There are few more romantic or ancient professions than the shepherd, the keeper and protector of the flock.
In classical times he (or she: Amaryllis is a shepherdess in Virgil's Bucolics) came to symbolise innocence in an unspoilt natural idyll. Christianity found in the job spec a handy echo of some of its deity's duties, namely keeping an eye on the populace. Even the culinary world celebrates shepherds with a pie named in their honour.
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