A shepherd's crook is a long and sturdy stick with a hook at one end, often with the point flared outwards, used by a
shepherd
A shepherd is a person who tends, herds, feeds, or guards flocks of sheep. Shepherding is one of the world's oldest occupations; it exists in many parts of the globe, and it is an important part of Pastoralism, pastoralist animal husbandry. ...
to manage and sometimes catch sheep. In addition, the crook may aid in
defending against attack by
predators. When traversing rough terrain, a crook is an aid to balance. Shepherds may also use the long implement to part thick undergrowth (for example at the edge of a
drovers' road
A drovers' road, drove road, droveway, or simply a drove, is a route for droving livestock on foot from one place to another, such as to marketplace, market or between summer and winter pasture (see transhumance). Many drovers' roads were anci ...
) when searching for lost sheep or potential predators.
Symbolic use
The innovation of a
hook
A hook is a tool consisting of a length of material, typically metal, that contains a portion that is curved/bent back or has a deeply grooved indentation, which serves to grab, latch or in any way attach itself onto another object. The hook's d ...
facilitates the recovery of fallen animals by ensnaring them by the neck or leg. For this reason, the crook has been used as a religious symbol of care (particularly in difficult circumstances), including the Christian bishop's
crosier
A crozier or crosier (also known as a paterissa, pastoral staff, or bishop's staff) is a stylized staff that is a symbol of the governing office of a bishop or abbot and is carried by high-ranking prelates of Roman Catholic, Eastern Catho ...
.
In medicine, the term ''shepherd's crook'' is used to describe a
right coronary artery that follows an unusually high and winding route. This variant, which has a prevalence of about 5%, imposes technical problems in
angioplasty
Angioplasty, also known as balloon angioplasty and percutaneous transluminal angioplasty, is a minimally invasive procedure, minimally invasive endovascular surgery, endovascular Medical procedure, procedure used to widen narrowed or obstructe ...
procedures.
The letter
lamed originated as a representation of a shepherd's crook or goad, from which the Latin letter
L has evolved.
Ancient Greeks called it , and and in their art the crook is often seen in the hands of
Pan and also is the usual attribute of
Thalia, as the Muse of pastoral poetry.
The shepherd's crook is paired with
the agricultural flail to form
an insignia of pharaonic authority, with the crook representing kingship and the flail symbolizing the fertility of the land.
Gallery
File:Statue of Ramses II from Karnak, granodiorite - C 1380 Museo Egizio (Turin) 09.jpg, Ramses II, with the '' heka'' crook. Museo Egizio, Turin.
File:Tut coffinette.jpg , The crook and flail
Crook is slang for criminal.
Crook or Crooks may also refer to:
Places Canada
* Crooks Inlet, former name of Kangiqturjuaq, Nunavut
England
* Crook, County Durham, a town
* Crook, Cumbria, a village and civil parish
* Crook Hill, Derbys ...
on the coffinette of Tutankhamun
Tutankhamun or Tutankhamen, (; ), was an Egyptian pharaoh who ruled during the late Eighteenth Dynasty of Egypt, Eighteenth Dynasty of ancient Egypt. Born Tutankhaten, he instituted the restoration of the traditional polytheistic form of an ...
File:Blake shepherd.jpg , William Blake's hand painted print for his poem " The Shepherd" depicts the idyllic scene of a shepherd watching his flock with a shepherd's crook. This image represents copy B, printed and painted in 1789 and currently held by the Library of Congress
The Library of Congress (LOC) is a research library in Washington, D.C., serving as the library and research service for the United States Congress and the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It also administers Copyright law o ...
.
See also
*
Cattle prod
A cattle prod, also called a stock prod or a hot stick, is a handheld device commonly used to make cattle or other livestock move by striking or poking them. An electric cattle prod is a stick with electrodes on the end which is used to make catt ...
*
Crook and flail
Crook is slang for criminal.
Crook or Crooks may also refer to:
Places Canada
* Crooks Inlet, former name of Kangiqturjuaq, Nunavut
England
* Crook, County Durham, a town
* Crook, Cumbria, a village and civil parish
* Crook Hill, Derbys ...
*
Goad
The goad is a traditional farming implement, used to spur or guide livestock, usually oxen, which are pulling a plow or a cart; used also to round up cattle. It is a type of long stick with a pointed end, also known as the cattle prod.
The ...
*
Lasso
A lasso or lazo ( or ), also called reata or la reata in Mexico, and in the United States riata or lariat (from Mexican Spanish lasso for roping cattle), is a loop of rope designed as a restraint to be thrown around a target and tightened when ...
*
Mazzarella
*
Shepherd's hat
References
External links
*
*{{wiktionary-inline
Animal husbandry occupations
Farming tools
Livestock herding equipment
Sheep farming
Ritual weapons
Ceremonial weapons