This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Arvals". Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 2 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 711.