The reef knot or square knot is an ancient and simple binding knot used to secure a rope or line around an object. Although the reef knot is often seen used for tying two ropes together

Flemish bend

The Flemish Bend, also known as a Figure Eight Bend, a double figure eight bend, and a rewoven figure eight is a knot for joining two ropes of roughly similar size....

, it is not recommended for this purpose due to potential instability of the knot.

A reef knot

Knot

A knot is a method of fastening or securing linear material such as rope by tying or interweaving. It may consist of a length of one or several segments of rope, string, webbing, twine, strap, or even chain interwoven such that the line can bind to itself or to some other object—the "load"...

 is formed by tying a left-handed overhand knot

Overhand knot

The overhand knot is one of the most fundamental knots and forms the basis of many others including the simple noose, overhand loop, angler's loop, reef knot, fisherman's knot and water knot. The overhand knot is very secure, to the point of jamming badly. It should be used if the knot is...

 and then a right-handed overhand knot, or vice versa. A common mnemonic for this procedure is "right over left, left over right", which is often appended with the rhyming suffix "... makes a knot both tidy and tight". Two consecutive overhands of the same handedness

Handedness

Handedness is a human attribute defined by unequal distribution of fine motor skills between the left and right hands. An individual who is more dexterous with the right hand is called right-handed and one who is more skilled with the left is said to be left-handed...

 will make a granny knot

Granny knot

The granny knot is a binding knot, used to secure a rope or line around an object. It is considered inferior to the reef knot, which it superficially resembles. Neither of these knots should be used as a bend for attaching two ropes together....

. The working ends of the reef knot must emerge both at the top or both at the bottom, otherwise a thief knot

Thief knot

The Thief knot resembles the reef knot except that the free, or working, ends are on opposite sides. It is said that sailors would secure their belongings in a ditty bag using the thief knot, often with the ends hidden. If another sailor went through the bag, the odds were high the thief would...

 results.

Naming

The name "reef knot" dates from at least 1794 and originates from its common use to reef

Reefing

Reefing is a sailing manoeuvre intended to reduce the area of a sail on a sailboat or sailing ship, which can improve the ship's stability and reduce the risk of capsizing, broaching, or damaging sails or boat hardware in a strong wind...

 sails, that is to tie part of the sail

Sail

A sail is any type of surface intended to move a vessel, vehicle or rotor by being placed in a wind—in essence a propulsion wing. Sails are used in sailing.-History of sails:...

 down to decrease its effective surface area in strong wind

Wind

Wind is the flow of gases on a large scale. On Earth, wind consists of the bulk movement of air. In outer space, solar wind is the movement of gases or charged particles from the sun through space, while planetary wind is the outgassing of light chemical elements from a planet's atmosphere into space...

s. To release the knot a sailor

Sailor

A sailor, mariner, or seaman is a person who navigates water-borne vessels or assists in their operation, maintenance, or service. The term can apply to professional mariners, military personnel, and recreational sailors as well as a plethora of other uses...

 could collapse it with a pull of one hand; the sail's weight would make the collapsed knot come apart. It is specifically this behavior which makes the knot unsafe for connecting two ropes together.

The name "square knot" is found in Dana's

Richard Henry Dana, Jr.

Richard Henry Dana Jr. was an American lawyer and politician from Massachusetts, a descendant of an eminent colonial family who gained renown as the author of the American classic, the memoir Two Years Before the Mast...

 1841 maritime compendium A Seaman's Friend, which also gives "reef knot" as an alternate name.

Uses

The reef knot is used to tie the two ends of a single line together such that they will secure something, for example a bundle of objects, that is unlikely to move much. In addition to being used by sailors for reefing and furling

Furl (sailing)

Furling refers to stowing or dousing a boat's sail by flaking , packing , roller furling or just lowering it onto the deck. Nowadays, it is becoming more common to use the term "furling" to refer to reefing a sail that is part of a roller furling system....

 sails, it is also one of the key knots of macrame

Macramé

Macramé or macrame is a form of textile-making using knotting rather than weaving or knitting. Its primary knots are the square knot and forms of "hitching": full hitch and double half hitches...

 textiles.

The knot lies flat when made with cloth and has been used for tying bandage

Bandage

A bandage is a piece of material used either to support a medical device such as a dressing or splint, or on its own to provide support to the body; they can also be used to restrict a part of the body. During heavy bleeding or following a poisonous bite it is important to slow the flow of blood,...

s for millennia. As a binding knot it was known to the ancient Greeks

Ancient Greece

Ancient Greece is a civilization belonging to a period of Greek history that lasted from the Archaic period of the 8th to 6th centuries BC to the end of antiquity. Immediately following this period was the beginning of the Early Middle Ages and the Byzantine era. Included in Ancient Greece is the...

 as the Hercules

Hercules

Hercules is the Roman name for Greek demigod Heracles, son of Zeus , and the mortal Alcmene...

 knot (Herakleotikon hamma) and is still used extensively in medicine. In his Natural History

Natural History

Natural history is the scientific study of plants or animals.Natural History may also refer to:In science and medicine:* Natural History , Naturalis Historia, a 1st-century work by Pliny the Elder...

, Pliny

Pliny the Elder

Gaius Plinius Secundus , better known as Pliny the Elder, was a Roman author, naturalist, and natural philosopher, as well as naval and army commander of the early Roman Empire, and personal friend of the emperor Vespasian...

 relates the belief that wounds heal

Wound healing

Wound healing, or cicatrisation, is an intricate process in which the skin repairs itself after injury. In normal skin, the epidermis and dermis exists in a steady-state equilibrium, forming a protective barrier against the external environment...

 more quickly when bound with a "Hercules knot".

It has also been used since ancient times to tie belt

Belt (clothing)

A belt is a flexible band or strap, typically made of leather or heavy cloth, and worn around the waist. A belt supports trousers or other articles of clothing.-History:...

s and sash

Sash

A sash is a cloth belt used to hold a robe together, and is usually tied about the waist. The Japanese equivalent of a sash, obi, serves to hold a kimono or yukata together. Decorative sashes may pass from the shoulder to the hip rather than around the waist...

es. A modern use in this manner includes tying the obi

Obi (sash)

is a sash for traditional Japanese dress, keikogi worn for Japanese martial arts, and a part of kimono outfits.The obi for men's kimono is rather narrow, wide at most, but a woman's formal obi can be wide and more than long. Nowadays, a woman's wide and decorative obi does not keep the kimono...

 (or belt) of a martial arts

Martial arts

Martial arts are extensive systems of codified practices and traditions of combat, practiced for a variety of reasons, including self-defense, competition, physical health and fitness, as well as mental and spiritual development....

 keikogi

Keikogi

or dōgi is a uniform for training, used in martial arts derived from Japan, or budō. . The prototype for the modern keikogi emerged in the late 19th century. The keikogi was developed by judo founder Kano Jigoro...

.

With both ends tucked (slipped) it becomes a good way to tie shoelaces

Shoelaces

Shoelaces, which are also called shoe-strings, shoe laces, or boot laces, are a system commonly used to secure shoes, boots and other footwear. They typically consist of a pair of strings or cords, one for each shoe, finished off at both ends with stiff sections, known as aglets...

, whilst the non-slipped version is useful for shoelaces that are excessively short. It is appropriate for tying plastic garbage or trash bags, as the knot forms a handle when tied in two twisted edges of the bag.

The reef knot figures prominently in Scouting

Scouting

Scouting, also known as the Scout Movement, is a worldwide youth movement with the stated aim of supporting young people in their physical, mental and spiritual development, that they may play constructive roles in society....

 worldwide. It is included in the international membership badge and many scouting awards

Square knot insignia

Square knot insignia are embroidered cloth patches that represent awards of the Boy Scouts of America and Scout associations throughout the world...

. In the Boy Scouts of America demonstrating the proper tying of the square knot is a requirement for all boys joining the program.

Misuse as a bend

The reef knot's familiarity, ease of tying, and visually appealing symmetry belie its weakness. The International Guild of Knot Tyers

International Guild of Knot Tyers

The International Guild of Knot Tyers is a world-wide association for people with an interest in knots and knot tying. Officially established in 1982, the founding members were initially drawn together by the 1978 publication in The Times of an allegedly new knot, the Hunter's bend.The goals of...

 warns that this knot should never be used to bend two ropes together. A proper bend knot, for instance a sheet bend

Sheet bend

The sheet bend is a bend, that is, a knot that joins two ropes together. Doubled, it is effective in binding lines of different diameter or rigidity securely together, although it has a tendency to work loose when not under load.The sheet bend is related in structure to the bowline...

 or double fisherman's knot

Double fisherman's knot

The double fisherman's knot or grapevine knot is a bend, or a knot used to join two lengths of rope. This knot and the triple fisherman's knot are the variations used most often in climbing, arboriculture, and search and rescue...

, should be used instead. Knotting authority Clifford Ashley

Clifford Ashley

Clifford Warren Ashley was an American artist, author, sailor, and knot expert. He was born in New Bedford, Massachusetts, son of Abiel Davis Ashley and Caroline Morse. Ashley married Sarah Scudder Clark in 1932 and had two daughters, also adopting his wife's oldest daughter from a previous...

 claimed that misused reef knots have caused more deaths and injuries than all other knots combined. Further, it is easily confused with the granny knot

Granny knot

The granny knot is a binding knot, used to secure a rope or line around an object. It is considered inferior to the reef knot, which it superficially resembles. Neither of these knots should be used as a bend for attaching two ropes together....

, which is a very poor knot.

See also

• Shoelace knot
  Shoelace knot
  The shoelace knot is a knot which is commonly used for tying shoelaces.The shoelace knot is designed for quick release and easily comes untied when either of the working ends is pulled. During the tying of the knot, the farther the loops are pulled, the shorter the working ends become...
  
  
• Granny knot
  Granny knot
  The granny knot is a binding knot, used to secure a rope or line around an object. It is considered inferior to the reef knot, which it superficially resembles. Neither of these knots should be used as a bend for attaching two ropes together....
  
  
• Thief knot
  Thief knot
  The Thief knot resembles the reef knot except that the free, or working, ends are on opposite sides. It is said that sailors would secure their belongings in a ditty bag using the thief knot, often with the ends hidden. If another sailor went through the bag, the odds were high the thief would...
  
  
• Surgeon's knot
  Surgeon's knot
  The surgeon's knot is a simple modification to the reef knot. It adds an extra twist when tying the first throw, forming a double overhand knot, thus adding friction which makes the knot more secure. This knot is commonly used by surgeons in situations where it is important to maintain tension on...
  
  
• List of bend knots
• List of binding knots
• List of knots
• Square knot (emblem or insignia)
• Reefing
  Reefing
  Reefing is a sailing manoeuvre intended to reduce the area of a sail on a sailboat or sailing ship, which can improve the ship's stability and reduce the risk of capsizing, broaching, or damaging sails or boat hardware in a strong wind...
  
  

External links

• Knot of Hercules - http://symboldictionary.net/?p=3030
• Ancient symbolism of Hercules knot - http://www.solnyc.com/webcat_retail/wc_greek/info/asymbols.htm