 In 15th-century Germany, a cow bell was worn only by the best and leading piece of livestock.The wider distribution of the bell worn by livestock was a gradual process of the Early Modern period.In France in the mid-16th century, Francois Rabelais makes this practice explicit in his "Gargantua and Pantagruel", stating that

The importance of the cow bell is highlighted in Swiss folklore, which reflects a period when a great Trychel, or large cow bell, was a rare and much-coveted item.