Shepherd

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{{Short description|Person who tends, feeds, or guards flocks of sheep}}
{{Other uses}}
{{Redirect|Sheepherding|other uses|Shepherding (disambiguation)}}
{{Redirect2|Sheepherder|Sheepherders}}
{{use mdy dates|date=September 2018}}
[[File:Shepherds, Chambal, India.jpg|thumb|Shepherds travelling in Chambal, India]]
[[File:Rumunia 5806.jpg|thumb|Shepherd with grazing sheep in [[Făgăraș Mountains]], Romania]]
A '''shepherd''' or '''sheepherder''' is a person who tends, herds, feeds, or guards flocks of [[sheep]]. ''Shepherd'' derives from [[Old English]] ''sceaphierde (''sceap'' 'sheep' + ''hierde'' '[[herder]]'). ''Shepherding is one of the world's oldest occupations, it exists in all parts of the globe, and it is an important part of [[Pastoralism|pastoralist animal husbandry]].

Because of the ubiquity of the profession, many religions and cultures have symbolic or metaphorical references to the shepherd profession. For example, [[Jesus]] called himself the [[Good Shepherd]],<ref name=":0" /> and ancient Greek mythologies highlighted shepherds such as [[Endymion (mythology)|Endymion]] and [[Daphnis]]. This symbolism and shepherds as characters are at the center of [[pastoral]] literature and art.

== Origins ==
[[File:Paridera Cueva del Río Piedra.jpg|thumb|Middle Age livestock shelter or [[paridera]] in a natural cave in Piedra River in the monk's old path from the monastery to the roe deer salt ponds, Aragon, Spain]]

Shepherding is among the oldest occupations, beginning some 5,000 years ago in [[Asia Minor]]. Sheep were kept for their [[milk]], [[sheep meat|meat]] and especially their [[wool]]. Over the next thousand years, sheep and shepherding spread throughout [[Eurasia]]. [[Henri Fleisch]] tentatively suggested the [[Shepherd Neolithic]] [[industry (archaeology)|industry]] of [[Lebanon]] may date to the [[Epipaleolithic]] and that it may have been used by one of the first cultures of [[nomadic pastoralism|nomadic shepherds]] in the [[Beqaa Valley]].<ref name="CopelandWescombe1966">{{Cite book |last1=Copeland |first1=L. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qhPRQwAACAAJ |title=Inventory of Stone-Age Sites in Lebanon: North, South and East-Central Lebanon, p. 49 |last2=Wescombe |first2=P. |publisher=Impr. Catholique |year=1966 |access-date=29 August 2011}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Fleisch |first=Henri |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/27916138 |title=Notes de Préhistoire Libanaise : 1) Ard es Saoude. 2) La Bekaa Nord. 3) Un polissoir en plein air. BSPF |year=1966 |volume=63|jstor=27916138 }}</ref>

Some sheep were integrated in the family farm along with other animals such as [[chicken]]s and pigs. To maintain a large flock, the sheep must be able to move from pasture to another pasture.  This required the development of an occupation separate from that of the farmer. The duty of shepherds was to keep their flock intact, protect it from predators and guide it to market areas in time for [[Sheep shearing|shearing]]. In ancient times, shepherds also commonly milked their sheep, and made [[cheese]] from this milk; few shepherds still do this today.{{cn|date=September 2018}}

[[File:Iraqi Shepherd.tif|thumb|A [[Kurdish people|Kurdish]] shepherd, 1958]]
In many societies, shepherds were an important part of the economy. Unlike farmers, shepherds were often wage earners, being paid to watch the sheep of others. Shepherds also lived apart from society, being largely nomadic. It was mainly a job of solitary males without children, and new shepherds thus needed to be recruited externally.  Shepherds were most often the younger sons of farming peasants who did not inherit any land. In other societies, each family would have a family member to shepherd its flock, often a child, youth or an elder who couldn't help much with harder work; these shepherds were fully integrated in society.{{cn|date=September 2018}}

Shepherds would normally work in groups either looking after one large flock, or each bringing their own and merging their responsibilities. They would live in small cabins, often shared with their sheep, and would buy food from local communities. Less often shepherds lived in covered wagons that traveled with their flocks.{{cn|date=September 2018}}

Shepherding developed only in certain areas. In the lowlands and river valleys, it was far more efficient to grow grain and cereals than to allow sheep to graze, thus the raising of sheep was confined to rugged and mountainous areas. In pre-modern times shepherding was thus centered on regions such as the Middle East, Greece, the [[Pyrenees]], the [[Carpathian Mountains]], Scotland and Northern England.{{cn|date=September 2018}}

== Shepherd's crook==
{{main|Shepherd's crook}}
[[File:Crook, shepherd's (AM 1958.105.1-2).jpg|thumb|upright=3|center|Shepherd's crook]]
The shepherd's crook is a strong multi-purpose stick or staff, often fashioned with a hooked end.

== Modern times ==
[[File:Koniaków miyszani owiec (redyk wiosenny) 05.jpg|thumb|Shepherds at work, 2017, [[Beskids]], [[Carpathian Mountains]]]]
[[File:Russellshepherd.jpg|thumb|upright|Shepherd with his horse and dog on [[Gravelly Range]], [[Madison County, Montana]], August 1942]]

In modern times, shepherding has changed dramatically. The destruction of common lands in Europe in the eighteenth and nineteenth-century shifted shepherds from independent nomads to employees of massive estates. Some families in Africa and Asia have their wealth in sheep, so a young son is sent out to guard them while the rest of the family tends to other chores. In the US, many sheep herds are flocked over public [[Bureau of Land Management|Bureau of Land Management (BLM)]] lands.{{cn|date=September 2018}}

Wages are higher than was the case in the past. Keeping a shepherd in constant attendance can be costly. Also, the eradication of sheep predators in parts of the world has lessened the need for shepherds. In places like Britain, hardy breeds of sheep have frequently been left alone without a shepherd for long periods. More productive breeds of sheep can be left in fields and moved periodically to fresh pasture when necessary. Hardier breeds of sheep can be left on hillsides. The sheep farmer will attend to the sheep when necessary at times like lambing or shearing.{{cn|date=September 2018}}
{{Further|Sheep husbandry}}

==By country==
[[File:Transhumance ways of the Vlachs.jpeg|thumb|[[Transhumance]] ways of the [[Vlachs|Vlach]] shepherds in the past]]

===Eurasia===
====Cyprus====
The first Shepherd's Fair was announced to take place in the Cyprus Village of Pachna, on August 31, 2014, in the printed editions of ''[[Cyprus Weekly]]'' and in the Greek-language daily, ''[[Phileleftheros]]''.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2014 |title=Κύπρος Ειδήσεις Πολιτική Κοινωνία Ψυχαγωγία |url=http://www.philenews.com |website=[[Phileleftheros]] |publisher=Philenews |language=el}}</ref>

====China====
[[File:Herding sheep353.jpg|thumb|Aerial view of a flock of sheep in [[China]] with shepherd and motorbike ]]
Shepherding in China dates back thousands of years. Traditional Chinese shepherds played a vital role in the country's agrarian society, tending to flocks of sheep and goats in various regions. These herders were responsible for not only ensuring the well-being of their animals but also safeguarding them from natural predators such as wolves and protecting them from theft.

Shepherding in ancient China was often a communal effort, with families or communities collectively managing their herds. These communities developed techniques and methods to graze their flocks in the vast and varied landscapes of China, from the high plateaus of Tibet to the fertile plains of the central and eastern regions. The shepherds employed their knowledge of the land and the behavior of their animals to select optimal grazing grounds and water sources.

Traditional Chinese shepherds used tools and equipment suited to their specific regions and needs. In the north, where winters could be harsh, they often relied on yurts or portable shelters to protect themselves and their livestock from the cold. In the more temperate and arable southern regions, shepherds utilized different strategies for grazing and protection.

Shepherding practices in China have evolved over the centuries, adapting to changes in agricultural and pastoral systems. With the modernization of agriculture and the growth of urbanization, the traditional role of shepherds has declined significantly in many parts of China. However, there are still regions, particularly in remote and mountainous areas, where shepherds continue to maintain their traditional way of life, preserving the ancient practices and knowledge that have been passed down through generations.

In recent years, there has been a renewed interest in sustainable and eco-friendly agriculture in China, leading to efforts to preserve and revitalize traditional shepherding practices. Some initiatives aim to support and empower local shepherds, recognizing the cultural and environmental importance of their role in maintaining China's pastoral landscapes.

===Australia and New Zealand===
[[File:Shepherds watch box.JPG|thumb|Shepherd's watch box, [[New South Wales]]]]

European exploration led to the spread of sheep around the world, and shepherding became especially important in Australia and New Zealand where there was great pastoral expansion. In Australia [[Squatting (pastoral)|squatters]] spread beyond the [[Nineteen Counties]] of New South Wales to elsewhere, taking over vast holdings called properties and now [[Station (Australian agriculture)|stations]].{{cn|date=September 2018}}

Once driven overland to these properties, sheep were pastured in large unfenced runs. There, they required constant supervision.<ref>{{Cite book |title=Frontier Country |publisher=Weldon Russell, Willoughby |year=1989 |isbn=1-875202-00-5 |editor-last=Coupe |editor-first=Sheena |volume=I}}</ref> Shepherds were employed to keep the sheep from straying too far, to keep the mobs as healthy as possible and to prevent attacks from [[dingo]]es and introduced predators such as feral dogs and foxes. Lambing time further increased the shepherd's responsibilities.{{cn|date=September 2018}}

Shepherding was an isolated, lonely job that was firstly given to [[Convict assignment|assigned]] [[Convicts in Australia|convict]] servants. The accommodation was usually poor and the food was lacking in nutrition, leading to [[dysentery]] and [[scurvy]]. When free labour was more readily available others took up this occupation. Some shepherds were additionally brought to Australia on the ships that carried sheep and were contracted to caring for them on their arrival in the colony. Sheep owners complained about the inefficiency of shepherds and the shepherds' fears of getting lost in [[the bush]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Pemberton |first=P. A. |title=Pure Merinos and Others |work=ANU Archives of Business & Labour |year=1986 |isbn=0-86784-796-4 |location=Canberra}}</ref>

Typically sheep were watched by shepherds during the day, and by a hut-keeper during the night. Shepherds took the sheep out to graze before sunrise and returned them to brush-timber yards at sunset. The hut-keeper usually slept in a movable shepherd's watch box placed near the yard in order to deter attacks on the sheep. Dogs were also often chained close by to warn of any impending danger to the sheep or shepherd by dingoes or natives.{{cn|date=September 2018}}

In 1839 the usual wage for a shepherd was about AU£50 per year, plus weekly rations of {{Convert|12|lb|kg}} meat, {{Convert|10|lb|kg}} flour, {{Convert|2|lb|kg}} sugar and {{Convert|4|oz|g}} tea. The wage during the depression of the 1840s dropped to £20 a year.{{cn|date=September 2018}}

During the 1850s many shepherds left to try their luck on the goldfields causing acute labour shortages in the pastoral industry. This labour shortage leads to the widespread practice of fencing properties, which in turn reduced the demand for shepherds.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Chisholm |first=Alec H. |title=The Australian Encyclopaedia |publisher=Halstead Press |year=1963 |volume=8 |location=Sydney |page=103}}</ref> Over 95% of [[New South Wales]] sheep were grazing in paddocks by the mid-1880s. An 1890s census of fencing in New South Wales recorded that 2.6 million kilometres of fencing had been erected there with a contemporary cost of A$3 billion. [[Boundary rider]]s and [[Stockman (Australia)|stockmen]] replaced shepherds working on foot, who have not been employed in Australia and New Zealand since the start of the 20th century.<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://www.outbackmag.com.au/still-on-the-sheeps-back |title=Still on the Sheep's Back |date=January 29, 2009 |work=Outback Story |publisher=Outback magazine |issue=63}}</ref>

==Religion==
{{See also|Pashupati|Dhangar|Kuruba}}

[[Dumuzid]], later known as Tammuz, was an important rural [[deity]] in [[ancient Mesopotamian religion]], who was revered as the patron god of shepherds.<ref name="BlackGreen">{{Cite book |last1=Black |first1=Jeremy |title=Gods, Demons and Symbols of Ancient Mesopotamia: An Illustrated Dictionary |last2=Green |first2=Anthony |publisher=The British Museum Press |year=1992 |isbn=0714117056 |page=72}}</ref><ref name="Jacobsen2008">{{cite book |last=Jacobsen |first=Thorkild |title=Toward the Image of Tammuz and Other Essays on Mesopotamian History and Culture |date=2008 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nldKAwAAQBAJ&q=Did+Tammuz+influence+the+passion+narrative+of+Jesus |pages=73–103 |editor-last=Moran |editor-first=William L. |chapter=Toward the Image of Tammuz |place=Eugene, Oregon |publisher=Wipf & Stock |isbn=978-1-55635-952-1 |author-link=Thorkild Jacobsen |orig-year=1970}}</ref> In his role as ''Dumuzid sipad'' ("Dumuzid the Shepherd"), he was believed to be the provider of milk,<ref name="Jacobsen2008" /> which was a rare, seasonal commodity in ancient [[Sumer]] due to the fact that it could not easily be stored without [[Food spoilage|spoiling]].<ref name="Jacobsen2008" /> Under this same title, Dumuzid was thought to have been the fifth [[antediluvian]] king of the Sumerian city-state of [[Bad-tibira]].<ref name="BlackGreen" /> In the Sumerian poem ''[[Inanna]] Prefers the Farmer'', Dumuzid competes with the farmer [[Enkimdu]] for the affection of the goddess Inanna and ultimately wins her favor.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Kramer |first=Samuel Noah |url=http://www.sacred-texts.com/ane/sum/ |title=Sumerian Mythology: A Study of Spiritual and Literary Achievement in the Third Millennium B.C.: Revised Edition |date=1961 |publisher=University of Pennsylvania Press |isbn=0-8122-1047-6 |location=Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |page=101 |author-link=Samuel Noah Kramer}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last1=Wolkstein |first1=Diane |title=Inanna: Queen of Heaven and Earth: Her Stories and Hymns from Sumer |last2=Kramer |first2=Samuel Noah |publisher=Harper&Row Publishers |year=1983 |isbn=0-06-090854-8 |location=New York City, New York |pages=30–49}}</ref> Ancient Near Eastern peoples associated Dumuzid with the springtime, when the land was fertile and abundant,<ref name="Jacobsen2008" /><ref name="Ackerman">{{Cite book |last=Ackerman |first=Susan |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=38aX_-PqViIC&q=mourning+over+the+death+of+Tammuz&pg=PA116 |title=Gender and Difference in Ancient Israel |date=2006 |publisher=Fortress Press |isbn=9780800623937 |editor-last=Day |editor-first=Peggy Lynne |location=Minneapolis, Minnesota |page=116 |orig-year=1989}}</ref> but, during the summer months, when the land was dry and barren, it was thought that Dumuzid had "died".<ref name="Jacobsen2008" /><ref name="Ackerman" />

Metaphorically, the term "shepherd" is used for [[God]], especially in the [[Judeo-Christian]] tradition (e.g. [[Psalm 23]], Ezekiel 34), and in Christianity especially for [[Jesus]], who called himself the [[Good Shepherd]].<ref name=":0">[[Gospel of John]] 10:11</ref> The Ancient [[Israelites]] were a [[Herder|pastoral]] people and there were many shepherds among them. It may also be worth noting that many biblical figures were shepherds, among them the patriarchs [[Abraham]] and [[Jacob]], the [[Israelites#Biblical narrative|twelve tribes]], the prophet [[Moses]], [[King David]], and the [[Old Testament]] [[prophet]] [[Amos (prophet)|Amos]], who was a shepherd in the rugged area around [[Tekoa (Biblical)|Tekoa]].<ref>[[Book of Amos]] 1:1</ref> In the [[New Testament]], angels [[Annunciation to the shepherds|announced the birth of Jesus to shepherds]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Bible Gateway passage: Luke 2:8-20 - New International Version |url=https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke%202%3A8-20&version=NIV |access-date=2023-01-28 |website=Bible Gateway |language=en}}</ref>

The same metaphor is also applied to [[priest]]s, with [[Roman Catholic]], [[Church of Sweden]] and other [[Lutheran]], and [[Anglican Communion|Anglican]] [[bishop]]s having the shepherd's [[crosier|crook]] among their insignia (see also ''[[Lycidas]]''). In both cases, the implication is that the faithful are the "flock" who have to be tended. This is in part inspired by Jesus's injunctions to Peter, "Feed my sheep", which is the source of the pastoral image in ''Lycidas''. The term "[[Pastor]]", originally the [[Latin]] word for "shepherd", is now used solely to denote the clergy of most Christian denominations.{{cn|date=September 2018}}

{{nowrap|The Good Shepherd}} is one of the thrusts of Biblical scripture. This illustration encompasses many ideas, including God's care for his people. The tendency of humans to put themselves into danger's way and their inability to guide and take care of themselves apart from the direct power and leading of God is also reinforced with the metaphor of sheep in need of a shepherd.{{cn|date=September 2018}}

According to [[Muhammad]], the Prophet of [[Islam]], every messenger of God had the occupation of being a shepherd at one point in their lives, as he himself was as a young man. Narrated by Jabir bin Abdullah: We were with [[Allah]]'s Apostle picking the fruits of the [[Salvadora persica|Arak tree]]s, and Allah's Apostle (peace and blessings of Allah be to him) said, "Pick the black fruit, for it is the best." The companions asked, "Were you a shepherd?" He replied, "There was no prophet who was not a shepherd." ([[Sahih Bukhari]], Chapter 'Prophets', Volume 4, Book 55, [[Hadith]] 618) This includes Jesus, Moses, Abraham, and all other prophets according to Islam. Also, 'shepherd' used as a metaphor of leadership and responsibilities that comes with it. A hadith narrated from Ibn Umar says that Muhammad says, "All of you are shepherds and every one of you is responsible for his herd. A leader is a shepherd, a man is the shepherd over his family, and a woman is the shepherd over her husband's house and his children. So all of you are shepherds, and every one of you is responsible for his herd."<ref>{{Cite web |title=Hadith |url=https://hadeethenc.com/en/browse/hadith/5819 |access-date=2021-12-09 |website=Encyclopedia of Translated Prophetic Hadiths |language=en |quote=All of you are shepherds, and every one of you is responsible for his herd. A leader is a shepherd, a man is the shepherd over his family and a woman is the shepherd over her husband's house and his children. So all of you are shepherds, and every one of you is responsible for his herd}}</ref> 

[[Sikhism]] also has many mentions of shepherd tales. There are many relevant quotations, such as "We are the cattle, God almighty is our shepherd."{{cn|date=September 2018}}

This concept has also been used frequently by critics of organized religion to present an unflattering portrayal.{{Citation needed|date=November 2021}}

==In popular culture==
{{Main|idyll|pastoralism}}
[[File:Eugene Verboeckhoven, A Shepherdess with her Flock.jpg|thumb|''A Shepherdess with her Flock'' by [[Eugène Joseph Verboeckhoven|Verboeckhoven]]]]

The shepherd, with other such figures as the [[goatherd]], is the inhabitant of idealized [[Arcadia (utopia)|Arcadia]], which is an idyllic and natural countryside. These works are, indeed, called [[pastoral]], after the term for herding. The first surviving instances are the ''Idylls'' of [[Theocritus]], and the ''Eclogues'' of [[Virgil]], both of which inspired many imitators such as [[Edmund Spenser]]'s ''[[The Shepheardes Calender]]''. The shepherds of the pastoral are often heavily conventional and bear little relation to the actual work of shepherds.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Johnson |first=Lynn Staley |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BbuqAkgCZJoC&pg=PA63 |title=The Shepheardes Calender: An Introduction |publisher=Penn State Press |year=2010 |location=University Park |page=63|isbn=978-0271041001 }}</ref>

In the poem "The passionate shepherd to his love", by Christopher Marlowe, a shepherd is depicted as a partaker of rural paradise, and capable of giving things worth more than that a town resident could give.<ref>{{Cite web |last=GradeSaver |title=Christopher Marlowe's Poems The Passionate Shepherd to His Love Summary and Analysis |url=http://www.gradesaver.com/christopher-marlowes-poems/study-guide/summary-the-passionate-shepherd-to-his-love |website=www.gradesaver.com|date=October 26, 2020 }}</ref>

Many tales involving [[Child abandonment#In literature|foundlings]] portray them being rescued by shepherds: [[Oedipus]], [[Romulus and Remus]], the title characters of [[Longus]]'s ''Daphnis and Chloe'', and ''[[The Winter's Tale]]'' by [[William Shakespeare]]. These characters are often of much higher social status than the characters who save and raise them, the shepherds themselves being secondary characters. Similarly, the heroes and heroines of [[fairy tale]]s written by the ''[[précieuses]]'' often appeared as shepherds and shepherdesses in pastoral settings, but these figures were royal or noble, and their simple setting does not cloud their innate nobility.<ref>{{Cite book |last=[[Lewis Seifert]] |title=The Marvelous in Context: The Place of the Contes de Fées in Late Seventeenth Century France |work=The Great Fairy Tale Tradition: From Straparola and Basile to the Brothers Grimm |year=2001 |isbn=0-393-97636-X |editor-last=Jack Zipes |pages=920–921|publisher=W.W. Norton }}</ref>

==Gallery==
<gallery widths="200px" heights="160px">
File:Meister des Mausoleums der Galla Placidia in Ravenna 002.jpg|Fifth-century [[Ravenna]] mosaic illustrating the concept of [[The Good Shepherd (religion)|The Good Shepherd]]
File:Nicolas Poussin - Et in Arcadia ego (deuxième version).jpg|''[[Les Bergers d'Arcadie]]'' (The Shepherds of [[Arcadia (utopia)|Arcadia]]) by [[Nicolas Poussin]]
File:Sleepingnymph.jpg|''A Sleeping [[Nymph]] Watched by a Shepherd'' by [[Angelica Kauffman]], about 1780, V&A Museum no. 23-1886
File:Pastrage.jpg|Traditional midnight mass with shepherds in [[Provence]]
File:The Shepherd in Tampere.jpg|''The Shepherd'' sculpture at the [[Koskipuisto]] park in [[Tampere]], [[Finland]]
</gallery>

==See also==
<!-- Please respect alphabetical order -->
{{div col|colwidth=30em}}
* [[Animal husbandry]]
* [[Camel]] herding
* [[Dhangar]] community
* [[Goatherd]]
* [[Herder]]
* [[Herding dog]]
* [[Hill people]]
* [[Livestock guardian dog]]
* [[Llama]] herding
* [[Kuruba]] Hindu community
* "[[The Nymph's Reply to the Shepherd]]" by Sir [[Walter Raleigh]] (written in response to "The Passionate Shepherd to His Love")
* "[[The Passionate Shepherd to His Love]]" by [[Christopher Marlowe]]
* [[Reindeer herding]]
* "[[Robene and Makyne]]"
* [[Sheepdog]]
* [[Shepherd's crook]]
* [[shepherd's hat]]
* [[Shepherd's hut]]
* [[Sheepskin]]
* ''[[The Shepherdess]]'' – painting by [[William-Adolphe Bouguereau|Bouguereau]]
* [[Swineherd]]
* [[Trailing of the Sheep]]
* [[Transhumance]]
* [[Yak#Domesticated yaks|Yak]] herding
{{div col end}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Shepherds}}
{{Wikiquote}}
{{Wiktionary}}
* [http://www.sheep101.info/index.html A Beginner's Guide to Raising Sheep]
* [http://www.ramshornstudio.com/songbook.htm A Shepherds Songbook]
* [http://www.karakulsheep.com/ American Karakul Sheep Registry]
* [http://www.albc-usa.org/ American Livestock Breeds Conservancy]
* [http://www.rarebreeds.co.nz/ Rare Breeds Conservation Society of New Zealand]
* [http://www.scottish-blackface.co.uk/ Scottish Blackface Sheep Breeders Association]

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Shepherds| ]]
[[Category:Animal husbandry occupations]]
[[Category:Herding]]
[[Category:Pastoralists]]