aspergilla

Scope note: Instruments, usually of metal attached to an absorbent material, for the sprinkling of holy water. In the Western church, the aspergillum is composed of a handle surmounted by a perforated ball, sponge, or brush-like end to hold water. Some have sponges or internal reservoirs that dispense holy water when shaken, while others must periodically be dipped in "aspersoriums (vessels)." The tool was originally made of branches of hyssop, palm, or boxwood, wisps of straw, or the tail of a fox (in Old French the fox was called "goupil"). By the 13th century the aspergillum assumed the modern Western form of a handle surmounted by a rose-shape covered with bristles; the handles of the sprinklers came to be very richly ornamented. In the Greek Orthodox Church the aspergillum is a standing vessel with a tapering lid perforated with holes for sprinkling; in the Russian Orthodox Church, it is a whisk made of cloth, hair, or sprigs of basil. The tool was derived from ancient sources, where branches were used to sprinkle water, blood, or another liquid in rituals. Such tools were used in ancient Rome, the Middle East, ancient Norse rituals, and elsewhere.

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