Shepherd's crook
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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
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
) when searching for lost sheep or potential predators.
Symbolic use
The innovation of a
crosier.[1]
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%,[2] imposes technical problems in angioplasty procedures.[3]
The letter
lamed originated as a representation of a shepherd's crook or goad, from which the Latin letter L has evolved.[citation needed
]
Ancient Greeks called it κορύνη, λαγωβόλον and καλαῦροψ 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.[4]
The shepherd's crook and the flail (an agricultural tool) are insignia of pharaonic authority.[citation needed]
Gallery
-
Ramses II, with the heka crook. Museo Egizio, Turin. -
The crook and flail on the coffinette of Tutankhamun -
![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.[5]](//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/92/Blake_shepherd.jpg/161px-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.[5]
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![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.[5]](/File:Blake_shepherd.jpg)
See also
References
- ^ Caeremoniale Episcoporum (Vatican Polyglott Press, 1985)
- PMID 22411942.
- ISSN 1097-0304.
- ^ A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities (1890), Pedum
- ^ Morris Eaves; Robert N. Essick; Joseph Viscomi (eds.). "Songs of Innocence, copy B, object 4 (Bentley 5, Erdman 5, Keynes 5) "The Shepherd"". William Blake Archive. Retrieved January 17, 2014.
External links
Media related to Shepherd's crooks at Wikimedia Commons
The dictionary definition of shepherd's crook at Wiktionary
