Question: how did eumaeus become a swineherd?
Answer: Where did Odysseus go first? ... How did Eumaeus become Odysseus' swineherd? He was kidnapped by his nurse, who died on the Phoinikian ship that was taking them away from Syrie, and was then sold as a slave to Laertes. What sign did Telemakhos see when he got back to Ithaka?