A cowbell (or cow bell) is a bell that is placed around the neck of animals that roam freely. This helps farmers or shepherds hear the bell to find the animal when it is eating grass and cannot be seen, such as in hilly areas or large open fields. Although they are often called "cow bells" because they are used a lot with cows, these bells are also used on many different types of animals.

Characteristics and uses

The bell and clapper are often made from iron, bronze, brass, copper, or wood. The collar that holds the bell is traditionally made from leather and wood fibers. The way cow bells are made depends on the region and culture. Most cow bells are created from thin, flat pieces of sheet metal that are covered with another material. This covering allows the surface to be decorated or left plain. The decorations on the bell and collar are usually for appearance, but some cultures believe certain designs offer magical protection, such as helping to prevent or cure illnesses. Different bells can produce unique sounds that help identify an animal's age, sex, or species. In some cultures, bells have special names based on their sounds; for example, in Spanish, "truco" refers to male goats, "esquila" refers to female goats or sheep, and "esquileta" refers to pregnant females or young animals. Each bell has its own distinct sound, shape, and size.

Bells are used to help people track groups of grazing animals, such as goats, reindeer, sheep, and cows. They are most commonly used in Europe, the Mediterranean, and Latin America, but are also used worldwide by people who move their animals seasonally, including nomadic tribes in Africa and Asia. Some people put bells on their animals because they think the sound scares away predators. However, some studies show that the sound may actually attract predators, as they learn to associate the bell's noise with the presence of prey.

Cowbells are often held by people during Alpine skiing events and cyclo-cross races, especially in the United States. They are usually carried in the hand instead of being worn around the neck.

In the 1960s, Earl W. Terrell and Ralph L. Reeves attached handles to cowbells at Mississippi State University for students. This idea has grown over time, and today, 60,000 cowbells are used during Mississippi State Bulldog Athletics events. Mississippi State now holds the world record for the most cowbells ringing at the same time.

History

Archaeologists have found evidence of bells dating back more than 5,000 years. These early bells were made in Neolithic China around 3,000 BC. During this time, there were early forms of pottery cowbells, which were likely used to help people track goats, sheep, and cattle. Over time, pottery bells were replaced by metal bells. In West Asia, the first bells appeared around 1,000 BC. The earliest metal bells, one found at the Taosi site and four at the Erlitou site, date to about 2,000 BC.

Bells used for shepherding spread from the Fertile Crescent to Celtic, Carthaginian, Greek, and Roman cultures. The earliest pictures of bells used for livestock in Britain appear on carved stones from the 7th to 9th centuries AD in places like Eassie, Angus, and Fowlis Wester, Perthshire. Small iron bells from the 8th or 9th century, believed to be used for cows or sheep, were found at upland farm settlements in Crummack Dale and Gauber High Pasture in the Yorkshire Dales. An early picture of a bellwether, the leading sheep of a flock with a bell around its neck, is shown in the Carolingian Stuttgart Psalter from the ninth century.

In Europe, the first written records about bells used for livestock date to the late 14th to early 15th century. A 1410 mention of a cow bell appears in a Frankfurt archive, and the first use of the word "bell-wether" is recorded in 1440. The phrase "to bear the bell," meaning to take the lead, originally referred to the leading cow or sheep in a group, as noted in Chaucer’s Troilus and Criseyde from 1374. In 15th-century Germany, only the best and leading livestock wore cow bells. The wider use of bells on livestock became more common during the Early Modern period. In mid-16th-century France, the writer Francois Rabelais described this practice in his book Gargantua and Pantagruel.

The importance of cow bells is shown in Swiss folklore, which describes a time when a large cow bell, called a Trychel, was a rare and valuable item. A legend from the Simmental region tells of a young cowherd who is offered a choice between gold coins, a golden Trychel, or a fairy. He chooses the Trychel.

Unlike regular cast-metal bells, "trychlen" are made by hammering sheet metal. This creates a clanking, less sharp sound, but makes the bell lighter and easier to carry.

Today, cow bells are still made in countries like Korea, Indonesia, and India, often as handmade crafts. Despite a fire in 2012 that destroyed its factory, the Bevin Brothers Manufacturing Company in East Hampton, CT, continues to make cow bells. It has been doing so since 1832 and is the only U.S. company that makes only bells.

In Western Europe, when spring snow melts, villages send cows to high alpine meadows to graze. This event, called Alpaufzug, is celebrated with a procession through the village to the high pastures. The cows are decorated with floral wreaths on their horns, and the best milk-producing cow leads the group, wearing the largest bell. Bells come in different sizes and are given to cows based on their milk production that year.

In the fall, the same event happens again, but it is called Alpabzug as the animals return from the high meadows. The best cows, called Kranzkuh ("crown cow" because of their ornamental headwear), lead the return procession. This tradition is known as Viehscheid in Southern Germany and has other names in Alpine regions.

Animal welfare concerns

Cow bells can be as loud as 113 decibels, and this loudness may cause pain or hearing loss in cows wearing them. A study from 2015 showed that cows wearing bells for three days spent less time eating, chewing cud, and resting. Animal rights groups, such as the German Animal Welfare Society, have asked for a ban on using cow bells.

Gallery

• Bells for animals, Kashgar markets
• Ancient Madura festival. Madura, Sawah Tengah, Eastern Java, Indonesia
• Brass cowbells from the Tamil region in Southern India
• Greek animal bells
• A display of cow bells (and sheep bells in the bottom row) used by farmers in the Appalachian region, collected by John Rice Irwin. Photo taken at the Museum of Appalachia in Norris, Tennessee, United States.
• Ancient Roman cowbell in a museum in Weißenburg, Bavaria.
• A wooden collar for a cowbell
• Another wooden collar for a cowbell with carved symbols.
• Iron cowbell, view 1
• Iron cowbell, view 2
• A Simmentaler Fleckvieh cow wearing a "trychel" cowbell
• Procession of La Vijanera fiesta (Cantabria).
• Plowing a rice field with oxen, about 1910–1920 in Sawa, Indonesia.
• An improvised cowbell used for sheep or goats. The bell was found in 1988 in a field near Tuqu’ (Tekoa) in the Judean hills, the West Bank. The bell’s body is made of aluminum, likely from a broken kitchen item, while the clapper is made from a brass cartridge case.
• Swiss souvenir cow bells