'Shepherd' is Old English for 'sheep-herder' — the archetypal metaphor for protective leadership.
A person who tends, guards, and herds sheep.
A compound from Old English 'scēaphyrde,' from 'scēap' (sheep) + 'hyrde' (herdsman, guardian), from Proto-Germanic *hirdijaz (herdsman), from *herdō (herd, flock). The first element 'sheep' descends from Old English 'scēap,' from Proto-Germanic *skēpą, of uncertain deeper origin. The second element 'herd' (in the sense of one who herds)
The second element of 'shepherd' — Old English 'hyrde' (herder, guardian) — is the same word found in 'cowherd,' 'swineherd,' and 'goatherd.' It originally meant 'guardian' or 'keeper,' which is why 'shepherd' became such a powerful religious metaphor: the shepherd is the guardian of his flock.