Herder

The term shepherd (also Hirt ) or guardian means a person that takes care of a herd of farm animals ( secure) and supplies (eg, sheep, goats, formerly geese, pigs, cattle, horses, donkeys, especially in North Africa and the Middle East camels, llamas in South America, in South and Southeast Asia working elephants, etc.). In Latin, means Shepherd " Pastor ".

Vocational

The traditional working environment of the shepherd is characterized by the proximity of his cattle. The shepherd is also partly at night in the pasture and protects his flock from predators and predators. Particularly in the case of livestock (cattle, horses, camels ), and means cattle ( sheep, goat, pig) includes this lifestyle in extensive economic nomadism way to stay in the migration of the flock in contact. (see: nomadic shepherd )

In order to defend themselves against the dangers, the shepherd has only a small armament: his shepherd's staff, sometimes, like David, a slingshot, today shot armament.

Closely related to the tradition of the pastoral system is the resident dog, one of the earliest real pets of people, which was bred to numerous special hats breeds ( herding dog, herding dog, about Shepherd, Bernese Mountain Dog, more see list of domestic dogs ). It helps the herdsmen to hold together his flock, senses danger, and keep you company.

Since shepherds remained continuously in earlier times in their herds and this had lead to a different place after the grazing of the grass, the shepherds often had no fixed abode. It roots the cultural conflicts of the nomads with the sedentary farmers around the world, and probably for many millennia.

Reception of pastoralism

Already in ancient Egypt of the 12th dynasty, the topic was processed in the literary pastoral history.

In the ancient seal of the shepherd was the central figure of the bucolic, pastoral poetry in the Middle Ages.

The Bible uses the figure of the shepherd as a metaphor for God or the king, such as the 23rd Psalm or the parable of the Good Shepherd. Already Abel was a shepherd.

Often the shepherd is also used as a symbol of the guardian role. So, in the Bible numerous comparisons in which a prophet with a shepherd and his proteges are compared with sheep. Also, in the Christmas story there are shepherds who received on Christmas Eve, the news of the birth of Jesus Christ first, rush to the stable in Bethlehem and worship the Christ child there.

The figure of the shepherd (Latin: Pastor ) has flowed as a model both in the profession of the Christian clergy ( pastor ), as well as the art ( Pastorale ).

Were Nachgerade a myth in the history of culture in several ways:

• The shepherd, see sheep
• The Almhirte than Senner managers an alp
• The mounted cowherd the steppe, as a cowboy (above a name in the U.S.), Charro (Mexico) and Gaucho (especially in Argentina), but also in Europe: Buttero (Tuscany), csikós (Hungary ), Gardian ( Southern France), Vaquero (Spain) - other names are found in all horse people, and partly merge with the names of the people