A Swineherd’s Hospitality

The swineherd Eumaeus led Odysseus – changed by Athene beyond recognition – to his hut, piled up some brushwood and covering it with the shaggy skin of a wild goat, made him welcome: ‘for strangers and beggars all come in Zeus’s name,’ he said. Before long ‘the swineherd broke off, hitched up his tunic and his belt, and went out into the sties where the young porkers were penned in batches. He selected two, carried them in, and slaughtered them both. Next he singed them, chopped them up and skewered the meat. When he had roasted it all, he served it up piping hot on the spits, set it in front of Odysseus and sprinkled it with white barley meal. He then mixed some mellow wine in a bowl of olive wood, took a seat facing his guest, and invited him to eat.’ The same evening when the other herdsman got back, a five year old hog was slaughtered in his honour, Eumaeus honouring Odysseus with the ‘tusker’s long chine’.