A “wether” is a male sheep (a ram), usually a castrated one.
A “bellwether” is a sheep (usually male [a ram {usually a castrated one}]) who leads the herd, usually with a bell around their neck.
How a sheep actually leads the herd is beyond me. But that’s what a quick look into the dictionary says. :)
— Vito 
Science fiction author Connie Willis wrote an entertaining screwball novel on the subject of bossy sheep and mass consumer behavior (which are, at the end, more or less equated). I bet you can guess its title if you try really hard: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0553562967
— Forrest
Clarification on your quest for shepherding wisdom is eagerly anticipated.
— Brock
Without phrasing it in any sort of witty way, I’m just going to come out and ask “Why, Mark, WHY?”, if thats OK with everyone.
Why, Mark, WHY?
I am aware of the dictionary definition, and of the book by Connie Willis. They are, in fact, two of my conflicting references.
Connie claims that the bellwether is a specific sheep, not visually different from any other, and that part of the trick of herding is to locate the bellwether. In the book they do this through computer analysis, IIRC.
Other references claim that it is a goat, or an older, larger sheep, or a castrated ewe.
I’m wondering if there is any validity to Connie’s version.
— Mark
Well I’ve always been told (regardless of dictionary definition) that a wether is an older, castrated ram. So it’s fair to say that the bellwether is *not* a goat, *not* a completely random sheep, and is certainly different (although perhaps not visibly different) to the other sheep.
The bell? Screwed if I know. Bugs Bunny cartoons always taught me that the sheep at the front of the herd was wearing a bell; on a blue ribbon no less. Oh Bugs, where did we go wrong?
— Chris
You’re the accessability bellwether. That said, I think it’s the one that the others follow.
— Jesper
”
Why, Mark, WHY?
”
I think I can answer that. Mark is a geek. Geeks like to learn stuff.
This trivia is only slightly more esoteric to society in general than his usual subject matter.
You’re feeling like the rest of the world feels when he goes off on XHTML incompatibility.
No offense to your writing, Mark. I find you quite accessible, in several meanings of the word.
A) Mark, if you’ll allow me to wear the pedant’s hat for a moment, you can’t have a castrated ewe, as a ewe is a female. You would have a castrated ram.
B) I am not certain on the exact methods of how the sheep are led, so I cannot answer your question directly, but I can tell you one thing about sheep of which I have rock solid certainty: they are delicious when roasted slow with rosemary.
I used to show sheep in the county fair. From my limited experience, sheep have to be herded or led and can’t be told what to do. But like all animals, they’re very good at going to food. The point of a belled sheep (I never knew it was a bellwether) was this: if a sheep with a bell went to the food, the others would learn in relatively short order (for sheep) that they should follow the bell to food. Then you use that lesson to take them anywhere - into a pen, for example, so you can worm them.
I assume the point of using a castrated male or older sheep is ease and physical safety. I can say from experience that getting a young sheep, particularly a full grown male, to go where you want until it is used to you - and sometimes even then - is physically difficult and sometimes dangerous. Sheep are often very skittish, and sometimes good candidates for showing were simply too unreliable to bring out in public. A strong young sheep, especially if it hasn’t been sheared, is a huge, kicking bundle that can hurt you. So why bother? Just bell an older, calmer animal, maybe one you think is smarter, and let it do the work for you.
This is farm experience. I don’t know about herding sheep with predators around - coyotes hadn’t yet returned to my area. I assume sheep will also move together for safety, though my experience is that food and water are the big draws for any animal and you use those to train their expectations.
I don’t understand the idea of a bellwether being in the middle of herd. What would be the point? How would the herd know where to go unless they’re being pushed by a dog. Individual sheep can be smart - like any animal - but a herd is stupid. I guess their need to huddle outweighs, for most sheep, what looks sensible. For example, I’d often see sheep lying in a huge group around a big tree, but not all of them could fit in the shade. A small group would be elsewhere, in other shade, but many would simply swelter.
— jonny
“It’s my belief that these sheep are laborin’ under the misapprehension that they’re birds. Observe their be’avior. Take for a start the sheeps’ tendency to ‘op about the field on their ‘ind legs. Now witness their attmpts to fly from tree to tree. Notice that they do not so much fly as…plummet.”
According to my trusty _Facts on File Encyclopedia of Word and Phrase Origins_ (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0816040885/):
“Bellwether: Since Anglo-Saxon times a bellwether has been a castrated male sheep that usually has a bell fastened around its neck and leads the flock. Later the word was applied humorously to a ringleader, the leader of any mob, conspiracy, or the like, and then was used to describe any leader who assumes the forefront of a profession or industry, etc., as in ‘New York is the bellwether of the publishing industry’”
— Jacob
> Why, Mark, WHY?
Because of parallels to the web and the blogosphere. What moves the “herd” of bloggers?
— Tom
Thank you, I was wondering how long it would take for someone to bring up the Monty Python “flying sheep” skit. I asked my father this question and he immediately launched into the bit about Harold.
— Mark
Speaking of barnyard animals I think I just got what that whole ragingplatypus thing was all about:
http://slate.msn.com/id/2081419/
— MikeyC
Bah - Rem - Uh
— Anonymous
As to Bellwethers, I have no clue. As to Mark being a Bellwether.. Dunno, and I am withholding comments. Actually I’m not quite sure why I read this site. The only “blogs” I read right now are philringnalda and this one. hehe I don’t even use MT.. This post might have something to do with it though. semi random and pretty darn interesting.
— Fidel
> As to Mark being a Bellwether..
Not sure how far we would want to take that analogy, considering the implications related to castration…
http://diveintomark.org/archives/2003/01/29/for_best_results.html
— another Mark
I don’t know much about sheep, but my parents used to have goats, which may or may not be similar.
Goats, like many herding animals, have a natural hierarchy, which is based on a combination of strength and agressiveness. The leaders are leaders even without a bell, but if you give a weaker one a bell, it will get beaten mercilessly. So it makes sense to give the bell to the leaders.
The bell is mainly for the farmer, so he knows where the herd is.
— xyll
The Word Detective also looked into the origins of this word:
http://www.word-detective.com/back-j.html#bellwether
— Anonymous
“Individual sheep can be smart - like any animal - but a herd is stupid.”
“Because of parallels to the web and the blogosphere. What moves the “herd” of bloggers?”
Thank you.
— David
Great. Sam Ruby trackbacks a blog with two words: “Well done.”
Who’s willing to put money on the idea that Mark is playing another joke? RagingOvis.com, perhaps?