Noose
A noose is a loop at the end of a rope in which the knot tightens under load and can be loosened without. The knot can be used to secure a rope to a post, pole or animal but only where the end is in a position that the loop can be passed over.
| Noose | |
|---|---|
 A noose knot tied in kernmantle rope | |
| Names | Noose, running knot |
| Category | Loop |
| Related | Slip knot, hangman's knot, running bowline, arbor knot |
| Releasing | Non-jamming |
| Typical use | Animal snares, knitting, self tightening end loop |
| ABoK | #1114[1], #1803, #1789, #8, #43, #1825 |
Tying
The knot is tied by forming a loop in the end of a rope, and then passing a bight of the standing end through the loop. The noose knot is a slipped version of the overhand knot.
Use in hanging
The knot most closely associated with execution is the hangman's knot, which is also known as the "hangman's noose." Tying is similar to the original noose, but several turns are wrapped around the loop. The reason for this was to make the hanging more humane, as it would break the person's neck, killing the person instantly, rather than strangling to death.
Further reading
- Jack Shuler, The Thirteenth Turn: A History of the Noose, Public Affairs, 2014, ISBN 9781610391368
References
- Ashley, Clifford W. (1993) [1944], The Ashley Book of Knots, New York: Doubleday, p. 204, ISBN 0-385-04025-3
