Eumaios In The Odyssey

In Homer’s epic poem, The Odyssey Eumaios is a swineherd on Odysseus homeland, Ithaca. He does not play a big role in the beginning of the book but later on he plays a huge role in helping Odysseus win back his wife and his palace. Eumaios shows throughout the chapters that he is involved in that he is cordial to new people. This trait is important in ancient Greece because people believed that anyone could be anyone. If you aren’t gracious to people who come to you for shelter or food, you could be in a gods dislike list because you didn’t show hospitality or xenia to that person. Ancient Greeks believed that a god could come down to earth disguised as someone else like a poor beggar and seek xenia from you. If you don’t show them good hospitality then you could be killed by the god. Eumaios shows that he is open to all people by letting Odysseus disguised as a …show more content…
“You too, old man of many sorrows, since the spirit brought you here to me, do not try to please me nor spell me with lying words. It is not for that I will entertain and befriend you, but for fear of Zeus, the god of guests, and for my own pity.” (14.386-389) This quote shows that Eumaios is open to letting Odysseus stay at his house and offers them food. Eumaios does this because he doesn’t know if the beggar, Odysseus is disguised as, is a god or even his king. If he isn’t inviting to him he could be looked down on by the gods. This graciousness is the trait that I would like to have more. His generosity towards Odysseus even though he knows Odysseus is telling him lies. Eumaios can teach me and other people how to be generous to people that are in need of help or people who appear lower class. When he first sees the beggar come to his door he is not rude or arrogant to him he is friendly and wants to get to know the beggar before he lets him into his