The swineherd who helps Odysseus when he first returns to Ithaca, helping him get back into his Palace and reunite with Telemachus. Odysseus was one of the greatest heroes in Greek Mythology. He does not at first realize that the beggar is Odysseus, but offers him food and shelter anyways. He yells out to the gods that he doesn't need them.

Also, he does not give a sacrifice to the gods for helping the Greeks win the victory. He was the husband of Penelope, father of Telemachus, and son of Laërtes and Anticlea.He is a main character in the Iliad, and the Odyssey is about his ten-year-voyage from the Trojan War to Ithaca. After the Trojan war, Odysseus sets off on his journey back to Ithaca. Penelope is the daughter of King Icarius, the mother of Telemachus, Odysseus ’s wife, and the first-person narrator of the majority of the novel.

From her, he learns for the first time news of his own household, threatened by the greed of Penelope's suitors. Penelope is insecure about her looks and her ability to attract men, often comparing herself to her cousin Helen, whom she loathes. In return for his arrogance, the gods create a difficult journey home for Odysseus.

He survives encounters with the Lotus Eaters and Sirens only to face another challenge: the homecoming. Eurycleia The elderly nurse for both Odysseus and Telemachus.

Odysseus also talks to his fallen war comrades and the mortal shade of Heracles.

He arrives on his rocky island kingdom of Ithaca disguised as a beggar and finds that his palace is full of suitors wooing his wife, the faithful Queen Penelope. Next Odysseus meets the spirit of his own mother, who had died of grief during his long absence. The first time Odysseus showed his arrogance is when he won the battle at Troy. He plays one of the central roles in Homer's Iliad where the Greeks were, thanks to his ingenuity, able to defeat the Trojans and claim the city of Troy. Odysseus returns home 20 years after leaving for Troy. Odysseus shooting the suitors. Odysseus. Odysseus or his Roman name Ulysses was the king of Ithaca, and he ruled an island country that was west of Greece. But seeing our time for action lost in weeping, I mustered those Akhaians under arms, counting them off in two platoons, myself and my godlike Eurylokhos commanding.” (X, 217-224) It wasn’t until after the first party fell prey to Kirke’s elixir that Odysseus shows his true leadership. Penelope, although not a beauty, is known for her cleverness, her devotion, and her modesty.

Odysseus comes first to the hut of his swineherd, Eumaeus, who receives him in a typical XENIA situation ('All strangers and beggars come from Zeus,' p. 208): food first, then inquiry about his identity and itinerary, then (eventually) a place to sleep.