Let's talk cromachs

[Tobus]

The internet, as usual, contains a lot of conflicting and weird information on the subject of the cromach. So I'd like to pick your collective brains on this. Other threads on this subject have been locked due to age, so I'm starting over.

First, I'm curious as to the history of it. I've read that the traditional cromach as we know it today is a 20th century invention (although certainly based on shepherds' crooks which date back thousands upon thousands of years). I've read that it gained popularity starting with Highland Games organizers, as a symbol of their authority. I've read that they're just fashionable walking sticks. I've also read that they're only appropriate for dressy daywear occasions. I've even seen some web references putting them in the same category as occult paraphernalia. (???)

So what's the real history of the cromach? Heck, for that matter, what's the real definition of a cromach? In other words, what differentiates a cromach from a plain old walking staff? Is there any significance to the carrying/using of one?

When are they appropriate? Conversely, when are they NOT appropriate?

What makes for a good cromach, in terms of make, materials, style, etc.?

I typically see cromachs in the standard crook-shaped variety (either with bone or wood tops). I've also seen 'thumb' style cromachs that have a Y-shaped top. I've seen a few that are just random deer antlers on top too, or ram-horns that twist well beyond a standard hook shape. What other variations are out there?

I saw the following picture in another thread. That's one heck of a staff he's got there! I can't say I've ever seen another kilted gentleman (chief?) with one like that, outside of a Renaissance festival, anyway. Is this traditional?

[auld argonian]

I'm sure that the experts will chime in but I has to speculate that the cromach thing is sort of the same as a lot of other things that designate hierarchy in a tribe.

"All us guys have sticks but you see that guy over there with the really big stick? Okay...he's the head guy....you want something, you go talk to him....he's the chief and we're just the indians."

The b-side would be that the simple having of a stick is just a holdover from when having a stick was a more practical thing. Self-defense/deterrent, pokin' the ground to see if it's safe to walk, keeping your balance on rough terrain or while wading a river, pokin' at inert critters to see if they're dead...the usual.

Best

AA

[NewEnglander]

pokin' at inert critters to see if they're dead...the usual.

I've never considered getting a cromach before, but if it has such handy applications..........

[Bugbear]

Post deleted.

[Tobus]

The b-side would be that the simple having of a stick is just a holdover from when having a stick was a more practical thing. Self-defense/deterrent...

Not to hijack my own thread, but that's still an everyday practical thing for me. Just last weekend I was hiking as usual, with my wife riding alongside me on her horse. We rounded a curve in the trail and there were two Rottweiler/Chow-cross dogs standing there. I slowly approached them and they seemed friendly enough, but then one of them charged my wife's horse. I was about to turn my hiking staff into a dog-beating club, but thankfully my wife has trained her horse on how to handle it. She put her horse in offensive mode and started chasing the dog to stomp it to smithereens (a task he seems to enjoy, although he's never actually stomped one that I know of). Anyway, the dog's owner rounded the curve a few moments later and put them on their leashes where they were supposed to be the whole time, according to the rules of the state park. He got a tongue-lashing from my irate wife.

Anyway, I won't hit the trails without my stick. Its intended purpose is for balance and all the other things you describe, but "club" is definitely on the list too, should it ever come to that!

[auld argonian]

I've never considered getting a cromach before, but if it has such handy applications..........

You don't play golf on the same courses that I do...often a five iron is a good substitute for a cromach.

And, Tobus...ooooh...your wife has a destrier? Always wanted one...


Best

AA

[Chas]

I could be wrong, but I believe that this is staff of office - Chieftain of the Gathering or some such.

Regards

Chas

[HeathBar]

From what I read somewhere the shape of the cromach head has a purpose. The opening would be the right size for a sheeps neck making it easy for the shepard to control the sheep. And the little upturn (which is now mostly a carved thistle) has a purpose as well. If one of the sheep was giving birth, then the shepard could stick the staff in the ground and then hang a lantern from the upturn. This would leave both of his hands free to assist in the birthing. It makes sense, but it could just be a romantic legend.

I want to say that most Scottish made cromachs are made of hawthorne for the staff and a rams horn for the head. But I suppose it could be made from a shaped piece of wood as well.

I don't know if a market stick is considered a cromach. It has a much smaller opening in the head. This is used to grab the sheep by the leg.

[auld argonian]

Interesting...I grew up across the street from the Union Stock Yards in Chicago and saw lots of handlers use a more utilitarian version of the "shepherds' crook" while schlepping the sheep on to their final destination. They were only about four feet long at the max and had a larger hook on them...rather unlike the cromachs or the classic shepherds' crooks that one sees in representations of Biblical hi-jinks (those are probably more of a representation of what the artist was familiar with than something legitimately BCE anyway).

Best

AA

[piperdbh]

Self-defense/deterrent, pokin' the ground to see if it's safe to walk, keeping your balance on rough terrain or while wading a river, pokin' at inert critters to see if they're dead...the usual.

Suppose you get attacked while testing the bed of a river in rough terrain and you lose your balance while an inert critter floats past you. Would you then need 5 cromachs?