The origins of tug of war are not clearly known, though they must be
very old. It may have originally been a ritual or religious contest:
There is no specific time and place in history to define the origin
of the game of Tug of War. The contest of pulling on the rope
originates from ancient ceremonies and rituals. Evidence is found in
countries like Egypt, India, Myanmar, New Guinea... The origin of the
game in India has strong archaeological roots going back at least to
the 12th Century AD in the area what is today the State of Orissa on
the east coast. The famous Sun Temple of Konark has a stone relief on
the west wing of the structure clearly showing the game of Tug of War
in progress.
The origins of Tug of War are uncertain, but it is beyond dispute
that this once royal sport was practiced in ancient Egypt and China,
where it was held in legend that the Sun and Moon played Tug of War
over the light and darkness.
Tug of War stories about heroic champions from Scandinavia and
Germany circulate Western Europe where Viking warriors pull animal
skins over open pits of fire in tests of strength and endurance in
preparation for battle and plunder.
1500 and 1600 – Tug of War is popularized during tournaments in French chateaux gardens and later in Great Britain...
1800 – Tug of War begins a new tradition among seafaring men who
were required to tug on lines to adjust sails while ships were underway
and even in battle.
The Oxford English Dictionary says that the phrase 'tug of war' originally meant the decisive contest; the real struggle or tussle; a severe contest for supremacy.
Only in the 19th century was it used as a term for an athletic contest
between two teams who haul at the opposite ends of a rope. |
