Ringing the Bull
Ringing the Bull is a skill game playedmainly in English pubs . The object of the game is to swing a ring hanging on a string onto a hook. In Germany, the game became known through the TV show Schlag den Raab .
Game setup and rules
A metal ring is attached to a long, vertically hanging cord. A hook that is open at the top is attached to the opposite wall within reach of the ring. The player must swing the ring on the string so that it gets caught on the hook. In the pubs, the hook often hangs on a stuffed animal head . In another variant, the cord hangs on a gallows and the hook is attached to the vertical beam of the gallows.
Origin of the name
The metal ring is similar to the nose rings that some bulls are tamed with. When the ring with the string hangs on the hook, it looks like a bull pulled by the nose ring.
history
The origins of the game are believed to be in Jerusalem . Crusaders brought the game to England. There it was played for the first time in the tavern The Trip to Jerusalem , whose history dates back to 1189. There is also a variant in the Caribbean that associates the game with fishing . Pirates and the writer Ernest Hemingway are named as inventors . The oldest written evidence in England is the book Men of Character by D. Jerrold from 1838: “After that, he must visit the gypsies; then he must ring-the-bull. [...] There is first the lucky-bag-then the sticks-then the ringing-the-bull-then the round-about. "
The game at Schlag den Raab
In the German game show Schlag den Raab , Ringing the Bull was played in the 49th edition on the night of November 15-16, 2014 - if the candidate won, he would receive 2.5 million euros. The game setup with the gallows was used. Stefan Raab and his opponent alternately each had five attempts to hit the hook. After almost a full hour of play, both opponents had not hit the target once, so the game was abandoned without result. In the substitute game, the candidate prevailed.