A common title for a king in Homer is “shepherd of the people.” Because we do not live in a pastoral society and likely think of sheep as cute and cuddly, it may be difficult for us to understand what shepherding has to do with rule. Niels Hemmingsen gives us a description in On the Law of Nature: A Demonstrative Method. Discussing various titles for rulers, Hemmingsen writes:

Ποιμὴν λαῶν [poimēn laōn], “shepherd of the people”: by this image is signified what sort of care the magistrate ought to have for his citizens. As it is necessary for a shepherd to have care for his sheep, so it is necessary for a magistrate to have care for his subjects. Sometimes Plato calls the magistrate ἐπίσκοπος [episcopos],^[1] and Xenophon calls him ἔφορος [ephoros], that is, “overseer,” because the magistrate ought diligently to observe what the individual citizens are doing. He will spur individuals on to performing their duties, and he will summon them to obedience by two things, namely, rewards and punishments. It does not suffice, as Xenophon says, for the citizens to have honorable laws, unless those who are overseers should also be νομοφύλακες [nomophulakes] guardians of the laws], praising those who do what has been commanded and, contrariwise, punishing those who transgress the laws.^[2]