# Shepherds Staff: Why the hook? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 23, 2007, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shepherds-staff-why-the-hook/431061 "2007-12-23T22:40:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ZenBeam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/3ab097/32.png) [@ZenBeam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZenBeam)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2007, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shepherds-staff-why-the-hook/431061/1 "2007-12-23T22:40:12Z")
Reading [**Qadgop** ’s Candy Cane Jesus thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=448720), the question of why shepherd’s staffs have hooks occurred. What’s its function? The [Wikipedia page](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shepherd) isn’t any help and in fact, in two of the three pictures with a staff, there is no hook, and in the third, you can’t tell. ---
**Author:** ![Sub\_Judice](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ba9def/32.png) [@Sub\_Judice](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sub_Judice)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2007, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shepherds-staff-why-the-hook/431061/2 "2007-12-23T22:44:19Z")
[QUOTE=ZenBeam] Reading [**Qadgop** ’s Candy Cane Jesus thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=448720), the question of why shepherd’s staffs have hooks occurred. What’s its function? The [Wikipedia page](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shepherd) isn’t any help and in fact, in two of the three pictures with a staff, there is no hook, and in the third, you can’t tell. [/QUOTE] Used to take a single sheep or lamb from the flock by gently hooking around the neck. Or is there some deeper meaning you’re looking for? :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2007, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shepherds-staff-why-the-hook/431061/3 "2007-12-24T01:25:13Z")
(Judging from artwork I have seen…) Also used to retrieve lambs that have gone astray in hard-to-reach places. ---
**Author:** ![Sub\_Judice](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ba9def/32.png) [@Sub\_Judice](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sub_Judice)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2007, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shepherds-staff-why-the-hook/431061/4 "2007-12-24T01:32:28Z")
[QUOTE=spoke-] (Judging from artwork I have seen…) Also used to retrieve lambs that have gone astray in\*\* hard-to-reach places\*\*. [/QUOTE] My Double-Entendre gland is overloading right now. But yeah. That too. MUST. . . . RESIST. . . .Sheep-shagger. . . Jokes ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2007, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shepherds-staff-why-the-hook/431061/5 "2007-12-24T02:25:42Z")
Some of those sheep were stand-up comedians, and the hook was used to get the really ba-a-a-a-a-d ones off-stage. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2007, 8:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shepherds-staff-why-the-hook/431061/6 "2007-12-24T08:00:44Z")
[QUOTE=panache45] Some of those sheep were stand-up comedians, and the hook was used to get the really ba-a-a-a-a-d ones off-stage. [/QUOTE] Ewe ought to be ashamed of yourself. ---
**Author:** ![Princhester](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2007, 8:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shepherds-staff-why-the-hook/431061/7 "2007-12-24T08:55:18Z")
You deserve a thorough lamb-asting yourself. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2007, 8:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shepherds-staff-why-the-hook/431061/8 "2007-12-24T08:58:18Z")
Shear foolishness. ---
**Author:** ![Malacandra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Malacandra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malacandra)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2007, 10:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shepherds-staff-why-the-hook/431061/9 "2007-12-24T10:34:44Z")
I think we need to ram this point home. ---
**Author:** ![Sockmunkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f17d59/32.png) [@Sockmunkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sockmunkey)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2007, 11:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shepherds-staff-why-the-hook/431061/10 "2007-12-24T11:43:01Z")
I’d join in on the puns, but I’d feel rather sheepish doing it. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2007, 12:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shepherds-staff-why-the-hook/431061/11 "2007-12-24T12:03:07Z")
That’s just woolly thinking. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Controvert](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dec6dc/32.png) [@The\_Controvert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Controvert)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2007, 12:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shepherds-staff-why-the-hook/431061/12 "2007-12-24T12:22:56Z")
That answer is on the mutton. ---
**Author:** ![danceswithcats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9e8a1a/32.png) [@danceswithcats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/danceswithcats)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2007, 12:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shepherds-staff-why-the-hook/431061/13 "2007-12-24T12:48:48Z")
We’ve herd enough flocking sheep puns. ---
**Author:** ![A.R.Cane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ee7513/32.png) [@A.R.Cane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/A.R.Cane)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2007, 12:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shepherds-staff-why-the-hook/431061/14 "2007-12-24T12:55:38Z")
Well, I’ll be doggone: [http://dogs-puppies.dogs-central.com/old-english-sheepdog-puppy/images/1562395750.01.LZZZZZZZ.jpg](http://dogs-puppies.dogs-central.com/old-english-sheepdog-puppy/images/1562395750.01.LZZZZZZZ.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2007, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shepherds-staff-why-the-hook/431061/15 "2007-12-24T13:35:58Z")
> [@](#): > > Shepherds Staff: Why the hook? **Hal** only knows! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2007, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shepherds-staff-why-the-hook/431061/16 "2007-12-24T13:57:32Z")
Let’s stop this chop-chop. ---
**Author:** ![Scuba\_Ben](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/278dde/32.png) [@Scuba\_Ben](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scuba_Ben)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2007, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shepherds-staff-why-the-hook/431061/17 "2007-12-24T15:03:59Z")
Five posts into a GQ thread, and we’re already serving up well done jokes. ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2007, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shepherds-staff-why-the-hook/431061/18 "2007-12-24T16:32:55Z")
With mint jelly. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![cmkeller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmkeller/32/118_2.png) [@cmkeller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmkeller)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2007, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shepherds-staff-why-the-hook/431061/19 "2007-12-24T16:33:44Z")
This whole thread is much ado about mutton. ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2007, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shepherds-staff-why-the-hook/431061/20 "2007-12-24T17:48:42Z")
Umm… you guys are… erm… all… _ungulate_ and stuff? I suck at this. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shepherds-staff-why-the-hook/431061.md?page=2)