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“It is the loss of Ulysses that grieves me most; I cannot speak of him without reverence though he is here no longer, for he was very fond of me, and took such care of me that wherever he may be I shall always honour his memory.”
Odyssey, Book 14; Samuel Butler translation
Book 14 Summary
Disguised as an old beggar, Odysseus goes and visits his swineherd Eumaeus. Eumaeus welcomes Odysseus hospitably and explains to him he can’t do much due to the suitors. When Odysseus asks about the master of the estate, Eumaeus tells the beggar that Odysseus is dead and that he was a great master.
Odysseus fabricates a story about who he is, how he got to Ithaca, and how he heard that Odysseus is still alive, borrowing very loosely from his own experiences. Eumaeus is unconvinced that Odysseus is still alive, despite Odysseus’ story and oaths to the contrary. Nonetheless, Eumaeus and the other swineherd have a better than usual supper for the beggars’ benefit. All of them go to bed while Eumaeus goes out to the pig sties to protect them overnight.
O Swineherd Eumaeus
The love and devotion Eumaeus has toward Odysseus may be difficult for us modern Westerners to fully appreciate, but I think we can get an idea if we think about the closest thing we have to the master/servant relationship in the modern Western world—the employer/employee relationship.
The two biggest differences between these two relationships, of course, are that: 1) A master purchases the whole servant and takes care of them whereas an employer only purchases a certain amount of the employee’s time and only takes care of them during those blocks of time; and 2) The servant is, for the most part, stuck with the master whereas the employee is free to leave their employer for another one if they see fit.
However, think about the employer who provides poor working conditions, makes no compromises on when you can and can’t work, and is overbearing to their employees. Then, think about the employer who tries to make the working conditions optimal, allows their employees to leave work a little early to catch their child’s sports game or covers for them in a family emergency, and doesn’t micromanage them.
Which employer would you be more faithful to?
To Eumaeus, Odysseus was the good employer. Odysseus gave him a place to live, treated him well, and didn’t take him for granted. Eumaeus is faithful and devoted to Odysseus because of this. He genuinely misses his master, especially since he’s being exploited so brazenly by the suitors.
If it weren’t for their differences in social status, they may have been good friends. I’m sure we can all relate to this sentiment when it comes to amicable managers and business owners.
Eumaeus is also a virtuous man who is very hospitable. He takes in the disguised Odysseus and says:
“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.”
Odyssey, Book 14; Samuel Butler translation
He then treats Odysseus to a meal and gives him shelter for the night.
Eumaeus’ hospitality is not only admirable, but it reflects well on Odysseus and his family. Eumaeus knows who he represents, and doesn’t want people to think that Odysseus is a poor host or is irreverent toward the gods.
This isn’t going to be the last time Eumaeus appears in the story. We’re going to find out how much that devotion Eumaeus has toward Odysseus pays off in the end.
Were that there were more employers like Odysseus to produce more employees like Eumaeus.
Were that there were more employers like Odysseus who had more employees like Eumeaus.
As if the Suitors Weren’t Bad Enough…
When Odysseus tells Eumaeus he has information on, well, himself, Eumaeus quickly stops him.
“Old man, no traveller who comes here with news will get Ulysses’ wife and son to believe his story. Nevertheless, tramps in want of a lodging keep coming with their mouths full of lies, and not a word of truth; every one who find his way to Ithaca goes to my mistress and tells her falsehoods, whereon she takes them in, makes much of them, and asks them all manner of questions, crying all the time as women will when they have lost their husbands.”
Odyssey, Book 14; Samuel Butler translation
No matter how much Odysseus assures him with oaths that he’s telling the truth, Eumaeus simply refuses to believe him.
And can you blame Eumaeus? Imagine being Telemachus and Penelope with this happening to them. It’s bad enough already that Odysseus is lost at sea and probably dead. It worse still that there are these brazenly corrupt suitors harassing them and eating up Odysseus’ estate (and Telemachus’ inheritance). But to have beggars come around claiming they’ve heard news of Odysseus being alive? It’s no wonder Telemachus, Penelope, and Eumaeus are resigned to the idea that Odysseus is dead. How many more times can they handle getting their hopes up only to have them dashed by yet another liar exploiting them for food, shelter, and status?
I agree with Odysseus when he says:
“I hate a man, even as I hate hell fire, who lets his poverty tempt him into lying.”
Odyssey, Book 14; Samuel Butler translation
Poverty is one of many concepts that was elevated by Christianity but has become corrupted in our modern day. Today, there are those who think poverty, or perhaps just the state of not being wealthy and well off, is a license to do whatever one wants to do in order to survive, or worse, to rail against “the rich.” It’s used as a shield to absolve them from responsibility. It’s become some twisted virtue to justify twisted behavior. Immorality for the sake of a “higher cause.”
We should hate that behavior as much as we should hate the flames of hell.
That’s all for Book 14 of the Odyssey.
May your days be filled with grace.
Merry Christmas!
-Andronikos
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Thumbnail: Odysseus and Eumaeus. Art found on a vase, c. 470-60 BCE.