Eumaeus- Greek FigureMortal"Divine Swineherd"

Noble Origins and Enslavement

Eumaeus was born the son of Ctesius, king of the island of Syrie. When Eumaeus was a small child, Phoenician traders arrived at the island and seduced one of the household's slave women, herself a Phoenician by birth. She conspired with them to steal the king's child along with gold from the palace. The Phoenicians sailed away with young Eumaeus and the treacherous slave woman, who died during the voyage. They brought the boy to Ithaca, where they sold him to Laertes, father of Odysseus.

Laertes' wife Anticleia raised Eumaeus alongside her own daughter Ctimene, treating him almost as a member of the family. When Ctimene was married and sent away, Eumaeus was given charge of the swine herds.

Faithful Service During the Absence

Throughout the twenty years of Odysseus' absence, Eumaeus maintained the swine herds on a remote part of Ithaca, building sties and enclosures with his own hands. While the suitors consumed Odysseus' cattle and feasted in the palace, Eumaeus preserved what he could of the herds, though forced to send his best pigs to feed the parasites.

Sheltering the Disguised Odysseus

When Odysseus finally returned to Ithaca, Athena directed him to Eumaeus' hut rather than the palace. Disguised as an aged beggar, Odysseus arrived at the swineherd's dwelling. Eumaeus, not recognizing his master, welcomed him with food and a place by the fire. He lamented the absence of his master and proved his loyalty through every test the disguised Odysseus put to him. It was also at the swineherd's hut that Odysseus was reunited with his son Telemachus.

The Slaughter of the Suitors

After Odysseus revealed his identity to Eumaeus and the cowherd Philoetius — showing them the scar on his thigh as proof — the two servants fought at his side during the slaughter of the suitors. They barred the doors of the great hall, and when the goatherd Melanthius tried to smuggle weapons to the suitors, Eumaeus and Philoetius caught him, bound him, and hoisted him from the rafters. After the suitors were slain, Odysseus promised both loyal servants land and new lives as free men.