Tarot History Forum

The German wikipedia article "Scharwenzel" gives a game description about a game "Scharwenzel", as it is played on the Island Fehmarn till nowadays.
http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scharwenzel
It's naturally not clear, if this modern Scharwenzel is identical to the old Scharwenzel.

In private communication John McLeod once mentioned Scharwenzel as a possible forerunner of Schafkopf and Doppelkopf. If I remember correctly, he noted, that this game was mentioned first "around 1700".

Schafkopf is possibly interesting for the analysis of the background of the Michelino deck, the decks noted by Ingold in 1432 and 4x13-decks mentioned by John of Rheinfelden in 1387.

Researching "Scharwenzel" I found today this page:

In 1715, Frauenzimmer-Lexicon ...


http://diglib.hab.de/wdb.php?dir=drucke/ae-12

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I took another look and found in a new edition of "Christian Weise: Der politische Näscher" ...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_Weise
... written in the original 1676 or 1678 according Wikipedia two passages with "Scharwenzel":
http://books.google.de/books?id=7XDkndt ... ln&f=false

In Chapter V


Two other "Scharwenzel" passages (p. 33 and 40)
http://books.google.de/books?id=7XDkndt ... el&f=false

In Chapter XXII


A version from 1693:
http://digital.bibliothek.uni-halle.de/ ... fo/1179550

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David Parlett in his article to the game Euchre noted:

Because Schafkopf is not described before 1811, and then appears in various forms, its pre-nineteenth-century origins are obscure. A possible clue to them may be sought in the name "Wenzel", which some derive from Scharwenzel - an intensive form of Latin serviens, and meaning an excessively devoted servant, perhaps "lickspittle". Now a 32-card game is recorded in Germany in 1715 under the name Scharwentzeln, and later in the Netherlands as Scharwensleven *, variously spelt. The name, and perhaps the game it refers to, survives (at least in books) as Skærvindsel, a Danish 36-card game played by four in fixed partnerships. Though not a point-trick game, its trump suit is headed by seven "matadors", namely clubQ - trump-7 - spadeQ - clubJ - spadeJ - heartJ - diamondJ, followed by A-K-(Q)-10-9-8-(7)-6. * If this bears obvious material resemblances to Schafkopf, its plain-trick nature and trump Seven feature (compare German Solo) make it an equally obvious derivative of Ombre. Perhaps, then, Schafkopf represents the trick-point embellishment of an Ombre-derivative with a distinctive promotion of the Unters (Jacks) to the role of "excessively devoted servants" to the original three Matadors or top trumps.

* I found a snippet for "Geschichte auf Spielkarten, 1789-1871: von der ..." - Page 166 by
Detlef Hoffmann, ‎Margot Dietrich, ‎Thierry Depaulis (1987).
"... findet jedoch keine Gnade vor den Augen der Verleger von gedruckten Spielregeln: es ist keine gedruckte Spielregel für Lanturlu oder Scharwenzel, auch nicht für das niederländische Pendant »Scharwensleven«, nachweisbar.
There are no printed rules for Scharwenzel or Scharwensleben.

* 1715 ... so the text of Christian Weise makes the existence of Scharwenzel indeed about 40 years earlier.

* clubQ - trump-7 - spadeQ - clubJ - spadeJ - heartJ - diamondJ, followed by A-K-(Q)-10-9-8-(7)-6
The trump row from Parlett is identical to that in the German Wikipedia article Scharwenzel, though this speaks only from 3 matadors.

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Die Deutsche Druckersprache. Scheltenworterbuch
By Heinrich Klenz (1991)



The word Scharwenzel has various use, between them the "Slavic bond-slave as house servant". It also serves as a name for the Jack in the card play. I searched the reference for "Hoffmannswaldau und anderer Gedichte" 1710, p.
161.


http://digital.ub.uni-duesseldorf.de/ih ... iew/291310

The poet Hoffmannswaldau in Breslau ...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_ ... annswaldau
... had died 1679 and a part of his many works were produced after his death (so the Scharwenzel quote might have been made a longer time before his death). The passage is from a letter-poem for a wedding.

A rather small text appeared in the year 1674 ... 6 printed pages of text, no author, no production location

Teutsch und Frantzösisch Scharwentzel-Spiel
http://books.google.de/books?id=grZJAAA ... &q&f=false

... likely connected to the French German war in 1674. An aggressive dialog between a German and French speaker in poetical form, somehow around a card game (it's difficult to understand details .

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"Die drey ärgsten Ertz-Narren In der gantzen Welt : Auß vielen Närrischen Begebenheiten hervorgesucht, und Allen Interessenten zu besserem Nachsinnen übergeben ; Anietzo von denen vielfältigen Druckfehlern gereiniget und verbessert." (1672/1673)
by Christian Weise (again) ... seems to write here with the name "Catharinum civilem"

Edition of 1710
http://books.google.de/books?id=tCFLAAA ... navlinks_s

Worldcat entry
https://www.worldcat.org/search?q=catha ... ort_yr_asc
... gives as first edition "1673" ...

... but this later work ..
Neudrucke Deutscher Literaturwerke Des 16. und 17. Jahrhunderts, Volumes 10-17
by M. Niemeyer, 1878
... notes an earlier edition of 1672
Two "Scharwentzel" passages from this later work are given here ...
http://books.google.de/books?id=8m0ZAAA ... el&f=false

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Deutsches Wörterbuch, Volume 2
by Friedrich Ludwig Karl Weigand
J. Ricker, 1860 - German language - 1184 pages
http://books.google.de/books?id=9I4xAQA ... en&f=false



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In Zedler Lexikon ... http://www.zedler-lexikon.de/
Entry: "Neugebackenes Scherwenzel Buch oder auch die Jungferkarte"
http://www.zedler-lexikon.de/index.html ... ement=0%27)



... refers to an anonymous book production in 1670 Leipzig, which was indexed and burnt. The producer wasn't found.
The note is confirmed by a rather similar text at the Leipziger Annalen to 1670 ...
http://books.google.de/books?id=j3BdAAA ... &q&f=false

The text had attacked ladies of the Leipziger high society.

This (1670) is for the moment the earliest reference to Scharwenzel (as a game), that I know of.

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Ueber deutsche Volksetymologie
Ed. 4.
Published 1883 by Henninger in Heilbronn.
page 9



.. takes a negative position against the assumption, that Scher- or Scharwenzel has developed from the Italian "servente".

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German 19th century Rabelais researchers know a "Jungfern-Scherwenzel" ... I wonder, where they got this from.

http://books.google.de/books?id=YDY0AAA ... ch&f=false

http://www.zeno.org/Literatur/M/Rabelai ... es+Kapitel
also already 1839
http://books.google.de/books?id=EQkQAAA ... el&f=false

Second book chapter 7 in a German translation. What is the French version at this place?

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Versuch eines vollständigen grammatisch-kritischen Wörterbuches der Hochdeutschen Mundart, mit beständiger Vergleichung der übrigen Mundarten, besonders aber der oberdeutschen, Volume 4
by Johann-Christoph Adelung
B. Breitkopf, 1780


http://books.google.de/books?id=_bM_AAA ... el&f=false

The publisher of the text (not the author) is Breitkopf, owner of a playing card factory and since 1784 himself author
of an important text about playing card history.
The text notes, that Scharwenzel (in 1780) is a game mainly played on the country. According the author it must have been similar to Trischak and Grobhäusern (also played on the country around Leipzig), but one has to differ them from Scharwenzel.
Trischak and Grobhäusern are part of a list of prohibited games in 1820 at ...
http://www.spielkarten24.de/site03.htm
"Pharao, Trischak, Grobhäusern, Quinze, Trente et Quarante, Bassette, Vingt et un, Lansquenet, und außerdem: Roulette, Biribi (neue Art Lotto) und Passediz (ein Würfelspiel)".

I don't recognize, that the descriptions of Trischak and Scharwenzel (as far I know them) are similar.

Hartwig Hundt-Radowsky is a somewhat not reliable writer.
http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hartwig_von_Hundt-Radowsky

In a text of 1835 (year of his death) ...
http://books.google.de/books?id=iVI6AAA ... el&f=false
... he notes,that the farmer society near his earlier living place in Mecklenburg/Germany had a stronger preference for Schafkopf and Scherwenze. This he should have been experience around the time of 1802-06.

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Recently I reported ..
viewtopic.php?f=11&t=1033#p15396
...

In this context some carnivalists or anti-carnivalists in Schleswig-Holstein (Schleswig Holstein isn't known for big carnivalism nowadays) had the idea to celebrate a Karnüffelamt (in replacement of a usual election of a prince of Karneval). Anyway, they had some fun, and there was enough free drinking and finally some dancing. And everybody got the privilege of "free light during day" and "free heating in summertime" and "free hunting at the Einfelder Lake" and "free fishing at the Borderhemer Heide" (which has no water at all).

And somehow there was also Scherwenzelamt, either this or the next year (Scherwenzel is another card game).

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I found a descripion of Grobhäusern (which was said to have similarity to Scherwenzel).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grobh%C3%A4usern

Scherwenzel is a form of Grobhäusern in which the Jacks or wenzels, and to some extent also the Nines, function as wildcards.

Grobhäusern and Scharwenzel are games with similarity to Poker, though with 4 cards only.

In contrast to this opinion this description is VERY DIFFERENT to that, what German wikipedia declared to the game Scharwenzel in Fehmarn ... and what is indirectly confirmed by David Parlett.
http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scharwenzel

The Fehmarn Scharwenzel is a trick-taking card game.

So I'm rather confused. Two rather different games are running under the same name. I assume, that Scherwenzel and Scharwenzel and Scharwentzel mean the same name, small name differences are normal.

Solving the Scharwenzel problem ...

... in my youth I learned the terminus "scharwenzeln" as a somehow negative terminus, with which were described some overboarding activities of some persons around other persons. The activities, which one can observe, when a person with enough money entered a shop, which offers expensive items, and when the shop-owner realizes, that the person has enough money.
A typical "Scharwenzel" just in my opinion (I didn't know, that one could apply this word to persons) had been the actor Hans Moser. Many words, always busy, and all in Austrian dialect. Comedy with some depressive underlines. Hans Moser stood for Vienna and for our modern German view on Vienna, in the time, when every family reached the state to have a TV.

It was generally not known, that Scharwenzel was a card game in the places, where I played with cards. The terminus "Wenzel" as expression for the Jack wasn't known. But this seems to have been known in Bavaria and possibly in some other regions, "around Bohemia".

The "Grobhäuser" article of English wikipedia, which caused my confusion, was based mainly on Adelung and his word book.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johann_Christoph_Adelung
It looks not likely, that Adelung had created total nonsense about a game ... he was close to the region, in which Scharwenzel was spread.

Adelung 1780/1793

Der Schếrwếnzel, des -s, plur. ut nom. sing. in einem noch auf dem Lande in Deutschland, Pohlen, Schlesien, Böhmen u.s.f. üblichen Kartenspiele, der Untere in allen Farben, welcher zu sehr vielerley Verrichtungen gebraucht wird, daher auch das ganze Spiel Scherwenzel, und dasselbe spielen scherwenzeln heißt. Die ähnlichen Spiele Trischak, und auf dem Lande in Sachsen Grobhäuser, sind noch davon verschieden.
...

Adelung 1793

Das Grobhäusern, des -s, plur. car. ein auf dem Lande in Obersachsen übliches Glücksspiel, wobey jeder vier Karten erhält, deren zwey aufgelegt werden, auf welche hernach nach dem Verhältniß der noch in der Hand befindlichen zwey Blätter mehr oder weniger gebothen wird. Grobhäusern, verb. dieses Spiel spielen. Es ist weit einfacher als das Scherwenzeln.

Pierer dictionary 1862 (confirms Adelung and English wikipedia)
http://www.zeno.org/Pierer-1857/A/Scherwenzeln

Scherwenzeln, 1) Abart des Grobhäuserns, welche ganz wie dieses gespielt wird, u. worin die 4 Unter u. die 4 Neunen, Wenzel genannt, in alle Farben u. Blätter verwandelt werden können, so daß z.B. 1 Daus u. 1 König von derselben Farbe 41,1 Daus, 1 König etc. u. 3 Wenzel 4 Däuser, 4 Könige machen; 4 Wenzel überstechen alles Andere;

Pierer dictionary 1862 (confirms Adelung and English wikipedia)
http://www.zeno.org/Pierer-1857/A/Grobh%C3%A4usern

Grobhäusern, deutsches Kartenspiel zwischen zwei bis acht Personen. Jeder Spielende erhält zwei Blätter, die er behalten od. wegwerfen kann. Der erste, welcher seine Karte behält, setzt den vorher bestimmten Einsatz aus (ausbieten), meist ist die Vorhand dazu verbunden. Die anderen, welche ihre Karten behalten (mithalten), setzen dasselbe. Der die Karten gegeben, od., wenn er die seinigen weggeworfen hat, der ihm rechts Sitzende, kann diesen Satz erhöhen (bessern), u. so fort bis zum Ersten. Der so den ersten od. zweiten Satz mitgehalten hat, kann seine Karten wieder wegwerfen, wenn sie ihm nicht gut genug dünken, um den erhöhten Satz zu wagen. Wenn keiner mehr bessert, werden die noch liegenden Karten mit den weggeworfenen wieder gemischt, u. jeder Mithaltende bekommt noch zwei Karten. Der die Vorhand Habende od. der nach ihm Folgende bietet nun wieder aus, u. die Anderen setzen die ausgebotene Summe. Der zuletzt Mithaltende kann nun bessern, u. so der rechts, wobei es, wie bei den ersten Karten, Jedem freisteht, von dem Spiele abzugehen. Die Vorhand u. die nach ihr Folgenden können jedoch auch passen, u. wenn einer der Letzteren ausbietet, wieder an dem Spiele Theil nehmen (aufstehen). Wenn Niemand mehr bessert, so zeigt jeder der Mithaltenden seine Karte auf, u. der Gewinner zieht alle Sätze ein. Wenn Alle passen, so bleiben die Sätze stehen; diejenigen, welche auch bei den ersten zwei Karten nicht mitgehalten haben, müssen dann die durch den Verlust des Spiels erwachsene Summe setzen, u. dasselbe wird wieder, wie vorher, gespielt, nur daß bei einem verpaßten Spiele auf die ersten zwei Karten nicht von Neuem ausgeboten, wohl aber gebessert werden kann. Das Spiel gewinnt derjenige, welcher das höchste Gevierte (Kunststück), nämlich vier Däuser, vier Könige etc. hat. Nach den Gevierten kommen die meisten Augen von einer Farbe (Fluß); der höchste Fluß ist von einundvierzig, indem das Daus elf, König, Ober, Unter zehn u. die übrigen Karten nach ihren Benennungen zählen. Wenn kein Geviertes u. kein Fluß da ist, so gewinnen drei Däuser, drei Könige etc. u. dann drei u. zwei Blätter von der nämlichen Farbe. Zwei Könige, zwei Ober etc. gelten nichts. Bei gleichen Augen gewinnt die Vorhand. Zuweilen stechen vier auf einander folgende Karten (Krikelkrakel), wovon jedoch jede von einer anderen Farbe sein muß, z.B. Grünsieben, Rothacht,[658] Schellenneun, Eichelnzehn, ein Geviertes. Der niedrigste Krikelkrakel, d.h. der von einer Sieben anfangende, übersticht die von der Acht, Neun etc. anfangenden. Das G. ist fast überall als Hazardspiel verboten.

The Pierer dictionary is more intensive with the cards games as it seems.
http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Universal- ... gangenheit
It started in 1824 and reached 7 editions. The 2nd edition had 34 books and 17.000 termini.

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So this form of "Scharwenzel" had a rather strong difference to the form of "Scharwenzel", which is played in Fehmarn.
Games of luck are not our theme. Anyway, it's interesting to observe, that this Scharwenzel used a sort of "Joker" to replace other cards (before the existence of the "American Joker"). As this "Scharwenzel" likely created the general language association, that a "Scharwenzel" means something or somebody, which or who is adaptable to any context (like the Joker), one likely has to assume, that this is likely a rather old card game.

Can we assume the same for the Fehmarn-variant?
According the results of my current research (I got a lot of results just for 1670-1680, possibly an indication, that a new game with the name "Scharwenzel" became a fashion just then) the possible start is in a time, when Spanish Ombre was rather popular. The Fehmarn game contains Ombre elements ... it makes logic to assume its origin just then. Which would possibly mean, that two rather different games with cards were both called Scharwentzel, Scherwenzel or Scharwenzel).

Perhaps "Scharwenzel" was just a name for games, in which the general court card "Jack" played a dominant role. This is true for the Pierer/Adelung version and somehow also true for the Fehmarn game, although one might argue, that in this the both high black queens are the most dominant feature.

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For the Karnöffel game we have, that this game had its great time in 15th/16th century. Possibly it's the first great role of the "Jack" as the Karnöffel, which beats all other cards. The Karnöffel more or less disappeared, with "Gegenreformation" and a rather big war, which endured 30 years.
The terminus Karnöffel had been associated to a "brutal man" in Northern languages (similar to the terminus "Scharwenzel" it was used also in contexts not related to card playing). The "Scharwenzel" had lost the forceful image, it associated more the "everybody", good for the use of "everything". In other words, the earlier Karnöffel became the later Scharwenzel, gaining finally its full power in the Skat game, which got the rank of a national card game in Germany. Right with the start of a new Empire 1870/71.

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