軛

軛是一種用木製造的樑，用來給兩頭牛拉貨物（牛幾乎總是成對）。這個可以用來幫助犁田。軛有幾種類型，用於不同的文化，並給不同類型的牛使用。

英語詞源

The word "yoke" is believed to derive from Proto-Indo-European *yugóm (yoke), from verb *yeug- (join, unite). This root has descendants in almost all known Indo-European languages including German Joch, Latin iugum, Ancient Greek ζυγόν (zygon), Sanskrit युग (yugá), Hittite 𒄿𒌑𒃷 (iúkan), Old Church Slavonic иго (igo), Lithuanian jungas, Old Irish cuing, Romanian jug, etc. (all meaning "yoke").

頸軛

頸軛 is a shaped wooden crosspiece bound to the necks of a pair of oxen (or occasionally to horses). It is held on the animals' necks by an oxbow, from which it gets its name. The oxbow is usually U-shaped and also transmits force from the animals' shoulders. A swivel between the animals, beneath the centre of the yoke, attaches to the pole of a vehicle or to chains (traces) used to drag a load.

Bow yokes are traditional in northern Europe, and in the United States, Australia and Africa.

頭軛

頭軛配置在牛頭，通常在牛角後方。and has carved-out sections into which the horns fit; it may be a single beam attached to both oxen, or each ox may have a separate short beam (see picture). The yoke is then strapped to the horns of the oxen with yoke straps. Some types fit instead onto the front of the head, again strapped to the horns, and ox pads are then used for cushioning the oxen's foreheads. A tug pole is held to the bottom of the yoke using yoke irons and chains. The tug pole can either be a short pole with a chain attached for hauling, or a long pole with a hook on the end that has no chain at all. Sometimes the pole is attached to a wagon and the oxen are simply backed over this pole, the pole is then raised between them and a backing bolt is dropped into the chains on the yoke irons in order to haul the wagon.

Head yokes are widely used in southern Europe, much of South America and in Canada.

马肩隆軛

马肩隆軛是用在牛的马肩隆前。The yoke is held in position by straps, either alone or with a pair of wooden staves either side of the ox's withers; the pull is however from the yoke itself, not from the staves. Withers yokes particularly suit zebu cattle, which have high humps on their withers.

Withers yokes are widely used in Africa and India, where zebu cattle are common.

比較

Although all three yoke types are effective, each has its advantages and disadvantages. As mentioned above, withers yokes suit zebu cattle, and head yokes can of course only be used for animals with suitable horns. Head yokes need to be re-shaped frequently to fit the animals' horns as they grow; unlike the other types they fix the animal's heads apart (when a single beam), helping the oxen to stand quietly without fighting. Bow yokes need to be the correct size for the animal (new ones are often made as the animal grows), but they need no adjustment in use.

象徵

With its of connotations of subservience, in ancient cultures it was traditional to force a defeated enemy to pass beneath a symbolic yoke of spears or swords. A remnant of this tradition is the saber arch seen at some military weddings.^{[來源請求]}

The yoke is frequently used as a metaphor in the Old Testament, first used in Genesis 27:40 regarding Esau. In the teachings of Jesus Christ, his followers are told "Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light". This is a metaphor for submitting to Jesus and being connected to him as with a yoke. (Gospel of Matthew 11:30)

參見

Whippletree, a similar pivot device used behind draught animals to even out their pull.

外部鏈接

Prairie Ox Drovers - ox training association
ISCOWP
Paper describing types of yoke and comparing them.