Let's talk cromachs

[auld argonian]

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?

Then, my friend, you need the Swiss Army Cromach!

Best

AA

[Slowburn]

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?

That's what the new improved Swiss army cromach is for!

[piperdbh]

Then, my friend, you need the Swiss Army Cromach!

Best

AA

...and a piece of rhubarb pie.

[Akilter]

This may help.

http://knol.google.com/k/the-art-of-...der-tradition#

Search for stick making, or stick dressing which are more common terms to those involved in the art.

There is actually quite alot about it on the net.

Regards

[Zardoz]

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.

Might just be semantics, or regionality, but in the sheep handling business (in which my wife is surprisingly well versed) the stick used to grab sheep by the leg is called a Leg Cleek and has a smaller metal hook.
The fancy horn or metal topped "market stick" is a decendant of the plain shepherds crook, but a bit of a "show off" stick to be taken to the market when buying/selling stock, etc.. The cromachs one usually sees on this forum and at Highland events remind me more of market sticks.

[BoldHighlander]

Might just be semantics, or regionality, but in the sheep handling business (in which my wife is surprisingly well versed) the stick used to grab sheep by the leg is called a Leg Cleek and has a smaller metal hook.
The fancy horn or metal topped "market stick" is a decendant of the plain shepherds crook, but a bit of a "show off" stick to be taken to the market when buying/selling stock, etc.. The cromachs one usually sees on this forum and at Highland events remind me more of market sticks.

You'd be correct "Z".

In an older (closed) thread I started back in 2008, there are some books listed on stick making, along with photos of Jock Scot's wonderful looking cromach you might find of interest.

You can view the thread here.

I've always wanted a curly horned one myself, like the one to the far right (below), though I also like the middle one as well



...these last two pics were on the older thread in the OP, but got lost somewhere:

[MacRobert's Reply]

Useful for establishing the depth of snow drifts before struggling through them.

[Drac]

While I've had never heard the term cromach, staves have been used in pagan ceremonies. Pagans are hardly unique in that though, to be very honest there are very few household items that haven't been used in religous ceremonies of many religons throughout time.

I wouldn't worry to much about the "occult" uses. If you look hard enough you will find a claim on just about anything you touch that is old enough from cards to brooms.

Jim

[auld argonian]

While I've had never heard the term cromach, staves have been used in pagan ceremonies. Pagans are hardly unique in that though, to be very honest there are very few household items that haven't been used in religous ceremonies of many religons throughout time.

Jim

The Lord Of The Rings by ol' JRR Tolkien abounds with characters who bear staves imbued with magic.

There's the Staff of Elrond, the Staff of Gandalf...

...I, myself, carry what is know (and feared) far and wide as "The Staff Of The Meyer And Bessie Feinberg Jewish Community Center"...it has aided me many times in fording streams, fending off Balrogs and finding the leanest corned beef sandwiches in any burg that I visit.

Best

AA

[BobsYourUncle]

The Lord Of The Rings by ol' JRR Tolkien abounds with characters who bear staves imbued with magic.

There's the Staff of Elrond, the Staff of Gandalf...

...I, myself, carry what is know (and feared) far and wide as "The Staff Of The Meyer And Bessie Feinberg Jewish Community Center"...it has aided me many times in fording streams, fending off Balrogs and finding the leanest corned beef sandwiches in any burg that I visit.

Best

AA

OK, settle down now, you've made me spit my coffee twice in the same thread. You're great, you are!