The Odyssey blog 3

The Odyssey has three important animal herders: Eumaeus, Melanthius, and Philoetius. Eumaeus the swineherd is a benevolent father figure to Telemachus and is loyal to Odysseus. He always offers the kindest hospitality to anyone he can and he says no unkind words of his friends and acquaintances. Melanthius the goatherd, on the other hand, is someone I would call a stain on humanity. He is rude and seems to enjoy feeling better than others. He offers no hospitality to guests of his master’s home. Philoetius the cowherd does not have a particularly big role in the story, but he is loyal to Odysseus and has an apparent distaste for the suitors. Because of their loyalty and good hospitality, Eumaeus and Philoetius will go on and live happy lives. I would assume that they would be held in a high regard by Odysseus due to their unwavering loyalty, possibly earning a reward not only from their master, but also from the gods due to their graciousness and faithfulness. Melanthius will likely meet some terrible fate. His horrible hospitality and awful demeanor have probably earned him a special place in Hades. I cannot see any good ending for the goatherd unless he repents and gains some degree of good character, which is unfortunately far less common in Greek myths than someone getting their comeuppance, usually through death.