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THE ODYSSEY

Book XIV: The Loyal Swineherd

Eumaeus: The Mirror of Loyalty

"He found him sitting in front of his hut... which he had built during his master’s absence..."

The Stronghold

  • 🪨 Built of stone gathered from the ground, fenced with thorn bushes.
  • 🪵 Outer fence of oaken posts, split and set close together.
  • 🐗 Twelve sties for five hundred breeding sows; three hundred and sixty boars outside.

The Guardians

Four hounds, "fierce as wolves," protect the herds. They nearly tear the disguised Odysseus to pieces until Eumaeus intervenes.

"Stranger, though a still poorer man should come here, it would not be right for me to insult him, for all strangers and beggars are from Jove."

Livestock Census: The Estate of a King

Eumaeus lists the vast herds of Odysseus, contrasting his master's former glory with the current plunder by the suitors.

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12 Herds
Cattle
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12 Flocks
Sheep
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12 Droves
Pigs
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23 Herds
Goats

The Cretan's Journey

Odysseus weaves a complex web of lies to conceal his identity while testing Eumaeus's heart.

1

Cretan Origins

Claims to be the illegitimate son of Castor, a rich Cretan. Led nine naval expeditions before the Trojan War.

2

The Egyptian Raid

After Troy, he led a disastrous raid on Egypt. His men were killed or enslaved; he surrendered to the King of Egypt.

3

The Phoenician Scoundrel

Lived seven years in Egypt, then was tricked by a Phoenician into a voyage to Libya, ending in shipwreck.

4

The Thesprotian Promise

Washed up in Thesprotia, where King Pheidon told him Odysseus was alive and gathering treasure nearby.

The Pillars of Xenia

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The Bed of Rushes

Eumaeus strews fresh rushes and a shaggy chamois skin for the stranger's rest.

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The Servant's Pork

Sacrificing two sucking pigs immediately, sprinkling them with barley meal for the guest.

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The Cloak Test

Odysseus tells a story of Troy to "borrow" a cloak. Eumaeus provides his own thick cloak for the night.

Moral Reflection

"The gods love not such shameful doings, and respect those who do what is lawful and right."

Eumaeus stands as the antithesis to the Suitors, proving that nobility is found in the heart, not the station.