Shepherd's crook

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.

The innovation of a hook facilitates the recovery of fallen animals by ensnaring them by the neck or leg.

For this reason, the crook has been used as a religious symbol of care (particularly in difficult circumstances), including the Christian bishop's 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.

[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.