So Sunday morning I was taking a leisurely stroll along a lava lake near Silver Cane Nether Fortress, when I saw a stranded swimmer away from shore! He was bobbing up and down, looking around for some way out of the firey lake. Clad in full iron armor and wielding a diamond sword, I knew I had to help this fellow traveler.

As I drew nearer, I realized something was amiss. His complexion was somewhat less than...human. Finally, I realized the horrible truth - this was one of the undead, a rotted husk of a pigman doomed to eternal torment. Probably after feasting on the brains of one of my fellow humans and taking his stuff.

With heavy heart, I turned away and went about my stroll, somewhat less enthusiastic about my morning constitutional.

Later, much later (8 hours later in "real world time", whatever that is), I found myself back along the edge of the lake, building an overland route to my dear beloved father's portal house. Much to my surprise, the aforementioned anthropomorphic perished pig still tread lava off the shore! Curious now, and with a bit of time on my hands, I stowed my belongings in a hastily constructed chest and began building a covered bridge out to my stranded target.

I built to the side, so when my bridge spanned out far enough that it was 3 blocks away from the edge, I turned my attention to providing it with an egress from the flame. Before I had the opportunity, two of the pigman's brethren spawned before my eyes. They ignored me, though, and so after a brief moment of apprehension, I crouched out along the edge of my platform to place the blocks it would need to climb out.

Suddenly, I was hit by something! I flew back a half step, and turned around scanning the great cavern for one of those horrid floating marshmallows seeking revenge for decades of being charred at the hands of sweet-seeking human adolescents. The horizon, such as it was in the Nether, was clear. I scratched my head, peered suspiciously at the floating twisted version of Porky Pig, and again crouched out to place the 2 blocks needed.

My mission accomplished, I took a step back to watch the fruits of my labor clamber out of the lake and start swinging its stolen sword at me! As if by command, its fellow pigman (only 1, the other having wandered off), also began an assault upon me! As though the lava pigman could sense my intention to relieve it of its ill gotten loot, it was aggro towards me even though I had never so much as given it a noogie!

After dispatching my foes with my trusty newly enchanted axe, I slowly approached the last of the pigmen, who had previously been peacefully ignorant of me. It, too, charged at me as I drew near, and I had to wet my blade again with the putrid innards of my foe.

Wiping my blade (maintenance of your weapons being paramount), I took stock of my action and found I was now the new owner of a full set of iron armor, and an unnamed diamond sword. I grabbed my equipment from the chest, and beat a hasty retreat, though the other pigmen I encountered on my way back to the safety of Laurasia did not so much as bat a disgusting eye at me.

My questions are thus:

1. How did the armored pigman not despawn? I spent a lot of time in the areas around him, and walked quite far away from it, more than far enough for it to disappear.

2. Why was it aggro towards me when I got close enough, even though the other pigmen weren't? It was only after he got out of the lava and he started attacking me that the other pigmen became aggro towards me.

Thanks!