Sheep Parts!

[David KUIJT <kuijt@umiacs.UMD.EDU>]

Poster: David KUIJT <kuijt@umiacs.umd.edu>



> > The knucklebones (actually anklebones) can be used as dice
> > (be sure to look up the correct way of numbering the sides)
> > or jacks.
> 
> The anklebone of a sheep is roughly brick-shaped, and there are
> four sides that can land uppermost when it's thrown.  According
> to a site on Greek Alphabet Astragalomancy that I found on the
> Total Terran Tangle, these sides are traditionally numbered
> 1, 3, 4, and 6.

Interesting that 2 and 5 are removed.  Note the correspondence to dice
numbering: in the 30-odd dice I've found in museums in England (Roman,
Viking, a few Medieval, and the gold and silver backgammon dice of Mary
Queen of Scots) the pips were ALWAYS numbered so that opposite sides sum
to 7.  The 2 and 5 removed would have gone on the ends of the anklebone,
if they were numbered as dice are.  That strongly suggests that dice pips
were transferred to anklebone numberings (although the other direction is
possible, I think it less likely).


 
> I checked. it's the sheep's _shin_bones that are used in a game
> called loggat.  Salaamallah says that you stand up the shin-bones
> like nine-pins and try to knock up down with a stick, but some of
> the citations for loggat in the OED say you drive the stick into
> the ground and throw the shin-bones at it, trying to be closest
> (like in horseshoes).  Maybe both versions were played.
> 
> Why is it there isn't any sub-space chatter here about other uses
> for that poor sheep?  It's making me seem kind of ghoulish, being
> the only one.

I'm willing to be ghoulish!  I'd like to beg for the following 
Sheep Parts for my own nefarious schemes:

FAKE IVORY
Shoulder and Hip socket joints (just the bones, please) -- the
	thickest bones (right at the socket) can be cut to make dice
	without the marrow running through and ruining it.
Flat parts of shoulder blades, pelvic girdle, possibly jawbone or
	skull -- I've wanted to make a carved ivory reliquary chest
	for a long time, but I haven't got any ivory (nor do I really
	want to use real ivory).  Bone is a medieval substitute for
	ivory, but you need flat pieces (which ain't easy).
Shin bones -- If nobody else wants them, I'd love to be able to play
	loggat!  I've got lots of illustrations of it, and some
	rules somewhere in my bowling documentation...
Knucklebones -- more ivory for dice.


I'd also love to have the bladder, for a REAL Cambok ball!!!!  To
be done right, I think it'll have to be separated from the flesh
without nicking or cutting it at all.  Further, there are three
tubes coming into it: two small ones down from the kidneys, and one
larger one going away (urethra?  I'm not sure).  All three tubes
need to be long enough so they can be effectively tied off when
the bladder is inflated -- at least 6", I'm guessing.  If they are
cut too short, there probably isn't any way to seal the bladder.

Dafydd ap Gwystl

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