thumb|Gnav pieces.
Gnav is a traditional Danish and Norwegian social game that has been played with either special cards or wooden pieces with similar motifs. Gnav packs appeared after 1820 and the game was popular until c. 1920. The game can be played by 20 or more players, and a minimum of two. Today, only the playing card version is available in Norway. This game had migrated to Italy by the mid-16th century where it was named "Malcontento" but it was in the early 18th century that the first dedicated decks for what became known as Cuccù (Cuckoo) appeared; the pack consisting of 38 cards. As in the original game, suits were irrelevant but rank was important. The new pack consisted of two identical sequences of 19 cards each, including a Fool. The game was also known to be played with wooden pieces in Venice during the late 18th century, possibly as a way of avoiding the stamp tax.
Since the game was popular among sailors and mercenaries in the eighteenth century, it spread rapidly to other parts of Europe, changing its name and generating local variations in the number of cards or images portrayed. By the time it had reached Denmark as Gniao (Italian for miaow), it had 42 cards; the earliest packs being produced by Jacob Holmblad in the 1820s or 1830s. the images being glued to the base so they could not be seen when stood up. The men were usually kept in a leather bag.
In 1979, a new Gnav pack, designed by Astrid Pilegaard Larsen, was produced to coincide with a games exhibition, with the intention of rescuing the game from obscurity. Players also receive equal supplies of counters. Play then proceeds by turns, starting to the left of the dealer. In turn, a player may either choose to keep the card dealt, by saying "stand" ("jeg står"), or swap it with the left-hand neighbour by saying "change" ("jeg byte").
Hypp is a game of chance in which cards are dealt in 'heaps' (hence the name) and players bet on the cards at the bottom of each heap. It appears related to the French game of Petits Paquets, the game of Bankafalet described by Charles Cotton in 1674 and the old Czech game of Hromadky which is known as far back as 1609.
Slabberjan
Similar to Gnav but with a different ranking (highest to lowest): Cavalier (Kap-af) > Bird (Vogel) > Cat (Poesje) > Tavern (Herberge) > Numerals 12 to 1 > 0 (zero) > Blank (Blind, a blank card) > Pot (Pot) > Mask (Smoel) > Fool (Nar).
Kille
The deck comprises 42 cards of a single suit, comprising two copies of 21 distinct cards, in the ranking (highest to lowest):
{| class="wikitable"
|- align="center"
| style="background: #FBEC5D;" colspan="3" | Card names and actions in Kille
|-
! Card name
! Swedish
! Action on being challenged
|-
| Cuckoo
| Kuku
| Holder says "Cuckoo stands!", the round ends and all reveal their cards
|-
| Hussar
| Husar
| Holder says "Hussar strikes!", the exchanger is out
|-
| Pig
| Husu, Gris
| Holder says "The pig bites back!", there is no swap and all the earlier swaps are reversed
|-
| Cavalier
| Kavall
| Holder says "Pass the cavalier!" and exchanger challenges the next in line
|-
| Inn or Tavern
| Värdshus
| Holder says "Pass the tavern!" and exchanger challenges the next in line
|-
| 1 – 12
| 1 – 12
| Cards exchanged
|-
| Wreath
| Kransen
| Cards exchanged
|-
| Flowerpot
| Blompotten
| Cards exchanged
|-
| Mask
| Blaren
| Cards exchanged
|-
| Harlequin
| Harlekin
| Depends on situation
|}
Cuccù
The modern deck comprises 40 cards, comprising two copies of 20 distinct cards, in the ranking (highest to lowest):
{| class="wikitable"
|- align="center"
| style="background: #90EE90;" colspan="3" | Card names and actions in Cuccù
|-
! Card name
! Italian
! Action on being challenged
|-
| Cuckoo
| Cucco (XV)
| Holder says "Cuckoo!" and no exchange takes place
|-
| Hunter (XIIII)
| Bum, Tuff
| Holder says "Bang!", no exchange takes place and the exchanger loses a counter
|-
| Horse (XIII)
| Salta, Cavallo
| Holder neighs and exchanger must try and swap with the next in line
|-
| Cat (XII)
| Gnaf
| Holder miaows; exchanger loses a counter. Earlier exchanges may be reversed
|-
| Tavern (XI)
| Taverna
| Holder says "Will you stay a while?" Exchanger may try to encourage a swap
|-
| I – X
| I – X
| Cards exchanged
|-
| Nulla
| Nulla
| Cards exchanged
|-
| Pail
| Secchio
| Cards exchanged
|-
| Mask
| Maschera
| Cards exchanged
|-
| Lion
| Leone
| Cards exchanged
|-
| The Fool
| Matto
| Depends on situation
|}
In modern Italy, the game is played with original rules only in the small Abruzzi towns of Campli and Montorio al Vomano, both in the Teramo province. The same cards are also used in Brescia and Bergamo provinces but for a completely different, trick-taking game.
Vogelspiel or Hexenspiel
The pack comprises 32 cards with 10 pairs of non-identical picture cards but only one set of 12 numeral cards. They rank from highest to lowest as follows:
{| class="wikitable"
|- align="center"
| style="background: #B9D9EB;" colspan="3" | Card names and actions in Hexenspiel or Vogelspiel
|-
! Card name
! Austrian/Bavarian
! Action on being challenged
|-
| Bird
| Pfeiff
| No exchange takes place and the exchanger loses two of three lives
|-
| Guard
| Werda
| No exchange takes place and the exchanger loses a life
|-
| Cat
| Miau
| No exchange takes place and the exchanger loses a life
|-
| Horse
| Hott
| No exchange takes place and the exchanger loses a life
|-
| Tavern
| Einkerth
| No exchange takes place and the exchanger loses a life
|-
| I – X
| I – X
| Cards exchanged. Note: some packs have XI and XII instead of two Nullas.
|-
| Nulla
| Nulla
| Cards exchanged. Note: some packs have XI and XII instead of two Nullas.
|-
| Plate
| Deller, Teller
| Cards exchanged
|-
| Sausages
| Wurst
| Cards exchanged
|-
| Glass
| Glas
| Cards exchanged
|-
| The Fool
| Narr
| Cards exchanged
|-
| Witch
| Hex
| Cards exchanged
|}
Footnotes
References
Bibliography
- Bauer, Günther G.: "Das Salzburger Hexenspiel", in: Homo Ludens. Der Spielende Mensch II (1992), G.G. Bauer (ed.). Munich & Salzburg: Katzbichler, , pp. 239–282 .
- Jensen, K. Frank (1980). "Playing-cards in Denmark" in The Journal of the Playing-Card Society, Vol. 8, No. 4 (May 1980), pp. 118ff. Describes Gnav cards and pieces at pp. 128–129.
- Kastner, Hugo Die große Humboldt-enzyklopädie der Kartenspiele pg. 30 Humboldt (2205)
- Kuromiya, Kimihiko (2015). "Playing the Game: Gnav in Germany", in The Playing-Card, Vol. 43, No. 4 (Apr–June 2015). pp. 237–238.
- Smith, A. G. (1991a). "The 'Cambio' Packs and the Games Played with Them. I. Hexenspiel and Quittli" in The Playing-Card, Vol. XIX, No. 3 (February 1991), pp. 93ff.
External links
- Regional comparisons at old.no