Folklore:  Tall (and wooly) Tales

Photograph courtesy of Kate Greenaway 

According to Dartmoor Studios, one variation of sheep in ancient folklore goes as follows:

"Sheep, like goats, are associated with Christmas in folk tales told across northern Europe and the British Isles.  On Christmas eve, these tales report, all sheep face east, bow three times, and are gifted with the power of speech from the stroke of midnight until the rise of the sun.  This holy ritual cannot take place under the gaze of human beings, bur provided the sheep are unobserved and unaware, their conversations can be overheard.  In some accounts, the sheep sing hymns; in others, they foretell events of the year to come; and in some they gossip, praising or bemoaning the conditions in which they live.  A grumbling sheep, mind you, is a cause for worry, because sheep are especially beloved and protected by Mother Mary in the folklore tradition, and a black mark is lodged in the heavenly accounts against farmers or shepherds who treat them ill."

"The Royal Ram" Photograph courtesy of Adrienne Segur 

In ancient farming traditions, sheep were considered to be sacred animals.  Farmers believed that sheep were the ones who told heavenly hosts how their farmers treated them during their mortal life.  In turn, sheep were well taken care of and beloved in most societies.  

Going back to myths older than Christianity:  Duttur was the Sumerian pastoral goddess associated with ewes, milk, and arts of the dairy; she was the mother of Tammuz:  the shepherd God of rebirth, fertility and new growth in spring.  Likewise, the ram-headed Khnum in Egyptian myth was a God of rebirth and pastoral regeneration.  As one of the oldest of Egyptian deities, he also was the God of creation, forming human bodies in clay on a potter's wheel and placing them inside their mother's womb.  In Greek myth, Aristaios (son of Apollo and Cyrene) was the God of shepherds and beekeepers.  The island of Ceos was the center of his cult (though he is also associated with the founding of Thebes), where his followers practiced "weather magic" and were renown for their find herds and dairy skills.  

Sheep are related to rebirth and innocence.  Jesus Christ was called "The Lamb of God".  A perfect, first born lamb was presented to Him at His birth.  Sheep have been a symbol of purity and innocence since ancient times, even representing children today.  When a child dies, a lamb is often depicted on their grave.  

"Head of a Ewe" sculpted between 3500-3000 BC photograph courtesy of terriwindling.com

So whether it be today, or thousands of years ago, sheep have been symbols of farming culture and people's relationships and love for animals.  Their part in the history of agriculture is very prevalent and well documented.  Sheep are wonderful creatures that will continue to prove to be a useful aspect and loyal friend to mankind.  

Windling, T. (n.d.). Into the Woods The Folklore of Sheep. Retrieved from http://www.terriwindling.com/blog/2014/12/the-folklore-of-sheep.htm    

The Ancient Origin of Wool

Photograph courtesy of 

http://freshfarmhouse.tumblr.com/post/99987123631/burning-soul-rosie-the-lamb

"It is not about the pasture of the sheep, but about their wool."  - Pope Pius II

Wool dates back before the time of recorded history when man would clothe himself in the wool of the wild sheep he hunted.  The discovery of this new covering provided protection from all of the elements.  The cultivation of wool is depicted in ancient drawings on cave walls all around the world.  As man and his thinking evolved, he came to the realization that to kill each sheep for its meat was a waste of a very valuable resource.  

Cave drawing.  Photograph courtesy of http://www.iwto.org/wool/history-of-wool/

The only animal thought to be domesticated before the sheep is the dog, which assisted men in becoming shepherds.  Wool began to be spun and woven by hand in Northern Europe before 10,000 BC.  Soon a crude spindle came about by fitting a clay ring to the end of a wooden stick.  This was the standard method for thousands of years and is even still in practice in some communities today.  These people had soon developed two methods for manipulating wool; the the spindle for spinning and the loom for weaving.  Improvements continued to be made on these instruments until around 500 AD when the first spinning-wheel came about.  One turn of a spinning-wheel was the equivalent of twenty turns of a spindle.  This saved much time and effort and allowed the methods to become much more efficient.  

When the Romans invaded the British islands in 55 BC they found the woolen products, "so fine it was compared with a spider's web."  By the twelfth century, wool was Britain's greatest national asset.  The peak of the industry was during the thirteenth century but quickly declined after that due to political instability.  Political situations became better in the late fourteenth century and cloth from English looms achieved international reputations because of the quality of their raw wool products.  Britain continued to be the wool capital of the world for years to come.  

The Industrial Revolution of 1750-1850 caused a great disruption in the world of wool.  Manufacturing methods that had gone unchanged since the fourteenth were now becoming subject to change.  Riots challenged manufacturers and destroyed machinery but it was the machines that eventually won. 

Production of yarn at White Oak Mills textile mill, 1907.  Photograph courtesy of http://www.learnnc.org/lp/editions/nchist-newsouth/5493

Coming from a family of sheep myself, I understand and appreciate the work that goes into the cultivation of wool.  It includes methods anywhere from promoting good bloodlines in your herd to insuring a qualified buyer of your wool when it is in the raw.  Wool is a material that is still in high demand today and it requires a lot of care between the back of the sheep to the store shelf.  Man will never be able to reproduce a material that is as efficient and has all the qualities of wool.

History of Wool. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.iwto.org/wool/history-of-wool/